Overview

• Physics Motivation:

  • Review QCD properties (confinement, chiral symm., vacuum)
  • QCD thermodynamics & QCD phase diagram

• Producing the QGP:

  • High-energy heavy-ion collisions
  • Experimental facilities (RHIC) & setups (PHENIX)

• Observing the QGP:

  • Experimental signals & observables:
    • 1) Global reaction and large cross-section probes
    • 2) Penetrating probes: direct QGP signatures
  • Overview of available data:
    • 1) Highlights from CERN-SPS
    • 2) Newest results from RHIC (PHENIX)
    • (future programme @ CERN-LHC)