Coherence and Decoherence in Radiation off Colliding Heavy Ions

Abstract

We discuss the kinetics of a disoriented chiral condensate, treated as an open quantum system. We suggest that the problem is analogous to that of a damped harmonic oscillator. Master equations are used to establish a hierarchy of relevant time scales. Some phenomenological consequences are briefly outlined.

Comments: 15 latex pages, LPTHE Orsay 93/19, e-mail: krz@qcd.ups.circe.fr