Identifying critical behavior in heavy-ion collision observables: a mean-field hadronic transport approach

A relativistic density functional parameterization of the QCD equation of state is used in a hadronic transport simulation of nuclear matter. The behavior of the system is analyzed in a number of scenarios, including initialization within the spinodal region of the QCD phase transition. An analysis of the dynamic evolution of observables expected to carry an experimental signal for the existence of the QCD critical point is performed.