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One of the central challenges in hadron physics is to elucidate the phase structure of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the fundamental theory of the Strong Interaction in terms of quarks and gluons. Understanding the QCD phase diagram is of crucial importance for the physics of hot media in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and nuclear/quark matter in neutron stars, and even for uncovering states in the Early Universe.
Studies of the QCD phase structure have a long history dating back to the birth of QCD itself in 70's. In recent years, however, significant new insights have been gained owing to advances in numerical simulation techniques, the accumulation of high-precision data from heavy-ion collision experiments, progress in neutron star observations, and developments in theoretical analysis. Examples include the emergence of new symmetries near the chiral crossover (i.e., chiral spin symmetry), the possible separation of deconfinement and chiral transitions based on large-$N_c$ approximations and the associated nontrivial intermediate state (i.e. spaghetti of quarks with glueballs called SQBG), the possible disappearance of a first-order phase transition in the chiral limit on the Columbia plot, and experimental results suggesting the existence of the QCD critical point. In addition, understanding the equation of state of neutron-star matter in the quarkyonic picture proposed within the large-$N_c$ framework has provided new perspectives on high-density QCD physics, such as the IR-suppressed distribution function of baryons, a nearly conformal quarkyonic window, etc.
Through active discussions spanning a broad range of perspectives, this workshop seeks to clarify the current challenges in QCD phase diagram research, identify future research directions, and promote further progress in this field.
Date and Venue
Date: May 26 (Tuesday) - May 29 (Friday), 2026
Venue: Maskawa Hall, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University
Directions to the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics (YITP) can be found on this page.
Important Registration Deadlines
Onsite participants requesting VISA support or financial support: March 1, 2026
Onsite participants without any support: April 15, 2026
Online participants: May 22, 2026
List of Invited Speakers and Topics (tentative to be updated)
Gordon Baym (University of Illinois)
Dense Nuclear Matter, Neutron Stars, and QCD Equation of State
Leonid Glozman (University of Graz)
Emergent Symmetries in QCD and Chiral Spin Symmetry
Toru Kojo (KEK)
Quarkyonic Matter and the QCD Phase Diagram at High Density
Jinfeng Liao (Indiana University)
Magnetic Monopoles in the QGP and the Chiral Magnetic Effect
Peter Lowdon (Goethe University Frankfurt)
Spectral Properties of QCD at Finite Temperature
Seung-il Nam (Pukyong National University)
Hadron Physics and the QCD Phase Diagram
Álvaro Pastor-Gutiérrez (RIKEN)
Confinement, Chiral Symmetry, and Conformal Dynamics
Robert Pisarski (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
Semi-QGP, Moat Regime, and Chiral Anomaly
Krzysztof Redlich (University of Wrocław)
Spectra of Mesons and Glueballs in the String-based Model
+ ...
Organizers
Yasumichi Aoki (RIKEN), Yuki Fujimoto (Niigata U), Kenji Fukushima (U Tokyo), Yui Hayashi (U Tokyo), Yoshimasa Hidaka (YITP, Kyoto), Masakiyo Kitazawa (YITP, Kyoto), Larry McLerran (U Washington), Yuya Tanizaki (YITP, Kyoto)
Support
Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University
RIKEN iTHEMS
Quark Nuclear Science Institute, The University of Tokyo
In case this conference was helpful for your research projects, we really appreciate if you could mention it in the acknowledgements of the related papers. [sample sentence: The authors are grateful for the opportunity to engage in discussions at the YITP conference "Buenas Ideas on the QCD Phase Diagram" (YITP-26-4), which helped initiate/develop/complete this work.]
Related workshop
In the following week (June 1-4, 2026), "QCD Critical Point and Hydrodynamic Evolution" will be held. If you are interested, please look at the following webpage.
