The Phases of QCD

Abstract

In the recent years we have learned that light quarks play a crucial role in QCD-like theories, transforming it to many different phases. We review what is known about them, both from lattice and non-lattice approaches. A particularly simple mechanism of the QCD chiral restoration phase transition is discussed first: it suggests that it is a transition from randomly placed tunneling events (instantons) at low T to strongly localized tunneling-anti-tunneling pairs at high T. Many features of the transition found on the lattice can be explained in this simple picture. Very relevant for RHIC, this approach predicts a strong non-perturbative interaction between quarks $above$ the phase transition. It also predicts that QGP-like phase sets in at $zero$ temperature, provided few more light quark flavors are added to QCD. Finally, we also discuss possible experimental signatures of the QCD phase transition. One issue is CERN dilepton data, possibly related with ``dropping'' masses of $ρ, A_1$ mesons. Another is direct manifestation of a $softeness$ of EOS (smallness of pressure/energy density) in the phase transition region in flow and even the global lifetime of the system.