The Phase Diagram of QCD

Details The Phase Diagram of QCD The Phase Diagram of QCD

2001-05-08

arxiv.org/abs/physics/0105022v1

Contemp.Phys.42:209-225,2001

Physics

Physics Education

Article for final year undergraduate physicists, to appear in "Contemporary Physics". 34 pages, 13 figures

Scientific paper

10.1080/00107510110063843

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 to a plasma of more elementary constituents called quarks and gluons. I review what is known about the plasma phase both from theoretical calculations and from experiments involving the collisions of large atomic nuclei moving at relativistic speeds. Finally I consider the behaviour of nuclear material under conditions of extreme density, and discuss possible exotic phenomena such as quark matter and color superconductivity.

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