Open Quantum Systems Research for Cosmology

该奖项为宾夕法尼亚州立大学的Sarah Shandera教授的研究活动提供资金。 在理解宇宙的起源、内容和演化方面，仍然有许多谜团。从根本上说，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能够在可观察和不可观察区域之间来回移动时，这种描述是具有挑战性的。 因此，这种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会在理解非常早期宇宙的性质方面发挥关键作用。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于宇宙学问题。这项工作通过促进量子科学和宇宙研究领域的科学进步来服务于国家利益。 宇宙学对理解宇宙的追求也提供了一个鼓舞人心的背景，在其中向广泛的受众传播科学。作为这项工作的一部分，山德拉教授将会见公民团体和本科生在各种场所，促进对话和双向参与。 她还将继续将研究见解纳入主动学习的本科量子力学序列。 最后，Shandera教授将支持研究生的培训，以发展这一领域的研究人员网络。从技术上讲，Shandera教授将研究当自由度从系统转移到环境时，开放量子系统的动力学如何变化，以及当开放系统的环境中发生破坏性相互作用时。宇宙学的开放系统，包括那些出现在原始暴胀时代的系统，往往是相当复杂的，并且通常不能用马尔可夫或微扰假设来准确地处理。Shandera教授将研究超越标准模型的宇宙学理论中典型的非线性相互作用，并使用动态映射而不是主方程来研究精确的动态。她将探索系统与紧急，局部相互作用的结构和平衡动力学，模拟观测到的宇宙丰富的热力学结构。 预计这种基于开放系统和物理学的方法将为原始宇宙的可行模型空间提供新的视角。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值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.