Related papers: QCD phase diagram and locating critical point usin…
Beam energy scan programs in heavy-ion collisions aim to explore the QCD phase structure at high baryon density. Sensitive observables are applied to probe the signatures of the QCD phase transition and critical point in heavy-ion…
The QCD phase diagram lies at the heart of what the RHIC Physics Program is all about. While RHIC has been operating very successfully at or close to its maximum energy for almost a decade, it has become clear that this collider can also be…
In this report we discuss the capabilities and limitations of the STAR detector to search for signatures of the QCD critical point in a low energy scan at RHIC. We find that a RHIC low energy scan will cover a broad region of interest in…
The RHIC Beam Energy Scan focuses on the study of the QCD phase diagram --- temperature ($T$) vs. baryon chemical potential ($\mu_B$). The aim is to verify some predictions from QCD: that a cross-over occurs at $\mu_B$ = 0, that there…
A critical point in the phase diagram of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), if established either theoretically or experimentally, would be as profound a discovery as the good-old gas-liquid critical point. Unlike the latter, however,…
Enhanced fluctuations and correlations have been observed in the phase transitions of many systems. Their appearance at the predicted QCD phase transition (especially near the expected critical point) may provide insight into the nature of…
The first decade of RHIC running has established the existence of a strongly coupled Quark Gluon Plasma (sQGP), a new state of nuclear matter with partonic degrees of freedom. Theory predicts how transitions to this sQGP depend on the…
The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC has conducted a beam energy scan at several collision energies in order to search for signatures of the QCD critical point and the onset of deconfinement. PHENIX has conducted measurements of transverse energy…
The search for the critical point of QCD in heavy-ion collision experiments has sparked enormous interest with the completion of phase I of the RHIC beam energy scan. Here, I review the basics of the thermodynamics of the QCD phase…
We review recent results from the RHIC beam energy scan (BES) program, aimed to study the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) phase diagram. The main goals are to search for the possible phase boundary, softening of equation of state or first…
Event-by-event fluctuations of global observables in relativistic heavy-ion collisions are studied as probes for the QCD phase transition and as tools to search for critical phenomena near the phase boundary. Dynamical fluctuations in mean…
The experimental search for the location of the QCD critical point in the phase diagram is of primary importance. In a recent publication it is claimed that measurements at RHIC lead not only to the location of the critical point…
Current heavy-ion collision experiments might lead to the discovery of a first-order chiral symmetry breaking phase-transition line, ending in a second-order critical point. Nevertheless, the extraction of information about the equilibrium…
A systematic search for a critical point in the phase diagram of QCD matter is underway at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and is planned at several future facilities. Its existence, if confirmed, and its location will greatly…
In addition to signals for the critical point, evidence for a first order phase transition would indicate a nontrivial structure within the QCD phase diagram. Moreover, while not a direct measurement of the critical point, the presence of a…
The existence and location of the QCD critical point is an object of vivid experimental and theoretical studies. Rich and beautiful data recorded by experiments at SPS and RHIC allow for a systematic search for the critical point - the…
The QCD critical point is a landmark point on the QCD phase diagram, with potential connections to a plethora of deep questions on the properties of thermal nuclear matter. Future heavy-ion collision experiments, in particular, the second…
Ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions are considered ideal environments for exploring the QCD phase diagram and probing the properties of the QGP as functions of temperature and baryon chemical potential. At the highest energies, such as…
We review the present status of the search for a phase transition and critical point as well as anomalous transport phenomena in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), with an emphasis on the Beam Energy Scan program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion…
For the first time, we investigate susceptibilities of dense quark matter up to $8$th order using an effective model. Generally higher order susceptibilities will have more sign changes and larger magnitude, thus should give more…