Abstract
We consider the expectation value of a chromomagnetic flux loop in the immediate forward light cone of collisions of heavy nuclei at high energies. Such collisions are characterized by a nonlinear scale where color fields become strong. We find that loops of area greater than exhibit area-law behavior, which determines the scale of elementary flux excitations (“vortices”). We also estimate the magnetic string tension, . By the time even small loops satisfy area-law scaling. We describe corrections to the propagator of semihard particles at very early times in the background of fluctuating magnetic fields.
- Received 18 February 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.88.054016
© 2013 American Physical Society