QCD Epoch, Primordial Nucleosynthesis, and the Weak Interaction Physics of the Supernova Problem

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This grant supports basic theoretical research in nuclear/particle astrophysics. One part of the project will study the dynamics of a QCD phase transition in the context of the evolution of the early universe. Particular attention will be paid to the heat and baryon transport and the evolution of the fluid velocity field, as these will influence the subsequent calculation of nuclear abundances. A second part deals with the weak interaction physics required for understanding the lepton distributions produced by supernovae explosions. The shock wave re-heating problem will be studied together with the effects of allowing conversion between different types of neutrinos. The QCD quark-gluon plasma phase is a new form of matter predicted by our current theoretical understanding of the strong interaction. It is conjectured to have existed at the earliest moments of the big-bang creation of the universe. Supernovae are the pressure cookers which produce the nuclear matter in the universe but their mechanisms are not fully understood. The problem of neutrino conversion goes beyond the current theoretical framework for the weak interaction and is related to a critical gap in our understanding of neutrinos produced by the Sun.