Study of the Dynamics and Properties of Hot and Dense Quark and Gluon Matter

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It is a well-established fact that protons and neutrons are made up of smaller constituents called quarks and gluons. In collisions using two beams of heavy nuclei, a new state of matter is formed from these constituents, called the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). This project will answer fundamental questions about the QGP, such as the space-time dynamics of the QGP and its transport properties. The project will be carried out by studying the collective flow of fluctuations and particle interactions with the QGP. Studies of high energy density matter can have a profound impact on our understanding of the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), which governs the behavior of nuclei and the evolution of the early universe, supernova explosions and the properties of neutron stars. The research will be carried out at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe using the ATLAS detector, and at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) using the STAR detector, with an emphasis on the Beam Energy Scan at BNL. Both the ATLAS and STAR experiments provide excellent training opportunities for graduate students. The proposed measurements include: 1. Comprehensive model studies of particle correlations in transverse and longitudinal directions as compared with measurements to constrain the dynamics and properties of the matter in A+A collisions. This effort requires inventing new analysis methods, developing event-shape triggers to take advantage of the upcoming high-luminosity Pb+Pb run, as well as carrying out similar analyses at lower collision energy at RHIC. 2. Detailed efforts to map out the QCD phase diagram and search for the possible QCD critical point, by utilizing the higher-order cumulants of multiplicity and conserved charges in the STAR beam energy scan phase II program. The proposed efforts are built upon the group's established expertise in various correlation measurements.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.