Future physics opportunities for high-density QCD at the LHC with heavy-ion and proton beams

Summary, in English

The future opportunities for high-density QCD studies with ion and proton beams at the LHC are presented. Four major scientific goals are identified: the characterisation of the macroscopic long wavelength Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) properties with unprecedented precision, the investigation of the microscopic parton dynamics underlying QGP properties, the development of a unified picture of particle production and QCD dynamics from small (pp) to large (nucleus--nucleus) systems, the exploration of parton densities in nuclei in a broad (x, Q2) kinematic range and the search for the possible onset of parton saturation. In order to address these scientific goals, high-luminosity Pb-Pb and p-Pb programmes are considered as priorities for Runs 3 and 4, complemented by high-multiplicity studies in pp collisions and a short run with oxygen ions. High-luminosity runs with intermediate-mass nuclei, for example Ar or Kr, are considered as an appealing case for extending the heavy-ion programme at the LHC beyond Run 4. The potential of the High-Energy LHC to probe QCD matter with newly-available observables, at twice larger center-of-mass energies than the LHC, is investigated.

• Author: Christian Bierlich; Y. Zhou
• Editor: Z. Citron
• Department/s: Theoretical Particle Physics - Has been reorganised
• Publishing year: 2018
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Future physics opportunities for high-density QCD at the LHC with heavy-ion and proton beams
• Links: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1812.06772.pdf
• Document type: Conference paper
• Topic: Subatomic Physics
• Status: Published