Germany’s TRR 211 project received new funding to study matter under extreme conditions, using supercomputers and theory to understand quark-gluon interactions in cosmic and experimental settings.
The Collaborative Research Center Transregio “Strongly Interacting Matter under Extreme Conditions,” a joint initiative of the Technical University of Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt and Bielefeld University, has been investigating the most extreme states of matter found in the universe since July 2017. Now the German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding this Transregio (SFB-TRR) 211 for another four years with 8.9 million euros. The new spokesperson is Professor Guy Moore, nuclear physicist at TU Darmstadt. He takes over this function from Professor Dirk Rischke, who researches and teaches at Goethe University Frankfurt. The Transregio also strengthens the cooperation within the Strategic Alliance of Rhine-Main Universities (RMU), which Goethe University Frankfurt, TU Darmstadt, and Johann Gutenberg University Mainz formed in 2015.
Exploring Matter at its Most Extreme Limits
What happens when normal matter is compressed or heated so much that the atomic nuclei overlap and fuse together? Matter then enters a new state whose properties are determined by the “strong interactions,” i.e., the force that binds the protons and neutrons together in the atomic nucleus. This strong interaction also generates the binding between the inner building blocks of the protons and neutrons – the quarks and gluons – and these fundamental building blocks ultimately dominate the properties of matter under extreme conditions.
Such boundary-breaking environmental influences – such as temperatures of more than a trillion degrees and densities of more than one hundred million tonnes per cubic centimeter, which are many orders of magnitude higher than in the center of the sun – are achieved in heavy ion collisions, which are currently being experimentally investigated at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in New York, at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva, and in the near future at the FAIR accelerator facility in Darmstadt.
Cosmic Collisions and Big Bang Conditions
Furthermore, such conditions also prevail during the merging of neutron stars, which are among the most powerful astrophysical events and were detected for the first time in 2017 by measuring gravitational waves. Similar conditions also occurred in the first 10 microseconds after the Big Bang and therefore have an impact on the structure and content of the universe today.
Reasons enough, therefore, to investigate the theoretical basis of strongly interacting matter more intensively and to predict its behavior in experiments, astrophysics, and cosmology. This is the main purpose of the SFB-TRR 211, a collaboration of 24 project leaders and their working groups, with a total of more than 100 researchers involved in 13 subprojects. They explore the theoretical underpinnings of the theory using large-scale numerical investigations on supercomputers using the tools of lattice gauge theory, and also by utilizing analytical attempts to probe this fundamental interaction. At the same time, they apply these theoretical advances to make predictions of specific experimental and astrophysical phenomena. The combined expertise of the scientists from the three partner universities is unique worldwide.
The new spokesperson of TRR 211, Professor Guy Moore, says: “We are thrilled that the DFG has recognized our expertise and hard work over the last few years and look forward to continuing our research until mid-2025 – and hopefully in a third funding period in the future.”
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2 Comments
The Quark Gluon Plasma has ratio of vìscosity(kinetic) to density in liquid state equal to the viscosity to density ratio of water.After the Big Bang ejected sperheated pressurìsed matterformed QGP(Quark-Gluon plasma) flowing apart from the origin point.Each line of flow being enbonded created Space.Space increased with Time çreating mass(QGP) lowering the Temperature and consiquentĺy also lowering Pressure.Gardually from the QGP prtons and neutrons are created,then from them atoms(hydrogen,helium and so on).They then accumulated with residual QGP at nucleus or centre to form indivisual Galaxy.Many such galaxies formed in the Universe.
In the early stage of the universe shortly after Big Bang,matter started to form Quark Gluon Plasma(QGP) whìch was subjected to immence too high pressure and temperature.So QGP was in liquid state at that time.One interesting fact is present that viscosity to density ratio of QGP and water are equal in specific condition.However,slowly with with progress of time protons and neùtròns are created from QGP,then atoms are formed from these.These accumulated in one place with remaining QGP at centre to form indivisùal galaxy.Many such galaxies appeared flowing apart from each òther to comprise the universe.