The Susceptibility Matrix of Nuclear Matter
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Department
Physics
Major
Physics
Abstract
The atomic nucleus is held together by one of the fundamental forces of nature, the strong nuclear force (also known as quantum chromodynamics, or QCD). By colliding nuclei together at nearly the speed of light, we can learn about the properties of nuclear material at the highest temperatures and densities ever created in the laboratory. One of the most important discoveries from these nuclear collisions has been the realization that, above a temperature of roughly 2 trillion K, nuclear matter ‘melts’ into a new phase of matter known as quark-gluon plasma (QGP), in much the same as an ice cube melts into water when it is heated. The goal of this project is to explore how this process occurs and how the QGP can be distinguished from nuclear matter at lower temperatures by analyzing its thermodynamic properties, as given by its equation of state (EoS). This project will analyze a specific piece of nuclear matter’s EoS called the susceptibility matrix, which describes the thermodynamic fluctuations of nuclear matter at a given temperature and density, by determining its eigenvalues and corresponding eigenvectors. By studying how these eigenvalues and eigenvectors change with finite temperatures and finite densities, we can better understand how nuclear matter changes from one state to another.
Faculty Mentor
Christopher Plumberg
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
10-4-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2026 2:00 PM
The Susceptibility Matrix of Nuclear Matter
Waves Cafeteria
The atomic nucleus is held together by one of the fundamental forces of nature, the strong nuclear force (also known as quantum chromodynamics, or QCD). By colliding nuclei together at nearly the speed of light, we can learn about the properties of nuclear material at the highest temperatures and densities ever created in the laboratory. One of the most important discoveries from these nuclear collisions has been the realization that, above a temperature of roughly 2 trillion K, nuclear matter ‘melts’ into a new phase of matter known as quark-gluon plasma (QGP), in much the same as an ice cube melts into water when it is heated. The goal of this project is to explore how this process occurs and how the QGP can be distinguished from nuclear matter at lower temperatures by analyzing its thermodynamic properties, as given by its equation of state (EoS). This project will analyze a specific piece of nuclear matter’s EoS called the susceptibility matrix, which describes the thermodynamic fluctuations of nuclear matter at a given temperature and density, by determining its eigenvalues and corresponding eigenvectors. By studying how these eigenvalues and eigenvectors change with finite temperatures and finite densities, we can better understand how nuclear matter changes from one state to another.