https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-026-02290-2
Review
Probing the spatio-temporal dynamics and hadronic interactions in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at high-density matter
Faculty of Physics, Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75, 00662, Warsaw, Poland
a
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received:
31
December
2025
Accepted:
18
March
2026
Published online:
9
April
2026
Abstract
This article outlines some examples of the evolution of femtoscopy in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and its role as a precision tool for studying the space-time structure and microscopic interactions of strongly interacting matter, especially at the regime of high-density matter. Building on experimental and theoretical developments spanning more than three decades – from the first measurements at the AGS to high-precision results at SIS/SPS, RHIC and LHC, we place these advances in the context of current and future investigations of dense baryonic matter. The theoretical framework of femtoscopy is discussed, together with its progression from basic source-size measurements to the characterization of three-dimensional, momentum-dependent, angular-dependent and tilted regions of homogeneity. Beyond identical-particle correlations, the article emphasizes non-identical particle femtoscopy as a sensitive probe of emission asymmetries and baryon–baryon interactions, with direct relevance to the equation of state at high net-baryon density. Particular attention is given to femtoscopic studies of light-nuclei production, possibly via coalescence, which link few-body dynamics to the late-stage evolution of heavy-ion collisions. Finally, we discuss how these established techniques can be extended and deepened in future measurements, highlighting the unique opportunities offered by e.g. the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR to explore the QCD phase diagram in the high-density regime.
Copyright comment Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
