nuclear phase diagram (IMAGE)

DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory

nuclear phase diagram

Caption

Mapping nuclear phase changes is like studying how water changes under different conditions of temperature and pressure (net baryon density for nuclear matter). RHIC's collisions "melt" protons and neutrons to create quark-gluon plasma (QGP). STAR physicists are exploring collisions at different energies, turning the "knobs" of temperature and baryon density, to look for signs of a "critical point."

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Brookhaven National Laboratory

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