I am interested in the properties of matter at high densities and/or high temperatures. From a combination of simplified models and non-perturbative calculations we expect that the phase diagram of (Quantum Chromodynamics) QCD is very rich.
At high temperatures and low net baryon number densities (or equivalently low chemical potential), it is well understood from rigorous but numerically challenging lattice QCD calculations that a phase featuring hadrons like pions and protons at low temperatures, crosses over to a phase consisting of deconfined quarks and gluons [Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP)] as the temperature is increased. The crossover temperature is roughly 150-160MeV.
Model dependent studies and lattice calculations suggest that the phase diagram features a critical point at finite density where the curve of first order phase transitions ends.
Along the chemical axis, at low temperatures and asymptotically high baryon densities, matter exists in the color flavor locked (CFL) phase. However, the properties of the phase at densities present in neutron star cores are not well understood.
With my collaborators, I am working towards writing a thermal effective theory near the crossover temperature. This regime is explored in heavy ion collisions at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). I am also working on a model calculation of quarkonium production in these collisions.
I have also worked on the low temperature and high density regime appropriate for neutron star phenomenology and the dynamics of ultracold Fermi gases.My papers can be found here.
A link to current and old courses.
The goal is to discuss recent papers on the arXiv to learn about new developments in the field of QCD. The last Thursday every month, the journal club will be organized in a joint session with the with the heavy ion group at NISER.