Speaker: Prof. Dr. Jan Pawlowski, Heidelberg University
Time: 10:30 AM, Oct. 15, 2025
Location: Lecture Hall 9409

Abstract:
The physics of strong interactions is described by Quantum Chromodynamics (OCD). At high energy, temperatures and densities, QCD is a weakly interacting theory of quarks and gluons. At low energies, temperatures and densities, QCD enters a strongly-correlated regime where chiral symmetry is broken and colors are confined. This regime as well as the transition from the weakly interacting regime to the strongly-correlated one can only beassessed by putting QCD under extreme conditions such as in a heavy-ion collision or inside compact compactstellar objects such as neutron stars.

In this talk, Prof. Dr. Jan Pawlowski will review the current understanding of QCD under extreme conditions. focusing on the hunt for the critical end point and possible new phases of matter at high densities. He will also touch upon the challenge of reconstructing the equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics of heavy-ion collisions from heavy-ion data. The talk concludes with Prof, Dr, Pawlowski's personal perspective on the outstanding challenges and opportunities for QCD under extreme conditions, in light of new experiments and theoretical advances

Speaker Profile:
Prof. Dr. Jan Pawlowski, currently at Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg, obtained his PhD in 1994 at the University of Heidelberg, He did his postdoctoralwork at Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) from 1995-1997 and Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Dublin (lreland) from 2000-2006. He was a Research Assistant and Lecturer at the lnstitute of theoretical Physics, FAU Erlangen and a postdoc at University of Tubingen (German)in 2000-2004. He was the Research GroupLeader at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University in 2004-2014. He was also the Coordinator of Theory Division of EMMI in Heidelberg and a PI within the Collaborative Research Center (ISOOUANT) at the University of Heidelberg.

PDF file download: ColloquiumWuhan2025_pawlowski.pdf