Electromagnetic probes of strongly interacting matter

Abstract

The nuclear matter under extreme conditions of temperatures (T) and baryonic densities ( n B) undergoes a phase transition to quark gluon plasma (QGP). It is expected that such extreme conditions can be achieved by colliding nuclei at ultrarelativistic energies. In the present review, the suitability of photons and dileptons as diagnostic tools of QGP has been discussed. The photon and dilepton spectra originating from heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies have been explicitly displayed in this article. Results from SPS and RHIC have been discussed adequately with appropriate references. The role of single electron spectra originating from the decays of heavy flavoured mesons on QGP detection has also been discussed briefly.