Quark Gluon Plasma

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Quark Gluon Plasma
Welcome to the presentation of
Presented by Rick Ueno
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Background

• Originated from Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)
  proposed by Murray Gell-Mann in 1963
• QCD is a theory describing strong interactions
• Plays important roles in supporting Standard Model

Murray Gell-Mann
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General Information

• It is a different state of quarks and gluons as
  we know today
• It is thought to exist around ten microseconds
  after the Big Bang
• Quarks and gluons were at too large densities and
  temperature to be confined within nucleon.

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ICE
WATER
Energy (Heat) added
STEAM
HYDROGEN OXYGEN
PROTON ELECTRON
OXYGEN
QUARKS GLUONS
ELECTRON
QGP
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QGP and Big Bang

• Theory predicts the critical temperature T0 to be
  150 200 MeV, and Energy density E0 to be
  approximately 1 GeV/fm3.
• As the universe expands and cools, free quarks
  and gluons form stable particles as we know today

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Why do we want this?

• This tests the Standard Model of strong
  interactions (QCD)
• We want to know what consisted in the early stage
  of the big bang

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QGP Experiments

• Scientists believe that some QGP still exist in
  the centre of dense neutron stars
• But we cant get there and obtain samples
• So we have to make our own in the laboratory
• Promising experiments are RHIC and ALICE

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ALICE Experiment

• A Large Ion Collider Experiment
• Its purpose is to detect and to study QGP
• Begins operation in 2007
• The experiment benefits from experience gained
  from RHIC
• Uses lead, the heaviest ion to be accelerated in
  laboratory, to maximize the signal for detecting
  QGP

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ALICE Detector
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Detection of QGP

• Two lead particles collide
• They form into a short-lived fireball volume
• This state is in QGP form
• After short period of time it expands and cools,
  and it emits hadrons such as J/?, which we can
  detect

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Problems

• Temperatures that we can achieve at this stage is
  barely enough for deconfinement
• Limitation of statistical analysis
• The quark gluon plasma is yet to be discovered
  unambiguously

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Future of QGP

• The more we know about QGP, the more we know
  about our own universe
• Characterization of QGP by electromagnetic
  radiation has only begun
• The ongoing technology increases the collision
  energy, bringing the energy well above threshold
  of formation of QGP

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References Further Readings

• ALICE, (n.d.). When Time Began, Retrieved from
  http//aliceinfo.cern.ch/Public/When_time_began.ht
  ml
• ALICE, (n.d.). What is Quark matter? Retrieved
  from http//aliceinfo.cern.ch/Public/HeavyIon.htm
  l
• Jacak, B. (2001) Is the Quark Gluon Plasma in
  Hand? Nuclear Physics A680 pp221-228
• Lahanas, M. (n.d.) Quark Gluon Plasma. Retrieved
  from http//www.mlahanas.de/Physics/QGP/QGP.htm
• University of Cambridge. (n.d.). Hot Big Bang.
  Retrieved from http//www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr
  /public/bb_home.html
• Wikipedia http//www.wikipedia.com