Related papers: Quarks in the universe
We present a new scenario for the development of the Universe after the Big Bang, built on the conjecture that a vast majority of the primordial quark matter did not undergo a phase transition to normal nuclear matter, but rather split up…
The abundance and size distribution of quark nuggets (QN), formed a few microseconds after the big bang due to first order QCD phase transition in the early universe, has been estimated. It appears that stable QNs could be a viable…
Lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD), defined on a discrete space time lattice, leads to a spectacular non-perturbative prediction of a new state of matter, called quark-gluon plasma (QGP), at sufficiently high temperatures or equivalently…
We explore quantitatively the conditions in which matter (protons, neutrons) formed in the Early Universe during a period which spanned 10--50mus. We obtain all chemical potentials implied by the present day baryon-to-photon ratio. The…
Lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) predicts a new state of matter, called quark-gluon plasma (QGP), at sufficiently high temperatures or equivalently large energy densities. Relativistic heavy ion collisions are expected to produce such…
Collisions of heavy nuclei at very high energies offer the exciting possibility of experimentally exploring the phase transformation from hadronic to partonic degrees of freedom which is predicted to occur at several times normal nuclear…
Under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, it is believed that quarks and gluons (particles that mediate the interaction between quarks) can be "free" in a given volume. This hypothetical phase of matter is called plasma of…
The quark gluon plasma (QGP) is one of the most interesting forms of matter providing us with insight on quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the early universe. It is believed that the heavy-ion collision experiments at the Relativistic Heavy…
This article summarizes our present knowledge about nuclear matter at the highest energy densities and its formation in relativistic heavy ion collisions. We review what is known about the structure and properties of the quark-gluon plasma…
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of strong interactions, in principle describes the interaction of quark and gluon fields. However, due to the self-coupling of the gluons, quarks and gluons are confined into hadrons and cannot exist…
Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), a QCD state of matter created in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, has remarkable properties, including, for example, a low shear viscosity over entropy ratio. By detecting the collection of low-momentum…
We look from a theoretical perspective at the new phase of matter, quark-gluon plasma (QGP), the new form of nuclear matter created at high temperature and pressure. Here I retrace the path to QGP discovery and its exploration in terms of…
In ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions the produced high temperature, high energy density state will cross different phases of the strongly interacting matter. The original idea of quark-gluon plasma formation has been evolved and the…
There is little doubt that Quantumchromodynamics (QCD) is the theory which describes strong interaction physics. Lattice gauge simulations of QCD predict that in the $\mu,T$ plane there is a line where a transition from confined hadronic…
At very large densities and/or temperatures a quark-hadron phase transition is expected to take place. Simulations of QCD on lattice at zero baryon density indicate that the transition occurs at $T_c \sim 150-170$ MeV. The calculations…
In the standard model of particle physics, the strong force is characterized by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). It is commonly understood from QCD properties that hadrons, at sufficiently high temperatures or densities, melt…
I use simple thermodynamic reasoning to argue that at temperatures of order a trillion kelvin, QCD, the theory which describes strongly interacting particles such as protons and neutrons under normal conditions, undergoes a phase transition…
The history of the Universe after its first second is now tested by high quality observations of light element abundances and temperature anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background. The epoch of the first second itself has not been…
We calculate the size distribution of quark nuggets, which could be formed due to first order QCD phase transition in the early universe. We find that there are a large number of stable Quark Nuggets which could be a viable candidate for…
Rich experimental data have been collected in heavy-ion collisions at high energies to study the properties of strongly interacting matter. As the theory of strong interactions, QCD, predicts asymptotic freedom, the created matter at…