Dynamics of the chiral phase transition in the (2+1)-dimensional Gross-Neveu model

The phase diagram of the Gross-Neveu (GN) model in 2 + 1 dimensions as a function of chemical potential and temperature has a simple curve separating the broken symmetry and unbroken symmetry phases, with chiral symmetry being restored both at high temperature and high density. We study, in leading order in the 1/N expansion, the dynamics of the chiral phase transition for an expanding plasma of quarks in the Gross-Neveu model in 2 + 1 dimensions assuming boost invariant kinematics. We compare the time evolution of the order parameter (mass of the fermion) for evolutions starting in the unbroken and broken phases. The proper time evolution of the order parameter resembles previous results in the (1 + 1)-dimensional GN model in the same approximation. The time needed to traverse the transition is insensitive to mu. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.