Heavy-Ion Physics

Abstract

The field of relativistic heavy-ion physics has become an important testing ground for our current understanding of the properties of strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions. Strong interactions are described by Quantum Chromodynamics which, in addition to its defining gauge symmetry, possesses additional symmetries and properties that can be put to test in collisions of heavy-nuclei at different beam energies. The exploration of these properties is currently being conducted and will still continue for years to come when new facilities enter into operation. This is the so called study of the QCD phase diagram. Of particular relevance is the search of a possible critical end point (CEP). In these lectures I make a brief survey of QCD properties and of its symmetries. Since the phase diagram refers to the study of phase transitions, I also give the main generalities of such and mention some of the statistical tools than can be used to study the fluctuations in conserved charges to identify the CEP location. I also give a brief summary of some of the experimental signals used to study the properties of the kind of matter created in heavy-ion collisions at the highest available energy, the so called Quark Gluon Plasma.