Thermodynamics from the S-matrix reloaded: emergent thermal mass
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866908720024256512 |
|---|---|
| author | Baratella, Pietro Miro, Joan Elias |
| author_facet | Baratella, Pietro Miro, Joan Elias |
| contents | The formalism of Dashen, Ma and Bernstein (DMB) expresses the thermal partition function of a system in terms of the S-matrix operator, roughly $Z(β) \propto \int dE\, e^{-βE}\,\text{Tr}\,\ln S(E),$ where $S$ denotes the full scattering operator on the asymptotic Fock space -- i.e. including all multi-particle sectors -- defined via the Lippmann-Schwinger equation. Recently we have employed this formalism to compute the free energy of flux tubes (essentially a two-dimensional theory of derivatively coupled scalars) and the two-loop $O(α_s)$ QCD thermal free energy. Moving to higher orders, it is well known that at $O(α_s^2)$ in QCD, or e.g. at $O(λ^2)$ in $λϕ^4$ theory, the free energy develops IR divergences. These IR divergences are resolved by the screening Debye mass. However, the DMB formalism expresses the free energy in terms of a trace of the S-matrix operator in the vacuum. How, then, does the Debye mass arise in this framework? In this work we address this question, thereby paving the way for higher-order applications of the DMB formalism in relativistic QFT. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_16466 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Thermodynamics from the S-matrix reloaded: emergent thermal mass Baratella, Pietro Miro, Joan Elias High Energy Physics - Theory High Energy Physics - Phenomenology The formalism of Dashen, Ma and Bernstein (DMB) expresses the thermal partition function of a system in terms of the S-matrix operator, roughly $Z(β) \propto \int dE\, e^{-βE}\,\text{Tr}\,\ln S(E),$ where $S$ denotes the full scattering operator on the asymptotic Fock space -- i.e. including all multi-particle sectors -- defined via the Lippmann-Schwinger equation. Recently we have employed this formalism to compute the free energy of flux tubes (essentially a two-dimensional theory of derivatively coupled scalars) and the two-loop $O(α_s)$ QCD thermal free energy. Moving to higher orders, it is well known that at $O(α_s^2)$ in QCD, or e.g. at $O(λ^2)$ in $λϕ^4$ theory, the free energy develops IR divergences. These IR divergences are resolved by the screening Debye mass. However, the DMB formalism expresses the free energy in terms of a trace of the S-matrix operator in the vacuum. How, then, does the Debye mass arise in this framework? In this work we address this question, thereby paving the way for higher-order applications of the DMB formalism in relativistic QFT. |
| title | Thermodynamics from the S-matrix reloaded: emergent thermal mass |
| topic | High Energy Physics - Theory High Energy Physics - Phenomenology |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.16466 |