Modification of Z boson properties in the quark-gluon plasma

We calculate the change in the effective mass and width of a Z boson in the environment of a quark-gluon plasma under the conditions expected in Pb-Pb collisions at the CERN LHC. The change in width is predicted to be only about 1 MeV at a temperature of 1 GeV, compared to the natural width of 2490{+-}7 MeV. The mass shift is even smaller. Hence no observable effects are to be expected. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.