Hunting down the quark-gluon plasma in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Ulrich Heinz

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arXiv · hep-ph/9902424

Hunting down the quark-gluon plasma in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Ulrich Heinz

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Abstract

The present status of the heavy-ion program to search for quark-gluon plasma is reviewed. The goal of this program is to recreate the Big Bang in the laboratory, by generating small chunks of exploding quark-gluon plasma (``The Little Bang''). I argue that the analogues of the three pillars of Big Bang Theory (Hubble flow, microwave background radiation, and primordial nucleosynthesis) have now been firmly established in heavy-ion collisions at SPS energies: there is convincing evidence for strong radial flow, thermal hadron emission, and primordial hadrosynthesis from a color-deconfined initial stage. Direct observation of the quark-gluon plasma phase via its electromagnetic radiation will be possible in planned collider experiments at higher energies.

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Ulrich Heinz. 1999-03-05. Hunting down the quark-gluon plasma in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-ph/9902424

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