Signatures of Quark-Gluon Plasma Phase Transition in High-Energy Nuclear Collisions

TL;DR

This paper reviews experimental signatures indicating the formation of quark-gluon plasma in high-energy nuclear collisions, highlighting recent CERN results that support the phase transition hypothesis.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of experimental signatures and discusses recent CERN heavy-ion collision data consistent with quark-gluon plasma production.

Findings

Anomalous pressure increase observed

Excess direct photon and strangeness production detected

J/psi suppression consistent with quark-gluon plasma formation

Abstract

In high-energy nuclear collisions, the new phase of the quark-gluon plasma is indicated by an anomalous increase in pressure, an excess of direct photon production, an excess of strangeness production, and an anomalous J/psi suppression. We review these signatures and discuss how recent high-energy heavy-ion experiments at CERN are consistent with the production of the quark-gluon plasma in high-energy Pb+Pb collisions.