Research in Relativistic Plasma under Extreme Conditions

对极端条件下相对论性等离子体的基本性质的了解是理解物质的基本组成部分、宇宙的起源和演化以及量子和经典现象的相互作用的窗口。等离子体的典型例子是早期宇宙中的热原始等离子体，重离子对撞机“小爆炸”中产生的夸克-胶子等离子体，以及中子星内部和周围的相对论物质。虽然我们已经了解了一些物理性质，但关于相对论性物质，我们还有很多东西需要学习。目前的项目特别关注超强磁场的作用，在极端温度和密度下，超强磁场在许多相对论系统中无处不在。通过利用一系列理论工具和技术，PI将研究磁场对可观察性质的影响，并研究新量子现象的可能性。此外，PI将指导本科生和研究生参与项目工作。PI还将继续组织和主办国际在线理论物理研讨会，为全球广大观众提供前沿研究。PI计划研究强磁化手性等离子体的光子极化效应、粒子发射率和其他相关物理特性。重点将放在那些弱场极限和最低朗道能级近似都不能很好地工作的物理系统上。在研究异常性质的同时，PI打算研究集体模式，并尝试将手性动力学理论推广到量子化磁场的情况。提出的研究活动的目标之一是在极端条件下寻找手性异常、强磁场和相关现象的显著可观察后果。项目将使用量子场论的工具，并在适当的时候补充手性动力学方法和异常手性流体力学方法。这些关于手性等离子体量化磁场的新结果将对基础科学和应用科学具有重要价值。这些新知识将有助于更好地理解重离子碰撞中的物理现象、致密恒星的可观测特征、脉冲星磁层中的等离子体动力学，以及早期宇宙中原始等离子体的演化。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The knowledge of fundamental properties of relativistic plasmas under extreme conditions is the window to understanding the basic building blocks of matter, the origins and evolution of the Universe, and the interplay of quantum and classical phenomena. The paradigmatic examples of plasmas in question are the hot primordial plasma in the early Universe, the quark-gluon plasma produced in the Little Bangs of heavy-ion colliders, and the relativistic matter inside and around neutron stars. While some physics properties are understood, there is still much to learn about the relativistic matter. The current project, in particular, focuses on the role of super-strong magnetic fields, which are ubiquitous for many relativistic systems at extreme temperatures and densities. By utilizing a range of theoretical tools and techniques, the PI will investigate the effect of the magnetic field on observable properties and study the possibility of novel quantum phenomena. In addition, the PI will be mentoring undergraduate and graduate students by involving them in work on the project. The PI will also continue organizing and hosting the international online Theoretical Physics Colloquium that features cutting-edge research to a broad worldwide audience. The PI plans to investigate the photon polarization effects, particle emission rates, and other related physics properties of strongly magnetized chiral plasmas. The emphasis will be on physical systems where neither the weak-field limit nor the lowest Landau-level approximation works well. Together with the study of anomalous properties, the PI intends to study collective modes and attempt to generalize the chiral kinetic theory to the case of quantizing magnetic fields. One of the goals of the proposed research activities is to search for signature observable consequences of the chiral anomaly, strong magnetic fields, and related phenomena under extreme conditions. The PI will use the tools of quantum field theory and supplement them with the chiral kinetic theory methods and anomalous chiral hydrodynamics when suitable. The new results about the chiral plasmas in quantizing magnetic fields will be valuable for basic and applied science. The new knowledge will contribute to a better understanding of the physics phenomena in heavy-ion collisions, the observable signatures of compact stars, the plasma dynamics in the pulsar magnetospheres, as well as the evolution of the primordial plasma in the early Universe.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.