Traversing the QCD Phase Transition: Quenching Out of Equilibrium vs. Slowing Out of Equilibrium vs. Bubbling Out of Equilibrium

Abstract

I review arguments for the existence of a critical point E in the QCD phase diagram as a function of temperature T and baryon chemical potential μ. I describe how heavy ion collision experiments at the SPS and RHIC can discover the tell-tale signatures of such a critical point, thus mapping this region of the QCD phase diagram. I contrast the different ways in which the matter produced in a heavy ion collision can be driven out of equilibrium: quenching out of equilibrium (possible, but not guaranteed, if the transition region is traversed at μ<< μ_E) vs. slowing out of equilibrium (guaranteed for μ\sim μ_E) vs. bubbling out of equilibrium (possible, but not guaranteed, for μ>> μ_E). Quenching or bubbling create and amplify distinct, detectable, non-gaussian fluctuations. In contrast, slowing out of equilibrium reduces the magnitude of the specific, detectable, gaussian fluctuations which signal the presence of the critical point.

To appear in proceedings of International Conference on Quark Nuclear Physics, Adelaide, Australia, Feb. 2000. 10 pages, latex, espcrc1, 1 figure, epsfig, typos corrected

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