PHASE-DIAGRAM OF QCD - ART. NO. 096007

We analyze the phase diagram of QCD with two massless quark flavors in the space of temperature T and chemical potential of the baryon charg e mu using available experimental knowledge of QCD, insights gained fr om various models, as well as general and model independent arguments including continuity, universality, and thermodynamic relations. A ran dom matrix model is used to describe the chiral symmetry restoration p hase transition at finite T and mu. In agreement with general argument s, this model predicts a tricritical point in the T mu plane. Certain critical properties at such a point are universal and can be relevant to heavy ion collision experiments, [S0556-2821(98)01721-4]