Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions: Theory and Observation
A special issue of Universe (ISSN 2218-1997). This special issue belongs to the section "High Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 30
Special Issue Editors
Interests: heavy-ion collisions; theoretical nuclear physics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Relativistic heavy-ion collisions, or sometimes called little bangs, are an essential tool in exploring the properties of strong-interacting quantum chromodynamics (QCD) matter and evolution of the early Universe. Significant new physics phenomena have emerged over the past twenty years, including the study of the QCD phase diagram and the critical end point, chiral dynamics and spin polarization, jet physics, collective flows in bulk quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and small systems, correlation and particle production, etc. While experimental observations rely on the high-quality performance of beams and detectors, theoretical studies on the dynamics of relativistic heavy-ion collisions are largely based on transport and hydrodynamics approaches. More recently, it has been found that relativistic heavy-ion collisions could be an alternative way of studying the structure of colliding nuclei. Machine learning, which has significant impacts on various fields, serves as a useful method in both data collecting and theoretical investigation. This Special Issue highlights some of the above topics and may hopefully stimulate some new ideas in high-energy nuclear physics as well as in interdisciplinary research fields.
Prof. Dr. Jun Xu
Prof. Dr. Chunjian Zhang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Universe is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- quark-gluon plasma
- transport model
- hydrodynamics model
- phase diagram
- spin polarization
- jet
- collective flow
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
