Lower-Order Fluctuations (Theory): Insights from Experiment to Theory Comparisons
Abstract
Session co-led with Volker Koch, Gabriella Kovacs, and Anar Rustamov that surveyed how recent lower-order fluctuation measurements can be interpreted within theoretical models. We discussed what we learned from recent measurements of net-proton cumulants in collider and fixed target regimes, the systematics that dominate current comparisons, and further tests of the baseline models via acceptance dependencies.
Volodymyr Y. Vovchenko co-led this theory-focused session on lower-order fluctuations as part of the Institute for Nuclear Theory program The QCD Critical Point: Are We There Yet? in Seattle. The discussion highlighted what current measurements of net-proton and net-charge cumulants reveal about the QCD phase diagram, how theoretical frameworks benchmark those data, and which future measurements will be most decisive in pinning down critical behavior.