Event-by-Event Fluctuations

Abstract

In this review, we systematically examine the principles and the practices of fluctuations such as the momentum and the charge fluctuations as applied to the heavy ion collisions. Main emphases are: (i) Fluctuations as signals of phase transition (ii) Relationship between correlation functions and fluctuations (iii) Qualitative difference between fluctuations in small systems and large systems. Whenever available, theoretical results are compared with data from RHIC and SPS.

Review for "Quark-Gluon Plasma 3", eds. R.C. Hwa and X.-N. Wang, World Scientific, Singapore. 61 pages. 7 figures