QCD in Extreme Conditions

Lecturer: F. Bellini (Associate Professor, DIFA)

Duration: 12 hours in April and May

Language: English

Exam: oral discussion of a topical article (to be agreed upon) and questions

Programme:

1. Introduction to Quantum Chromodynamics

2. QCD on the lattice and recent results

3. QCD phase diagram, quark deconfinement

4. Quark Gluon Plasma in the laboratory
• Space-time evolution of a high-energy heavy-ion collision
• Geometry of the collision and centrality, Glauber model
• Energy density
• Temperature of the QGP and critical temperature

5. Experimental characterisation of the QCD phase transition, QGP signatures and probes
• Short historical overview of past and present heavy-ion experiments
• Results from the LHC
• The frontier of research from heavy-ion to pp collisions

6. Soft probes (selected theoretical aspects and experimental results)
• Hadrochemistry and thermal-statistical hadronisation
• Strangeness production and enhancement from large to small systems
• Characterisation of the hadronic phase (extra)
• Collective flow
• Hydrodynamic modeling
• Collectivity in large and small systems

7. Hard probes (selected theoretical aspects and experimental results)
• Nuclear modification of particle spectra and jet quenching
• Radiative Energy loss
• Collisional energy loss for heavy quarks
• Heavy-flavour production
• Quarkonia