Toward equilibration in the early stages after a high energy heavy ion collision

The early stages in the evolution of the gluons produced in the central reg ion of a head-on high-energy heavy ion collision are studied. An equation i s given for the rate of change of transverse momentum into longitudinal mom entum where the longitudinal direction is along the collision axis. We are able to follow the system up to the time where equilibration seems to be se tting in, but we are unable to actually follow the system as it reaches equ ilibrium. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.