Lattice QCD and heavy ion collisions: a review of recent progress

TL;DR

Recent advances in lattice QCD simulations have achieved high accuracy in thermodynamic and dynamical quantities, enabling direct comparisons with heavy ion collision experiments to deepen understanding of quark-gluon plasma.

Contribution

This review summarizes the latest lattice QCD results and their connection to experimental data from RHIC and LHC, highlighting progress in understanding quark-gluon plasma.

Findings

Accurate continuum-limit thermodynamic quantities from lattice QCD.

First dynamical quantity calculations aligning with experimental data.

Enhanced understanding of quark-gluon plasma properties.

Abstract

In the last few years, numerical simulations of QCD on the lattice have reached a new level of accuracy. A wide range of thermodynamic quantities is now available in the continuum limit and for physical quark masses. This allows a comparison with measurements from heavy ion collisions for the first time. Furthermore, calculations of dynamical quantities are also becoming available. The combined effort from first principles and experiment allows us to gain an unprecedented understanding of the properties of quark-gluon plasma. I will review the state-of-the-art results from lattice simulations and connect them to the experimental information from RHIC and the LHC.