Probing the spacetime evolution of heavy ion collisions with photons and dileptons

Abstract

Photons and dileptons are emitted throughout the evolution of the deconfined nuclear medium produced in heavy ion collisions. As such they can provide valuable information about the different phases of the medium, and complement hadronic measurements and other observables. In this work, recent developments related to electromagnetic emissions at early time, in the cross-over region, and at late times are reviewed. The spacetime description of the nuclear medium from a hydrodynamic model of heavy ion collisions is used to provide context and guide the discussion.