An Experimental Exploration of the QCD Phase Diagram: The Search for the Critical Point and the Onset of De-confinement

Understand

The QCD phase diagram lies at the heart of what the RHIC Physics Program is all about.

• While RHIC has been operating very successfully at or close to its maximum energy for almost a decade, it has become clear that this collider can also be operated at lower energies down to 5 GeV without extensive upgrades.
• An exploration of the full region of beam energies available at the RHIC facility is imperative.
• The STAR detector, due to its large uniform acceptance and excellent particle identification capabilities, is uniquely positioned to carry out this program in depth and detail.