Speaker
Description
The LHCb physics program for Run 5 at the HL-LHC will extend studies of nuclear matter under extreme conditions using pp, pA, and AA collisions. The sevenfold increase in luminosity will be matched by upgraded tracking and detector systems, whose performance will be crucial to the success of the heavy-ion physics program.
The enhanced detector capabilities will enable precise measurements of quarkonium and b-hadron production in larger collision systems, providing new insights into hadronisation, nuclear structure, and the effects of cold nuclear matter and the Quark-Gluon Plasma. Studies of exotic states, such as $\chi_{c1}(3872)$, and central exclusive $\eta_c$ production in ultra-peripheral collisions will allow stringent tests of QCD and nucleon structure. LHCb Upgrade II will thus open new opportunities to exploit heavy-ion physics and perform precision QCD measurements in previously inaccessible kinematic regions.