Electron-positron pair production as a probe of chiral symmetry in a hot QCD plasma

Chiral symmetry in the high-temperature plasma phase of QCD is consistent with at least three qualitatively different quark dispersion relations. The rate for qq → e⁺e^-, with zero total momentum of the e⁺e^- pair in the plasma rest frame is direct measure of the quark dispersion relation. For the three plausible dispersion relations the rates differ by orders of magnitude when the e⁺e^- invariant mass M < 2T.