Physics

Prof. Rajeev Bhalerao
IISER, Pune

I will present an overview of the field of quark-gluon
plasma and ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, where the nucleus
is subjected to the extremes of temperature and pressure. This is a
fascinating interdisciplinary area of research at the interface of
particle physics and high-energy nuclear physics, which addresses some
fundamental questions regarding QCD. Recent experiments at the Large
Hadron Collider, CERN have deepened our understanding of the
properties of this novel form of matter. I will describe some of the
most important experimental observables in this field and will
highlight the important role the relativistic dissipative fluid
dynamics is playing in describing the collective flow of the matter
formed in the collider experiments. I will end with a summary of some
recent advances, both experimental as well as theoretical.