Veronica Dexheimer (Kent State)

Date: Tue. September 22nd, 2026, 11:30 am-12:30 am
Location: Foldy room

Connecting Dense and Hot QCD Matter with Early-Universe Cosmology

Abstract: In this talk, I will review our current understanding of dense and hot matter, emphasizing both established results and open questions. I will discuss a theoretical framework for strongly interacting matter that can be used to connect low- and high-energy laboratory experiments with observations of neutron stars and their mergers, providing a unified description across different regions of the QCD phase diagram. Finally, I will explore possible connections between these experimental and astrophysical constraints and the properties and evolution of matter in the early Universe, highlighting how cosmology can provide complementary information about the QCD phase diagram.