Understanding the Origin of Matter: Perspectives in Quantum Chromodynamics (Lecture Notes in Physics)

This book aims at providing a solid basis for the education of the next generation of researchers in hot, dense QCD (Quantum ChromoDynamics) matter. This is a rapidly growing field at the interface of the smallest, i.e. subnuclear physics, and the largest scales, namely astrophysics and cosmology. The extensive lectures presented here are based on the material used at the training school of the European COST action THOR (Theory of hot matter in relativistic heavy-ion collisions).

The book is divided in three parts covering ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions, several aspects related to QCD, and simulations of QCD and heavy-ion collisions. The scientific tools and methods discussed provide graduate students with the necessary skills to understand the structure of matter under extreme conditions of high densities, temperatures, and strong fields in the collapse of massive stars or a few microseconds after the big bang. In addition to the theory, the set of lectures presents hands-on material that includes an introduction to simulation programs for heavy-ion collisions, equations of state, and transport properties.

David Blaschke obtained his PhD in theoretical physics from Rostock University in 1987 and habilitated in 1995. From 2001-2007 he was vice director of the Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna. Since 2006, he is professor at the University of Wroclaw. His works are mainly devoted to topics in quantum field theory at finite temperature, dense hadronic matter and QCD phase transitions, quark matter in heavy-ion collisions and in compact stars, as well as pair production in strong fields with applications to high-intensity lasers. He obtained honorary doctorates from Dubna State University (2017) and Russian Armenian University in Yerevan (2019).

Krzysztof Redlich received his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Wroclaw (UWr) in 1981 and habilitated in 1995. Since 1995, he is professor at the UWr and he is currently Division Leader for Theory of Elementary Particle Physics. His works are devoted to topics in heavy ion collision phenomenology, lattice QCD and thermal field theory. He received the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award in 2001 and the Smoluchowski-Warburg-Prize in 2013. He obtained the honorary doctorate from the University of Bielefeld in 2019. 

Chihiro Sasaki received her doctoral degree from Nagoya University in 2005. She worked as a postdoc at GSI Darmstadt (2005-2007) and Technical University of Munich (2007-2009), and as a junior fellow at Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (2009-2015). Since 2015, she is associate professor at the University of Wroclaw. She received her habilitation in 2017. Her main research topics are chiral dynamics of hadrons at zero and finite temperature/density and QCD phase transitions. In 2015 she obtained the Zimányi Medal in Nuclear Theory.

Ludwik Turko obtained his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Wroclaw in 1970 and habilitated in 1979. Since 2001 he was a professor at the University of Wroclaw, since 2007 the full professor. From 2001-2007 he was deputy director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics. From 2007-2014 he was the Chairman of the Division of the Theory of Elementary Particles. His works are mainly devoted to topics in elementary particle, dense hadronic matter, and QCD phase transitions, quark matter in heavy-ion collisions and in compact stars.