The QCD phase diagram

TL;DR

This paper reviews the QCD phase diagram, discussing the different phases of strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions, experimental evidence, and theoretical frameworks including symmetries and critical phenomena.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the QCD phase diagram, integrating experimental findings with theoretical insights on phases like the Quark Gluon Plasma.

Findings

Experimental evidence for new states of matter like Quark Gluon Plasma

Theoretical models explaining phase transitions and symmetry breaking in QCD

Analysis of critical behavior in strongly interacting matter

Abstract

Strongly interacting matter exhibits new phases under extreme conditions. Matter was exposed to such extremes not only in the Early Universe, but also today in the cores of neutron stars, as well as in laboratory experiments at a much smaller scale. We study the underlying theory, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) with the methods of statistical physics and explore the various phases we may encounter in experiment, such as the Quark Gluon Plasma. We briefly summarize the experimental evidence for the new forms of matter and review the theoretical efforts to embed these findings in the broader context of quantum field theory, with special attention to exact and broken symmetries and critical behaviour.