Open quantum systems for quarkonia

I review recent applications of the open quantum system framework in the understanding of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions, which has been used as a probe of the quark-gluon plasma for decades. The derivation of the Lindblad equations for quarkonium in both the quantum Brownian motion and the quantum optical limits and their semiclassical counterparts is explained. The hierarchy of time scales assumed in the derivation is justified from the separation of energy scales in nonrelativistic effective field theories of QCD. Physical implications of the open quantum system approach are also discussed. Finally, I list some open questions for future studies.

Automated summary

This article reviews recent applications of the open quantum system framework in understanding quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions, explaining the derivation of Lindblad equations and justification of the hierarchy of time scales. The physical implications of the open quantum system approach are discussed, along with listing some open questions for future studies.