Chapter 10
PHSD—A Microscopic Transport
Approach for Strongly Interacting
Systems
E. L. Bratkovskaya, W. Cassing, P. Moreau, L. Oliva, O. E. Soloveva,
and T. Song
Abstract We present the basic ideas of the Parton–Hadron–String Dynamics
(PHSD) transport approach which is a microscopic covariant dynamical model for
strongly interacting systems formulated on the basis of Kadanoff–Baym equations
for Green’s functions in phase-space representation (in 1st order gradient expansion
beyond the quasiparticle approximation). The approach consistently describes the
full evolution of a relativistic heavy-ion collision from the initial hard scattering
and string formation through the dynamical deconfinement phase transition to the
strongly interacting quark-gluon plasma (sQGP) as well as hadronization and the
subsequent interactions in the expanding hadronic phase. The PHSD approach has
been applied to p+p, p+A, and A+A collisions from lower SIS to LHC energies
and been successful in describing a large number of experimental data including
single-particle spectra, collective flow and electromagnetic probes. Some highlights
of recent PHSD results will be presented.
10.1 Introduction
The phase transition from partonic degrees of freedom (quarks and gluons) to interacting hadrons is a central topic of modern high-energy physics. In order to understand the dynamics and relevant scales of this transition laboratory experiments
under controlled conditions are performed with relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions. Hadronic spectra and relative hadron abundances from these experiments
reflect important aspects of the dynamics in the hot and dense zone formed in the
early phase of the reaction and collective flows provide information on the transport
E. L. Bratkovskaya (B) · L. Oliva · T. Song
GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany
e-mail: elena.bratkovskaya@th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de
E. L. Bratkovskaya · P. Moreau · L. Oliva · O. E. Soloveva
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
W. Cassing
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
e-mail: wolfgang.cassing@theo.physik.uni-giessen.de
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
R. K. Puri et al. (eds.), Advances in Nuclear Physics, Springer Proceedings
in Physics 257, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9062-7_10
119
PHSD—A Microscopic Transport
Approach for Strongly Interacting
Systems
E. L. Bratkovskaya, W. Cassing, P. Moreau, L. Oliva, O. E. Soloveva,
and T. Song
Abstract We present the basic ideas of the Parton–Hadron–String Dynamics
(PHSD) transport approach which is a microscopic covariant dynamical model for
strongly interacting systems formulated on the basis of Kadanoff–Baym equations
for Green’s functions in phase-space representation (in 1st order gradient expansion
beyond the quasiparticle approximation). The approach consistently describes the
full evolution of a relativistic heavy-ion collision from the initial hard scattering
and string formation through the dynamical deconfinement phase transition to the
strongly interacting quark-gluon plasma (sQGP) as well as hadronization and the
subsequent interactions in the expanding hadronic phase. The PHSD approach has
been applied to p+p, p+A, and A+A collisions from lower SIS to LHC energies
and been successful in describing a large number of experimental data including
single-particle spectra, collective flow and electromagnetic probes. Some highlights
of recent PHSD results will be presented.
10.1 Introduction
The phase transition from partonic degrees of freedom (quarks and gluons) to interacting hadrons is a central topic of modern high-energy physics. In order to understand the dynamics and relevant scales of this transition laboratory experiments
under controlled conditions are performed with relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions. Hadronic spectra and relative hadron abundances from these experiments
reflect important aspects of the dynamics in the hot and dense zone formed in the
early phase of the reaction and collective flows provide information on the transport
E. L. Bratkovskaya (B) · L. Oliva · T. Song
GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany
e-mail: elena.bratkovskaya@th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de
E. L. Bratkovskaya · P. Moreau · L. Oliva · O. E. Soloveva
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
W. Cassing
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
e-mail: wolfgang.cassing@theo.physik.uni-giessen.de
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
R. K. Puri et al. (eds.), Advances in Nuclear Physics, Springer Proceedings
in Physics 257, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9062-7_10
119