Some like it hot: melting nuclear matter into a quark-gluon plasma
Prof. Charles Gale
Department of Physics, McGill University
Thursday, September 24, 2026
4:00 p.m.
In-person: PHY 150
Abstract: The theory of the strong nuclear interaction – Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) – is only about 50 years old. Even if much is now known about QCD, its behaviour under extreme conditions of temperature and density remains to be elucidated in detail. I will highlight the progress accomplished over the last 25 years in understanding the nature and properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) – this exotic state of matter briefly formed during the high energy collisions of atomic nuclei – and in seeking answers to questions like: what is the QGP equation of state? How do we know its temperature? How does the QGP behave out of equilibrium? Can the information garnered in those collision processes be used in the study of the structure of dense stellar objects, and in the analysis of neutron star mergers? I will also discuss the experimental collaborations working at the large facilities where the measurements are performed.