In this paper, a search for power-law fluctuations with fractality and intermittency analysis to explore the QCD phase diagram and the critical point is summarized. Experimental data on self-similar correlations and fluctuations with respect to the size of phase space volume in various high energy heavy-ion collisions are presented, with special emphasis on background subtraction and efficiency correction of the measurement. Phenomenological modelling and theoretical work on the subject are discussed. Finally, we highlight possible directions for future research.
Local density fluctuations near the QCD critical point has been suggested to exhibit a power-law behavior which can be probed by an intermittency analysis on scaled factorial moment (SFM) in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The collision energy and centrality dependence of the second-order SFMs are systematically investigated in Au $+$ Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4, and 200 GeV within the UrQMD model. We estimate the noncritical background in the measurement of intermittency and propose a cumulative variable method to effectively remove the background contr…
Within the framework of intermittency analysis, a search for critical fluctuations is ongoing to locate the possible critical point in the quantum chromodynamics phase diagram. In this study, self-similar critical fluctuations from a critical Monte Carlo (CMC) model have been incorporated into the cascade ultrarelativistic quantum molecular dynamics (UrQMD) model. This hybrid UrQMD+CMC model exhibits a clear power-law behavior of scaled factorial moment for charged particles in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 7.7-200 GeV. By comparing the UrQMD+CMC model results with those from th…
It is shown that intermittency, a self-similar correlation with respect to the size of the phase space volume, is sensitive to critical density fluctuations of baryon numbers in a system belonging to the three-dimensional (3D) Ising universality class. The relation between intermittency index and relative baryon density fluctuation is obtained. We thus suggest that measuring the intermittency in relativistic heavy-ion collisions could be used as a good probe of density fluctuations associated with the QCD critical phenomena. From recent preliminary results on neutron density fluctuations in ce…
Local density fluctuations near the QCD critical point can be probed by an intermittency analysis of power-law behavior on scaled factorial moments in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. We study the second-order scaled factorial moment in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 7.7-200 GeV from the UrQMD model. Since the background subtraction and efficiency correction are two important aspects in this measurement, we propose a cumulative variable method to remove background contribution and a cell-by-cell method for efficiency correction in the intermittency analysis.
An introductory overview of electromagnetic probes in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is provided. Experimental evidence supporting the production of thermal photons and dileptons in heavy-ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are reviewed. Thermal electromagnetic emission evaluated from hydrodynamical models of collisions is discussed.
I give a brief overview of the science cases of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) with a particular emphasis on the connections to the physics of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.
Recent theory developments in electromagnetic radiation from relativistic heavy-ion collisions are reviewed. Electromagnetic observables can serve as a thermometer, a viscometer, and tomographic probes to the collision system. The current status of the "direct photon flow puzzle" is highlighted.
The first collisions of lead nuclei, delivered by the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the end of 2010, at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV, marked the beginning of a new era in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion physics. The study of the properties of the produced hot and dense strongly-interacting matter at these unprecedented energies is currently experimentally pursued by all four big LHC experiments, ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb. The more than a factor 10 increase of collision energy at LHC, relative to the previously achieved maximal energy at other collide…
Three-dimensional, as well as one- and two-dimensional, studies of multiplicity fluctuation are performed using AMPT model to generate central Au-Au collision events at ${\sqrt s_{NN}}= 200$ GeV. Two- and three-dimensional normalized factorial moments in rapidity, transverse momentum and azimuthal angle are found to exhibit power-low scaling when partitioning with the same number of bins in each direction, indicating that the fluctuation are isotropic, i.e. the fractality is self-similar in multiparticle production of central Au-Au collisions. Further, we measured the parameter $ν$ which it ch…
The first collisions of lead nuclei, delivered by the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the end of 2010, at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV, marked the beginning of a new era in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion physics. Following the Run 1 period, LHC also successfully delivered PbPb collisions at the collision energy $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV at the end of 2015. The study of the properties of the produced hot and dense strongly-interacting matter at these unprecedented energies is experimentally pursued by all four big LHC experiments, ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and…
This presentation discusses some recently active topics in the theoretical interpretation of high energy heavy ion collisions at the LHC and at RHIC. We argue that the standard paradigm for understanding the spacetime evolution of the bulk of the matter produced in the collision is provided by viscous relativistic hydrodynamics, which can be used to systematically extract properties of the QCD medium from experimental results. The initial conditions of this hydrodynamical evolution are increasingly well understood in terms of gluon saturation, and can be quantified using Classical Yang-Mills f…
Fluctuations of conserved quantities, such as baryon, electric charge and strangeness number, are sensitive observables in relativistic heavy-ion collisions to probe the QCD phase transition and search for the QCD critical point. In this paper, we review the experimental measurements of the cumulants (up to fourth order) of event-by-event net-proton (proxy for net-baryon), net-charge and net-kaon (proxy for net-strangeness) multiplicity distributions in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4, 200$ GeV from the first phase of beam energy scan program at the Relat…
This contribution presents a theoretical overview of hydrodynamic modelling of heavy-ion collisions, with highlights on some recent developments. In particular, the formulation of anisotropic hydrodynamics, the role of hydrodynamic fluctuations, and the non-linear coupling of flow coefficients will be discussed.
