The Relavistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) at BNL has played a central role in establishing the quark–gluon plasma (QGP) as a strongly coupled, collectively behaving form of QCD matter. Its major achievements have tranformed the field of nuclear physics. The associated findings have garnered profound new questions in heavy-ion physics and elsewhere. These include how can rapid thermalization occur, what is the microscopic means of a strongly coupled QCD fluid, and what is the nature of the QCD phase tranistion.
The LHC extends heavy-ion studies into a higher-energy regime characterized by hotter, longer-lived media and copious production of hard probes. These conditions enable unique opportunities for observables that were statistically limited or detector-constrained at RHIC, including high-energy jets, heavy-flavor production over a broad momentum range, precision quarkonia measurements, and electroweak probes that provide differential access to all stages of the medium.
As the LHC heavy-ion program continues through the 2030s with upgraded detectors and improved luminosity, it offers the best opportunity to complete the RHIC science mission. Sustained U.S. participation allows our community to build directly on RHIC expertise while contributing to the detector operation, upgrades, and analysis capabilities required for precision measurements at the LHC, which are needed for a successful Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) program. In parallel, insights from heavy-ion collisions in the context of cold QCD studies provide essential input for the understanding QCD across a variety of energy scales.
In view of RHIC ceasing operations this year, this meeting aims to collect input from the U.S. heavy-ion community to develop a vision that sustains our leadership in nuclear physics.
Dennis Perepelitsa and Anthony Timmins (chairs of the program committee)
