U.S.-Hungary Theoretical Physics Research: Strongly Coupled Coulomb Systems

INT 0002200Kalman这个由波士顿学院的Gabor Kalman和布达佩斯固态物理与光学研究所的Zoltan Donko合作的美国-匈牙利项目，研究了强耦合库仑系统(SCCS)，其特点是库仑粒子间的势能与粒子的动能有很大的比率。强耦合效应可以发生在电子和离子组件中，人们可以在惯性约束等离子体、天体物理学、凝聚态物质系统、介观物质以及用于热核聚变的激光和粒子束等环境中发现它们。具体地说，这个美国-匈牙利团队打算研究分层系统(电子或离子双层，由两个准二维带电粒子层模拟)和尘埃等离子体(液体和晶体)。卡尔曼和他的团队为这项工作提供了强大的理论基础，而东科则提供了分子动力学(MD)模拟方面的专业知识，这些专业知识将被用作这项SCCS研究理论方面的“实验”检验。他们的合作研究计划以对关联函数、动态结构函数和传输系数的计算为特色。MD模拟工作有两个目的：1)为通过理论计算获得的量提供一个独立的数据源，使理论和MD结果之间的比较成为可能；2)关于理论模型不可用的物理量的信息。如果成功，结果将提高我们对SCCS的基本理解，并作为对与材料性质和相变相关的理论预测的检验。这个理论物理项目通过使美国和中欧的专家能够结合互补的人才，并在相互感兴趣和能力很强的领域共享研究资源，实现了促进科学知识的计划目标。

INT 0002200KalmanThis U.S.-Hungary project between Gabor Kalman of Boston College and Zoltan Donko of the Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Budapest, examines Strongly Coupled Coulomb Systems (SCCS) which are characterized by a significant ratio of the Coulomb interparticle potential energy to the kinetic energy of the particles. The strong coupling effects can take place both in the electronic and ionic components and one finds them in settings such as inertially confined plasmas, astrophysics, condensed matter systems, mesoscopic matter, and laser and particle beams for thermonuclear fusion. Specifically, this U.S.-Hungarian team intends to address layered systems (electronic or ionic bilayer, modeled by two quasi two-dimensional layers of charged particles) and dusty plasmas (liquids and crystal). Kalman and his group bring a strong theoretical underpinning to the work while Donko contributes expertise with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that will be utilized as an "experimental" check for the theoretical aspects of this study of SCCS. Their collaborative research plan features computation of pair correlation functions, dynamic structure functions, and transport coefficients. The MD simulation work serves two purposes by providing: 1) an independent source of data for quantities obtained through theoretical calculations, making a comparison between theoretical and MD results possible; and 2) information on physical quantities for which a theoretical model is not available. If successful, results should improve our fundamental understanding of SCCS and serve as a check for theoretical predictions related to material properties and phase changes. This project in theoretical physics fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling experts in the United States and Central Europe to combine complementary talents and share research resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence.