Sound waves in hadronic matter

Abstract

We argue that recent high energy CERN LHC experiments on transverse momenta distributions of produced particles provide us new, so far unnoticed and not fully appreciated, information on the underlying production processes. To this end we concentrate on the small (but persistent) log-periodic oscillations decorating the observed $p_T$ spectra and visible in the measured ratios $R = σ_{data}\left( p_T\right)/σ_{fit}\left( p_T\right)$. Because such spectra are described by quasi-power-like formulas characterised by two parameters: the power index $n$ and scale parameter $T$ (usually identified with temperature $T$), the observed log-periodic behaviour of the ratios $R$ can originate either from suitable modifications of $n$ or $T$ (or both, but such a possibility is not discussed). In the first case $n$ becomes a complex number and this can be related to scale invariance in the system, in the second the scale parameter $T$ exhibits itself log-periodic oscillations which can be interpreted as the presence of some kind of sound waves forming in the collision system during the collision process, the wave number of which has a so-called self similar solution of the second kind. Because the first case was already widely discussed we concentrate on the second one and on its possible experimental consequences.