Nonequilibrium Processes in Field Theory

Dartmouth College, Hanover NH

Investigators

Abstract

Research will be performed on theoretical astrophysics and particle physics, focusing on physical processes that took place early in the history of the Universe. According to the Big-Bang model, the early history of the Universe was characterized by extremely high temperatures and densities. In such an environment, matter was broken down to its smallest constituents, i.e., elementary particles. In order to reconstruct the physical processes that took place during such times and to examine possible consequences observable today, we must obtain a description of how these particles interacted at high temperatures. In this research we will examine these processes, focusing on how the "fields" describing such particles arrived at their states of lowest energy, where they are today.