The "Little Bang"

Ivan Vitev, LANL, P-25

Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and asymptotic freedom [1] predict the existence of a new state of matter, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) [2], at exceedingly high temperatures and energy densities similar to the ones that characterized the first few microseconds after the Big Bang. The quest for such a deconfined state of QCD has led to the highly successful program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) [3] and will be an integral part of the program at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). I will describe recent theoretical developments that have improved our understanding of the complex many-body dynamics in high energy nuclear collisions. Comparison between data and theory is suggestive of the creation of a deconfined state of QCD with energy density on the order of 100 times normal nuclear matter density. I will discuss the critical role of future heavy flavor precision measurements in characterizing the properties of the quark-gluon plasma.

References:

1. D.J. Gross, F. Wilczek, Phys. Rev. D 8 3636 (1973), H.D. Politzer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 30 1346 (1973).

(The 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics)

2. J.C. Collins, M.J. Perry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 34 1353 (1975).

3. Experimental "White Papers" on the 2004 status of RHIC physics, http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/WWW/info/comment/.

The P/T Colloquium is
typically held each
Thursday, 3:45–5:00 PM.
Refreshments are served
at 3:15 PM.