Collaborative Research: WOU-MMA: Extreme Quantum-Electrodynamic and General-Relativistic Plasma Physics

合作研究：WOU-MMA：极端量子电动和广义相对论等离子体物理

• 批准号: 2010145
• 负责人: Alexander Philippov
• 金额: $ 36万
• 依托单位: Princeton University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-07-15 至 2022-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2010145&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; WOU; MMA; Extreme; Collaborative; Research; WOU; MMA; Extreme

This project will study the physics of atmospheres of neutron stars and black holes with very strong magnetic fields. Observational discovery of compact stars in our galaxy that are extraordinarily strong magnets, called magnetars, brings modern science into an uncharted territory of enormous magnetic fields. This is where quantum mechanics, rather than everyday physics, describes objects as massive as our Sun. At the same time, detection of gravitational wave signals from merging black holes and neutron stars opened a new observational domain for studies of objects governed by extremely strong gravity. Magnetars, neutron stars and black holes are astrophysical multi-messenger laboratories for studies of the interplay of electromagnetic, quantum, and gravitational effects. The primary goal of this project is to better understand such systems by developing a comprehensive description of collective non-linear behavior of matter in super-strong magnetic and gravitational fields; by doing so, it will also directly contribute to the goals of NSF's "Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics" Big Idea. This collaborative project will serve to train graduate students and to promote diversity by recruiting students from underrepresented minority groups. Magnetars -- neutron stars with magnetic fields exceeding the critical Schwinger field, merging neutron star and black hole binaries, and collapsing neutron stars are the primary astronomical sources where quantum electrodynamic (QED) and general relativistic (GR) effects strongly affect the properties and behavior of plasma. This project aims to understand the dynamics of collisionless pair plasmas in such environments. Moreover, recent advances in laser technology allow state-of-the-art high-intensity laser systems to approach regimes relevant for studies of plasma under such extreme, super-critical field conditions. Upcoming laser-plasma experiments and multi-messenger astronomy observations will allow one to probe into extreme plasma and astrophysical phenomena that were previously inaccessible; and this project will create theoretical and numerical modeling foundations for interpreting results of such laboratory experiments and astronomical observations. The specific questions to be addressed are: (i) What are the plasma properties, collective plasma modes and instabilities in a supercritical magnetic field? (ii) How do GR and QED effects change the dynamics of magnetic reconnection? (iii) How does a black hole formed in the collapse of a magnetized neutron star dissipate its magnetic field? (iv) How do rotating black holes produce electron-positron plasmas? These questions will be answered using a combination of analytical and numerical approaches.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目将研究具有非常强烈的磁场的中子星和黑洞的大气物理。 在我们的银河系中观察到紧凑型恒星，这些恒星非常强，称为磁铁，将现代科学带入了一个未知的巨大磁场领域。 这是量子力学而不是日常物理学的地方，将物体描述为像我们的太阳一样大。 同时，从合并黑洞和中子星的重力波信号的检测开辟了一个新的观察域，用于研究受极强重力控制的物体的研究。 磁铁，中子星和黑洞是天体物理多通讯生实验室，用于研究电磁，量子和重力效应的相互作用。 该项目的主要目标是通过对超强磁和重力领域中物质的集体非线性行为进行全面描述来更好地理解此类系统；通过这样做，它也将直接促进NSF“宇宙中的窗户：多门徒天体物理学时代”的目标。 该协作项目将有助于培训研究生并通过招募来自代表性不足的少数群体的学生来促进多样性。磁铁 - 具有磁场的中子星超过关键的Schwinger场，合并中子恒星和黑洞二进制组以及崩溃的中子星是主要的天文来源，其中量子电动力学（QED）和一般相对论（GR）效应强烈影响等离子的性质和行为。 该项目旨在了解这种环境中无碰撞对等离子体的动态。 此外，激光技术的最新进展使最先进的高强度激光系统能够在如此极端的超临界场状况下与血浆研究相关的制度。 即将到来的激光 - 超语实验和多门传播天文学观察将使人们可以探究以前无法访问的极端血浆和天体物理现象。该项目将创建理论和数值建模基础，以解释这种实验室实验和天文观察的结果。 要解决的具体问题是：（i）超临界磁场中的等离子体特性，集体等离子体模式和不稳定性？ （ii）GR和QED效应如何改变磁重新连接的动力学？ （iii）在磁化中子恒星塌陷中形成的黑洞如何耗散其磁场？ （iv）旋转的黑洞如何产生电子散曲线等离子体？ 这些问题将通过分析方法和数值方法的结合来回答。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，认为值得通过评估值得支持。