WHERE DOES THE RHO GO - CHIRALLY SYMMETRICAL VECTOR-MESONS IN THE QUARK-GLUON PLASMA

If the phase transition of QCD at nonzero temperature is dominated by the (approximate) restoration of chiral symmetry, then the transition might be characterized using a gauged linear sigma model. Assuming tha t vector meson dominance holds, such sigma models predict that at the temperature of chiral restoration, the pole mass of the thermal rho me son is greater than that at zero temperature; in the chiral limit and in weak coupling this mass is similar to 962 MeV. The width of the the rmal rho-alpha(1) peak is estimated to be about 200-250 MeV.