Relativistic Heavy Ion Physics
Collisions of nuclei at relativistic energies give us a tool to study
nuclear matter in extreme conditions (temperatures and energy
densities). It is expected that in these conditions nuclei can be melted into a
quark-gluon plasma liberating the quark and gluon degrees of freedom, forming a
simpler phase of nuclear matter than the usual vacuum in which we
live in. This course gives a basic theoretical background needed for
understanding of the QGP phase of nuclear matter and the experimental
observables that carry the signatures of the transition from hadron
gas to QGP. A brief survey of current experimental results
will be presented in lecture. Further individual study by the
students will be expected in preparation of the final term paper.
Topics
for term papers