COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Research on Strongly Coupled Plasmas

University Of Vermont & State Agricultural College, Burlington VT

Investigators

Abstract

A Collaborative Project of theoretical/computational research on strongly coupled plasmas will be continued by Boston College (BC; Dr. Gabor J. Kalman, Principal Investigator) and the University of Vermont (UVM; Dr. Kenneth I. Golden, Principal Investigator). The coupling strength of a plasma is characterized by the ratio of the average Coulomb interaction energy to the average kinetic energy. The plasma is considered to be strongly coupled when this ratio is exceeds unity to the extent that the collection of charged particles is in the liquid or solid phase, exotic states of matter that are in marked contrast to the traditional gaseous plasmas studied in Tokamak fusion devices and space physics. Strong Coulomb interactions are exhibited by a variety of fascinating classical and quantum plasma systems, e.g., layered charged-particle systems in semiconductor quantum wells, layered charged particles confined in cryogenic traps, astrophysical plasmas (giant planetary interiors, white dwarf interiors, the outer crusts of neutron stars, etc.), and laboratory dusty plasmas. The collaborative UVM/BC Project addresses issues central to the physics of strongly coupled plasma dynamics. Two general objectives for continued progress in this field are set forth. The first objective is to continue building up the theoretical framework for the description of the dynamics of strongly coupled plasma liquids. The second objective is the application of this understanding, gained in the study of strongly coupled plasmas, to novel physical systems that are in the forefront of condensed matter physics research. It is now recognized that the various guises of the quantum Coulomb liquid in semiconductors exhibit behavior that is to be understood within the framework of strongly coupled plasma dynamics while also presenting some unique ramifications of the original issues (formation of dipoles, ultra-relativistic-like behavior of graphene electrons, etc). The analysis of the collective modes (natural frequencies) and response functions pertaining to these novel semiconductor plasmas is the second main objective of the Project. The proposed research, with its first-principles microscopic and simulation approaches to the determination of the dynamic properties of a wide variety of strongly coupled Coulomb systems, will substantially add to the fundamental knowledge base of plasma and condensed matter physics. This research will continue to provide new insights into the borderline area between these two disciplines by highlighting the similarity of the underlying physics that governs the behavior of plasma and condensed matter systems. The experiments that can be carried out along the predictions of this research can come from either discipline and are expected to be relevant to both. The research program will continue to promote the teaching and training of participating undergraduate and graduate students at both academic institutions. It will also continue to provide cutting edge research and learning opportunities to scientists (including postdoctoral and graduate students) at foreign institutions (the Research Institute of Solid State Physics and Optics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; Polytechnic University of Valencia). The results of this research will continue to be presented at international conferences (such as the 2002, 2005, 2008 Strongly Coupled Coulomb Systems Conferences) and disseminated to the public through the major outreach efforts made by the conference organizers