2003/01/16 by Thomas A. Trainor, T. A. Trainor, Trainor, Thomas A.
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph) #High-Energy Particle Collisions Research #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.hep-ph/0301122
16 pages, 5 figures
arxiv created 2003/01/16 · openalex publication_date 2003/01/16 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The balance function has been proposed to `clock' hadronization by measuring the charge-dependent correlation length on rapidity. According to the proposal a narrowed balance function would imply reduced hadron diffusion time and therefore delayed hadronization due to a long-lived prehadronic state, a quark-gluon plasma or QGP. I examine this chain of argument in the context of hadronization and rescattering. I then consider the algebraic structure of the balance function and its systematic dependence on the charge correlation length on rapidity. I conclude that the width of the balance function cannot determine a time interval from hadronization to kinetic decoupling, nor can the width determine the existence or temporal extent of a QGP.