Hadrons and Quark–Gluon Plasma

This 2002 monograph, now reissued as OA, explores the primordial state of hadronic matter called quark–gluon plasma.

Jean Letessier (Author), Johann Rafelski (Author)

9781009290739, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 February 2023

416 pages
24.3 x 16.9 x 2.2 cm, 0.74 kg

'The book offers a broad overview of the facilities around the world at which the relevant experiments have been carried out or are planned, and of the theoretical concepts and methods through which the results of these experiments can be interpreted. I am fairly sure that this volume will provide experts with a useful and timely summary of the state of their field, while sufficiently assiduous newcomers will find it a tolerably good starting point for further exploration.' Contemporary Physics

Before matter as we know it emerged, the universe was filled with the primordial state of hadronic matter called quark–gluon plasma. This hot soup of quarks and gluons is effectively an inescapable consequence of our current knowledge about the fundamental hadronic interactions: quantum chromodynamics. This book covers the ongoing search to verify the prediction experimentally and discusses the physical properties of this novel form of matter. It begins with an overview of the subject, followed by a discussion of experimental methods and results. The second half of the book covers hadronic matter in confined and deconfined form, and strangeness as a signature of the quark-gluon phase. It is ideal as an introduction for graduate students, as well as providing a valuable reference for researchers already working in this and related fields. This title, first published in 2002, has been reissued as an Open Access publication on Cambridge Core.

Part I. A New Phase of Matter?: 1. Micro-bang: big bang in the laboratory
2. Hadrons
3. Vacuum as a physical medium
4. Statistical properties of hadronic matter
Part II. Analysis Tools and Experiments: 5. Nuclei in collision
6. Understanding collision dynamics
7. Entropy and its relevance in heavy ion collisions
Part III. Particle Production: 8. Particle spectra
9. Highlights of hadron production
Part IV. Hot Hadronic Matter: 10. Relativistic gas
11. First look at hadronic gas
12. Hagedorn gas
Part V. QCD, Hadronic Structure and High Temperature: 13. Hadronic structure and quantum chromodynamics
14. Perturbative QCD
15. Lattice quantum chromodynamics
16. Perturbative quark-gluon plasma
Part VI. Strangeness: 17. Thermal flavor production in deconfined phase
18. Strangeness background
19. Hadron freeze-out analysis.

Subject Areas: Nuclear physics [PHN]