Transport coefficients of a massive pion gas

Abstract

We review or main results concerning the transport coefficients of a light meson gas, in particular we focus on the case of a massive pion gas. Leading order results according to the chiral power-counting are presented for the DC electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, shear viscosity, and bulk viscosity. We also comment on the possible correlation between the bulk viscosity and the trace anomaly in QCD, as well as the relation between unitarity and a minimum of the quotient $\eta /s$ near the phase transition.

Comments: Talk given at the 5th International Conference on Quarks and Nuclear Physics (QNP09), Beijing, September 21-26, 2009