Open Quantum Systems Research for Cosmology

该奖项资助宾夕法尼亚州立大学萨拉·香德拉教授的研究活动。在理解宇宙的起源、内容和演化方面，仍有许多谜团。从根本上讲，宇宙理论必须是量子力学的，必须能够描述任何一个观察者所看到的。当相互作用使量子信息在可观测区域和不可观测区域之间来回移动时，这样的描述是具有挑战性的。因此，这样的模型必须能够描述所谓的“开放量子系统”。对这样的系统进行建模，可能对理解非常早期宇宙的性质起到关键作用。作为她研究的一部分，Shandera教授将把我们对开放量子系统的理解应用到宇宙学问题上。这项工作通过在量子科学和宇宙研究领域内促进科学进步，服务于国家利益。宇宙学对理解宇宙的探索也提供了一个鼓舞人心的背景，可以在其中向广泛的受众传播科学。作为这项工作的一部分，Shandera教授将在各种促进对话和双向参与的场所会见公民团体和本科生。她还将继续将研究见解纳入主动学习的本科生量子力学序列中。最后，Shandera教授将支持研究生的培训，以扩大这一领域的研究人员网络。从技术上讲，尚德拉教授将研究开放量子系统的动力学如何随着自由度从系统转移到环境，以及开放系统环境中发生对称破缺相互作用时发生的变化。宇宙学的开放系统，包括那些在原始暴涨时代出现的系统，往往是相当复杂的，通常不能用马尔科夫假设或微扰假设来准确处理。Shandera教授将在标准模型之外研究宇宙学理论中典型的非线性相互作用，并使用动力学映射而不是主方程来研究精确的动力学。她将探索具有紧急、局部相互作用结构和非平衡动力学的系统，对观察到的丰富的宇宙热力学结构进行建模。预计这种基于开放系统和热力学的方法将为原始宇宙的可行模型空间提供一个新的视角。这一奖项反映了NSF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。

This award funds the research activities of Professor Sarah Shandera at Penn State University. There are still many puzzles in understanding the origin, content, and evolution of the universe. At a fundamental level, the theory of the universe must be quantum-mechanical and must be able to describe what any one observer sees. Such a description is challenging when interactions enable quantum information to move back and forth between observable and unobservable regions. Such models must therefore be capable of describing what are called "open quantum systems". Modeling such systems may play a key role in understanding the properties of the very early universe. As part of her research, Professor Shandera will apply our understanding of open quantum systems to cosmological problems. This work serves the national interest by promoting the progress of science within the arenas of quantum science and studies of the universe. Cosmology's quest to understand the universe also provides an inspiring context in which to communicate science to a broad range of audiences. As part of this work, Professor Shandera will meet with citizen groups and undergraduate students in a variety of venues that promote conversation and two-way engagement. She will also continue to incorporate research insights into an active-learning undergraduate quantum mechanics sequence. Finally, Professor Shandera will support the training of graduate students in order to grow the network of researchers in this area. More technically, Professor Shandera will study how the dynamics of open quantum systems changes when degrees of freedom move from system to environment, and when symmetry-breaking interactions occur in the environment of the open system. Cosmological open systems, including those that arise in the era of primordial inflation, tend to be quite complex and often cannot be accurately treated by Markovian or perturbative assumptions. Professor Shandera will study non-linear interactions typical in theories for cosmology beyond the standard model and use dynamical maps rather than master equations to study exact dynamics. She will explore systems with emergent, local interaction structures and out-of-equilibrium dynamics, modeling the observed rich thermodynamic structure of the universe. It is expected that this open systems and thermodynamics-based approach will provide a new perspective on the space of viable models for the primordial 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.