Advancing multimessenger approaches in heavy-ion collisions: Insights from electromagnetic probes

Abstract

Electromagnetic (EM) probes, including photons and dileptons, do not interact strongly after their production in heavy-ion collisions, allowing them to carry undistorted information from their points of origin. This makes them powerful tools for studying early-stage equilibration and the thermodynamic properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). In these proceedings, we highlight recent theoretical advancements in EM probes, focusing on their role in probing early-stage dynamics and extracting medium properties. We also discuss the emerging multimessenger approach, which combines hadronic and electromagnetic probes to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the QGP.

Comments: 8 pages, 4 figures. Invited plenary talk at Hard Probes 2024 (Nagasaki, Japan, Sep 22-27, 2024). Contribution to the proceedings