EMMI Workshop: Light-ion collisions 2026

One of the most unanticipated findings of the LHC heavy ion program is the observation of stronger suppressions of the excited $\Upsilon$ states compared to the lower $\Upsilon\mathrm{(1S)}$~state in \mbox{proton-lead} collisions, with the same hierarchy as seen in the larger \mbox{lead-lead}~(PbPb) collision events. Together with other observations of signatures of quark-gluon plasma...

The LHCb experiment offers a unique ion physics programme through both collider and fixed-target configurations, providing access to a broad range of collision energies and nuclear systems. Heavy-flavour production is a powerful probe of nuclear matter, allowing the study of both cold nuclear matter effects and the properties of the medium created in high-energy nuclear collisions. The...

In heavy- and light-ion collisions, heavy quarks are produced in the initial hard scatterings, before the formation of the quark–gluon plasma (QGP). Nowadays there are strong indications for thermalization of charm quarks in the QGP evolution. The new light-ion data recorded at the LHC will help in understanding thermalization processes for heavy quarks and shed light on possible...