Colloquium – Berndt Mueller

Berndt Mueller, Duke University

The search for the quark-gluon plasma – How successful was it?

With the advent of multi-billion dollar research facilities in nuclear and particle physics the need arises for a compelling programmatic justification and research strategy. A critical analysis of the success of this strategy upon completion of the program can hold valuable lessons for future research projects of comparable scale. In my colloquium I will attempt such a comprehensive analysis of the research program of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the first billion-dollar scale facility primarily dedicated to nuclear research. I will review where the proposed research program succeeded and where it fell short and highlight the expected and unsuspected accomplishments of the program. In the final part of my lecture, I will discuss the planned program for the next large nuclear physics facility, the Electron-Ion Collider, which is expected to start operations a decade from now.

Oct 17, 2024 @ 4:10 PM (CDT) in Featheringill 134; light refreshments available at 3:50 PM (CDT).

Host: J-F Paquet