The Search for the QCD Critical Point

RHIC Beam Energy Scan (BES) program is designated to study the QCD phase transition nature between the deconfined Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) and the confined hadronic phase. One central focus of the program is to search for the QCD critical point at the end of the first order phase transition line. The BES phase II (BES-II) program covers the energy region of Au+Au collisions from 27 GeV down to 3 GeV, corresponding to a baryon chemical potential ($\mu_B$) window of 150 -- 750 MeV. With high statistics datasets and the upgraded STAR detector, BES-II allows us to systematically investigate various physics observables for the study of phase transition nature with unprecedented precision.

In this presentation, I will review recent physics results from the BES-II measurements, including the newly released proton number fluctuation results from BES-II collider energies. I will discuss physics implications associated with these measurements, particularly regarding our current understanding on the QCD critical point. I will give an outlook on the prospects from remaining BES-II analysis and future directions towards the discovery of the QCD critical point.