Proton-proton interactions and onset of deconfinement

TL;DR

The paper discusses NA61/SHINE experiment findings on proton-proton and heavy-ion collisions, revealing potential signs of deconfinement transition in p+p interactions, challenging current understanding of the QCD phase diagram.

Contribution

It presents new measurements of p+p interactions at SPS energies, highlighting similarities with heavy-ion collision signals of deconfinement, suggesting possible new physics insights.

Findings

Structures in energy dependence of observables in p+p interactions

Similarities between p+p and Pb+Pb collision results

Implications for the QCD phase diagram and deconfinement transition

Abstract

The NA61/SHINE experiment at the CERN SPS is performing a uniqe study of the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter by varying collision energy and nuclear mass number of colliding nuclei. In central Pb+Pb collisions the NA49 experiment found structures in the energy dependence of several observables in the CERN SPS energy range that had been predicted for the transition to a deconfined phase. New measurements of NA61/SHINE find intriguing similarities in p+p interactions for which no deconfinement transition is expected at SPS energies. Possible implications will be discussed.