How superconductors help us understand quantum chromodynamics

by Evgenii Ievlev (Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI))

Wednesday 6 Sept 2023, 15:00 → 16:00 Asia/Seoul

Seminar Room (CTPU)

Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is the theory that describes strong interactions. The strong force is responsible for holding (confining) quarks together inside a proton, neutron, or pi-meson. Despite massive success in high-energy phenomena like particle collisions in a collider, this theory remains not very well understood in the low-energy limit. The reason is that at low energies QCD becomes strongly coupled.
 

In this talk, we are going to discuss how an analogy inspired by superconductor phenomena turned out to be very fruitful in understanding the confinement of quarks. We will start with a general introduction and a discussion of a breakthrough that happened in the 90s. Then we will discuss some modern developments, including an unexpected connection to string theory.

 

(Partly based on the papers: 1704.03047, 2006.12054, 2307.02929)