Quark Matter Production in Heavy-Ion Collisions -- Theory of High-Energy A+A at RHIC -- Dense Quark Matter in Compact Stars -- Theory of the Quark-Gluon Plasma -- Thermal Gauge Field Theories -- Lattice QCD at High Temperature and Density -- Nonperturbative Phenomena and Phases of QCD -- The Color Glass Condensate and Small-x Physics.

This set of lectures deals with the transition from nuclear matter to quark matter. The reader will learn not only about the theory of quark-gluon plasmas but also how they are obtained in the laboratory through heavy-ion collisions or where they can be found in astrophysical objects such as compact stars. The book fills a gap between well-known textbook material and the research literature and is thus perfectly suited for postgraduate students who wish to enter this field, for lecturers looking for advanced material for their courses and for scientists in search of a modern source of reference on these topics.