Seminar in Hadronic Physics

The physics of the QCD critical point

Mikhail Stephanov

University of Illinois, Chicago

The heavy-ion collision experiments at RHIC, CERN SPS, FAIR and NICA can discover the QCD critical point by scanning the QCD phase diagram. For the success of this program it is essential to understand the physics and predict the signatures of the critical point. Enhancement of fluctuations is the most clear manifestation of a critical point. How does non-equilibrium dynamics of the heavy-ion collision affect critical fluctuations? We shall show how a novel approach based on stochastic Boltzmann-Langevin equations with a critical mode could be used to address this question.