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The Nuclear Theory group awaiting the start of a seminar.* |
Studies in nuclear physics range from the investigation of the origin of hadrons, to the nucleon-nucleon forces in vacuum, to modification of this force into an effective interaction valid for nuclear matter and nuclei, to phase transitions in which hadrons disappear and matter goes into the so called quark-gluon plasma phase.
Topics of current interest include derivation of the properties of hadrons (mesons and baryons), their structure and low-energy interactions from the fundamental theory, quantum chromodynamics. In particularly, the so called instanton liquid model has been developed, which describe many properties of the QCD vacuum and hadrons. Many aspects of this model was directly studied and confirmed in lattice gauge numerical simulations. Another method used is that of the QCD sum rules.
Related to significant experimental advances in relativistic heavy ion physics are studies of a number of problems regarding matter at high densities and temperatures. At relatively densities comparable to that of nuclear matter, one can use effective Lagrangians and calculate modification of hadronic masses and other parameters. At very high temperature and/or density, in the quark-gluon plasma phase, one can apply perturbative methods. The most interesting region is that of the phase transition itself, and properties of QCD phase transitions are in the focus of the considerations using a number of methods (instantons, random matrix theory, etc). Cascade-type models as well as hydrodynamics is used in order to compare with heavy ion data from nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory and the European Nuclear Center CERN in Geneva. Modification of hadronic properties is central issue here.
The Stony Brook Nuclear Theory Group is also interested in a number of topics in nuclear astrophysics, collaborating with Department of Earth/Space sciences. The matter at high densities can be found during stellar collapse (supernova) and in neutron stars. The main issues here are the onset of the kaon condensation, realistic equation of states, dynamics of explosion, etc.
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