Review of QCD, quark–gluon plasma, heavy quark hybrids, and heavy quark state production in p–p and A–A collisions

Abstract

This is a review of the Quantum Chromodynamics Cosmological Phase Transitions, the quark–gluon plasma, the production of heavy quark states via [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] collisions and Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions (RHIC) using the mixed hybrid theory for the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] states; and the possible detection of the quark–gluon plasma via heavy quark production using RHIC. Recent research on fragmentation for the production of [Formula: see text] mesons is reviewed, as is future theoretical and experimental research on the Collins and Sivers fragmentation functions for pions produced in polarized [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] collisions.