Research in Relativistic Plasma under Extreme Conditions

相对论等离子体在极端条件下的基本性质的知识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相互作用的窗口。所讨论的等离子体的典型例子是早期宇宙中的热原始等离子体，在重离子对撞机的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。虽然人们已经了解了一些物理性质，但关于相对论物质仍有很多需要了解的地方。目前的项目尤其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将研究磁场对可观测性质的影响，并研究新量子现象的可能性。此外，PI将通过让本科生和研究生参与该项目的工作来指导他们。国际和平研究所还将继续组织和主办国际在线理论物理学术讨论会，向世界各地的广大受众展示尖端研究。PI计划研究强磁化手性等离子体的光子偏振效应、粒子发射率和其他相关物理性质。重点将放在弱场极限和最低朗道能级近似都不适用的物理系统上。结合反常性质的研究，PI打算研究集体模，并试图将手征动力学理论推广到量子化磁场的情况。拟议研究活动的目标之一是寻找在极端条件下手征反常、强磁场和相关现象的特征可观测结果。PI将使用量子场论的工具，并在适当的情况下补充手征动力学方法和反常手征流体动力学方法。关于手性等离子体在量子化磁场中的新结果将对基础科学和应用科学具有重要的意义。这一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。这一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智力优势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.