2026 summer term

When Quarks Condense: The Densest Material in the Universe

durch Prof. Mark Alford (Washington University, St Louis, USA)

Europe/Berlin
Room 511 (Physics Building)

Room 511

Physics Building

Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen
Beschreibung

What happens when matter is compressed to the highest density found in the universe? According to the standard model, one possibility is color superconducting quark matter, a state where quarks condense via the same mechanism as seen on Earth in superconductors and superfluids. This form of matter may well exist in the cores of neutron stars. I will give an accessible review of the features of color-superconducting quark matter, and discuss some ideas for finding it in nature.

Organisiert durch

Bernd-Jochen Schaefer