Heavy-ion physics: freedom to do hot, dense, exciting QCD

TL;DR

This paper reviews the fundamentals of relativistic heavy-ion collisions, exploring experimental observables, the nuclear matter phase diagram, modeling approaches, and significant phenomenological discoveries in hot, dense QCD matter.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of heavy-ion collision physics, including experimental techniques, theoretical models, and recent discoveries, serving as an educational resource.

Findings

Insights into the nuclear matter phase diagram

Overview of key experimental observables

Summary of recent phenomenological discoveries

Abstract

In these two lectures I review the basics of heavy-ion collisions at relativistic energies and the physics we can do with them. I aim to cover the basics on the kinematics and observables in heavy-ion collider experiments, the basics on the phenomenology of the nuclear matter phase diagram, some of the model building and simulations currently used in the heavy-ion physics community and a selected list of amazing phenomenological discoveries and predictions.