Density fluctuations and a first-order chiral phase transition in non-equilibrium

Abstract

The thermodynamics of a first-order chiral phase transition is considered in the presence of spinodal phase separation using the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model in the mean field approximation. We focus on the behavior of conserved charge fluctuations. We show that in non-equilibrium the specific heat and charge susceptibilities diverge as the system crosses the isothermal spinodal lines.

Comments: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the proceedings of Chiral07, November 13-16 2007, Osaka, Japan