In quantum chromodynamics (QCD), Brown–Rho (BR) scaling is an approximate scaling law for hadrons in an ultra-hot, ultra-dense medium, such as hadrons in the quark epoch during the first microsecond of the Big Bang or within neutron stars. [1]
According to Gerald E. Brown and Mannque Rho in their 1991 publication in Physical Review Letters: [2]
By using effective chiral Lagrangians with a suitable incorporation of the scaling property of QCD, we establish the approximate in-medium scaling law, m*
σ/m
σ ≈ m*
N/m
N ≈ m*
ρ/m
ρ ≈ m*
ω/m
ω ≈ f*
π/f
π. This has a highly nontrivial implication for nuclear processes at or above nuclear-matter density.
m
ρ refers to the
pole mass of the
ρ meson, whereas m*
ρ refers to the in-medium mass
[3] (or
running mass in the medium) of the ρ meson according to
QCD sum rules.
[4] The
omega meson, sigma meson, and
neutron are denoted by
ω, σ, and N, respectively. The symbol f
π denotes the free-space
pion decay constant. (Decay constants have a "running time" and a "pole time" similar to the "running mass" and "pole mass" concepts, according to
special relativity.) The symbol F
π is also used to denote the pion decay constant.
[5]
For hadrons, a large part of their masses are generated by the chiral condensate. Since the chiral condensate may vary significantly in hot and/or dense matter, hadron masses would also be modified. ... Brown–Rho scaling ... suggests that the partial restoration of the chiral symmetry can be experimentally accessible by measuring in-medium hadron masses, and triggered many later theoretical and experimental works. Theoretically, a similar behavior is also found in the NJL model ... and the QCD sum rule ... [6]
The hypothesis of Brown–Rho scaling is supported by experimental evidence on beta decay of 14C to the 14N ground state. [3]