Parton Interaction Rates and Limits on Perturbative QCD

Abstract

The relevance of parton interaction rates for observables of a quark- gluon plasma and for testing field theoretical methods is exhibited. Using the Braaten-Pisarski method the interaction rate as well as the transport rate beyond the leading logarithm approximation are estimated. Limts on the validity of perturbative QCD for relativistic heavy ion collisions are discussed.

Comments: presented at the ``Workshop on Pre-equilibrium Parton Dynamics in Heavy Ion Collisions'', Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, August 23 - September 3, 1993, 12 pages, LaTex, 4 figures (available on request), UGI-93-08