On the critical end point of the QCD and the NJL model phase diagrams

In this talk I compare the knowledge on the critical end point of the QCD phase diagram grasped from lattice calculations, with that obtained from Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model computations. The original publication is available at http://www.sif.it/SIF/en/portal/journalsComment: 6 pages, 1 figure. Talk given at IFAE 2009, Bari, 15-17 April 2009. The original publication is available at: http://www.sif.it/SIF/en/portal/journal

Phase diagram of hot quark matter under magnetic field

In this talk, I review the computation of the phase diagram of hot quark matter in strong magnetic field, at zero baryon density, within an effective model of Quantum Chromodynamics.Comment: 5 pages; 2 figures. Talk given at "QCD@Work2010", 2010 June 20-23, Martina Franca, Ital

Rheological Behavior of Microemulsions

We study the stationary and transient behaviors of the microemulsion phase subjected to a shear flow. The system is described by a diffusion-convective equation which generalizes the usual Cahn-Hilliard equation. Non-linear terms are treated in a self-consistent approximation. Shear, first and second normal stresses are calculated as momenta of the structure factor. Shear thinning is observed in stationary conditions. After a newtonian regime at small values of the shear rate, the excess viscosity decreases when the shear rate becomes of the order of the inverse of the relaxation time of the system without flow. In transient regimes, when the flow is applied starting from a quiescent state, we find that the shear stress reaches a maximum before decreasing to a constant value.Comment: 10 figures, 2 of which have format jp

Diffusion of charm and beauty in the Glasma

Relativistic nuclear collisions offer a unique way to study strong interactions at very high energy. The collision process can be described within the gluon saturation framework as the interaction of two colored glasses, and because of this interaction strong longitudinal gluon fields, namely the Glasma, are produced immediately after the collision. Besides, heavy quarks are also produced in the very early stage and because of their large mass and small concentration, their motion does not affect the evolution of the Glasma, thus behaving as ideal probes of the Glasma itself. We study the evolution of the heavy quarks in the Glasma allegedly produced in high energy p-Pb collisions by solving consistently the equations of motion of the quarks in the evolving Glasma fields. We find that this motion can be understood in terms of diffusion in momentum space, similarly to the random motion of a heavy probe in a hot thermalized medium. We show how the diffusion of heavy probes affects the nuclear modification factor of D and B mesons in p-Pb collisions.Comment: Talk given by M. R. at QCD@Work2018 held in Matera, Italy, 25-28 June 201