In these proceedings I review recent developments concerning the hydrodynamic description of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). I report on the progress towards more realistic simulations and discuss new features about the QGP transport coefficients of the hot (and baryon dense) medium formed in heavy ion collisions. A brief discussion is included on the applicability of hydrodynamics and its extension to the far-from-equilibrium regime.
I review recent developments in the phenomenological study of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) transport properties based on a personal selection of results that were presented at Quark Matter 2019. The constraints on the temperature dependence of QGP shear and bulk viscosity are summarized. I discuss new theory advancements towards more realistic 3D dynamical simulations of heavy-ion collisions at finite baryon density. The challenges and opportunities of applying hydrodynamics to small collision systems are highlighted.
This presents an overview of relativistic hydrodynamic modeling in heavy-ion collisions prepared for Hot Quarks 2016, at South Padre Island, TX, USA. The influence of the initial state and viscosity on various experimental observables are discussed. Specific problems that arise in the hydrodynamical modeling at the Beam Energy Scan are briefly discussed.
The peculiar role of heavy-flavour observables in relativistic heavy-ion collisions is discussed. Produced in the early stage, $c$ and $b$ quarks cross the hot medium arising from the collision, interacting strongly with the latter, until they hadronize. Depending on the strength of the interaction heavy quarks may or not approach kinetic equilibrium with the plasma, tending in the first case to follow the collective flow of the expanding fireball. The presence of a hot deconfined medium may also affect heavy-quark hadronization, being possible for them to recombine with the surrounding light …
We give a brief overview of recent theoretical and experimental results on the chiral magnetic effect and spin polarization effect in heavy-ion collisions. We present updated experimental results for the chiral magnetic effect and related phenomena. The time evolution of the magnetic fields in different models is discussed. The newly developed quantum kinetic theory for massive fermions is reviewed. We present theoretical and experimental results for the polarization of $Λ$ hyperons and the $ρ_{00}$ value of vector mesons.
Quarkonium has long been proposed as one of the golden probes to identify the phase transition from confined hadronic matter to the deconfined quark-gluon plasma in heavy-ion collisions. Since then, we have achieved a better understanding, not only about the propagation of quarkonium in-medium, but also about its production. Recent theoretical developments in our comprehension of the quarkonium production mechanism in proton-proton collisions and on the propagation of quarkonia in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions are reviewed and discussed.
The isospin dependence of in-medium nuclear effective interactions is a fundamental issue in nuclear physics and has broad ramifications in astrophysics. Its uncertainties, especially the difference of neutron-proton interactions in the isosinglet and isotriplet channels, affect significantly the density and momentum dependence of the isovector single-nucleon potential and nucleon-nucleon short-range correlation in neutron-rich matter. Consequently, the neutron-proton effective mass splitting and the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy are still rather uncertain. Heavy-ion reactions …
The effect of momentum resolution on factorial moments due to the power-law correlation function is studied. The study is motivated by the search for the critical point of the strongly interacting matter in heavy-ion collisions using the intermittency method. We observe that factorial moments are significantly affected by the finite momentum resolution. The effect is superficially significant compared to intuitive expectations. The results depend on the power of the correlation function and the number of uncorrelated particles.
A search for power-law fluctuations within the framework of the intermittency method is ongoing to locate the critical point of the strongly interacting matter. In particular, experimental data on proton and pion production in heavy-ion collisions are analyzed in transverse-momentum, $p_T$, space. In this regard, we have studied the dependence of the second scaled factorial moment $F_2$ of particle multiplicity distribution on the number of subdivisions of transverse momentum-interval used in the analysis. The study is performed using a simple model with a power-law two-particle correlation fu…
Heavy-flavor observables are valuable probes of the quark-gluon plasma, which is expected to be produced in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. These experiments offer the unique opportunity to study strongly interacting matter at high temperatures and densities in the laboratory. In this overview talk I will summarize the current theoretical status of heavy-flavor production and suppression in heavy-ion collisions and discuss open challenges.
