FIAS Interdisciplinary Science Series – serie

With contributions by leading theoreticians, this book presents the discoveries of hitherto hidden connections between seemingly unrelated fields of fundamental physics. The topics range from cosmology and astrophysics to nuclear-, particle- and heavy-ion science. A current example concerns the sensitivity of gravitational wave spectra to the phase structure of dense nuclear and quark matter in binary neutron star collisions. The contributions by Hanauske and Stoecker as well as Banik and Bandyopadhyay relate the consequent insights to hot dense nuclear matter created in supernova explosions and in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. Studies of the equation of state for neutron stars are also presented, as are those for nuclear matter in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. Other reviews focus on QCD-thermodynamics, charmed mesons in the quark-gluon plasma, nuclear theory, extensions to the standard general theory of relativity, new experimental developments in heavy ion collisions and renewable energy networks. The book will appeal to advanced students and researchers seeking a broad view of current challenges in theoretical physics and their interconnections.

With contributions by leading theoreticians, this book presents the discoveries of hitherto hidden connections between seemingly unrelated fields of fundamental physics. The topics range from cosmology and astrophysics to nuclear-, particle- and heavy-ion science. A current example concerns the sensitivity of gravitational wave spectra to the phase structure of dense nuclear and quark matter in binary neutron star collisions. The contributions by Hanauske and Stoecker as well as Banik and Bandyopadhyay relate the consequent insights to hot dense nuclear matter created in supernova explosions and in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. Studies of the equation of state for neutron stars are also presented, as are those for nuclear matter in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. Other reviews focus on QCD-thermodynamics, charmed mesons in the quark-gluon plasma, nuclear theory, extensions to the standard general theory of relativity, new experimental developments in heavy ion collisions and renewable energy networks. The book will appeal to advanced students and researchers seeking a broad view of current challenges in theoretical physics and their interconnections.

This book starts with the mathematical basis of the theory - i.e. provide a brief sketch of the theory of manifolds and frame bundles, tensors and their transformations, relativistic kinematics, and aspects of non-flat space-time geometries. The definition of relevant physical quantities (torsion, curvature, non-metricity, tetrads, connection fields etc.) and important geometry concepts are also included. The main body of the book is devoted to a detailed derivation of the gauge theory of gravitation for scalar, vector (Proca and Maxwell) and Dirac spinor fields. Alternative approaches based on the Noether theorem and on the spinorial representation of the fields are also addressed, as well as important novel features related to the CCGG framework (Birkhoff theorem, field derivative identities etc.). In the last section of the volume the application of the CCGG theory to cosmology will be set out, resulting in a new understanding of dark energy and inflation.

This book starts with the mathematical basis of the theory - i.e. provide a brief sketch of the theory of manifolds and frame bundles, tensors and their transformations, relativistic kinematics, and aspects of non-flat space-time geometries. The definition of relevant physical quantities (torsion, curvature, non-metricity, tetrads, connection fields etc.) and important geometry concepts are also included. The main body of the book is devoted to a detailed derivation of the gauge theory of gravitation for scalar, vector (Proca and Maxwell) and Dirac spinor fields. Alternative approaches based on the Noether theorem and on the spinorial representation of the fields are also addressed, as well as important novel features related to the CCGG framework (Birkhoff theorem, field derivative identities etc.). In the last section of the volume the application of the CCGG theory to cosmology will be set out, resulting in a new understanding of dark energy and inflation.

Nuclear physics is an exciting, broadly faceted field. It spans a wide range of topics, reaching from nuclear structure physics to high-energy physics, astrophysics and medical physics (heavy ion tumor therapy).  New developments are presented in this volume and thestatus of research is reviewed. A major focus is put on nuclear structure physics, dealing with superheavy elements and with various forms of exotic nuclei: strange nuclei, very neutron rich nuclei, nuclei of antimatter. Also quantum electrodynamics of strong fields is addressed, which is linked to the occurrence of giant nuclear systems in, e.g., U+U collisions. At high energies nuclear physics joins with elementary particle physics. Various chapters address the theory ofelementary matter at high densities and temperature, in particular the quark gluon plasma which is predicted by quantum chromodynamics (QCD) to occur in high-energy heavy ion collisions. In the field of nuclearastrophysics, the properties of neutron stars and quark stars are discussed. A topic which transcends nuclear physics is discussed in two chapters: The proposed pseudo-complex extension of Einstein's General Relativity leads to the prediction that there are no blackholes and that big bang cosmology has to be revised. Finally, the interdisciplinary nature of this volume is further accentuated by chapters on protein folding and on magnetoreception in birds and many other animals.

Nuclear physics is an exciting, broadly faceted field. It spans a wide range of topics, reaching from nuclear structure physics to high-energy physics, astrophysics and medical physics (heavy ion tumor therapy).  New developments are presented in this volume and thestatus of research is reviewed. A major focus is put on nuclear structure physics, dealing with superheavy elements and with various forms of exotic nuclei: strange nuclei, very neutron rich nuclei, nuclei of antimatter. Also quantum electrodynamics of strong fields is addressed, which is linked to the occurrence of giant nuclear systems in, e.g., U+U collisions. At high energies nuclear physics joins with elementary particle physics. Various chapters address the theory ofelementary matter at high densities and temperature, in particular the quark gluon plasma which is predicted by quantum chromodynamics (QCD) to occur in high-energy heavy ion collisions. In the field of nuclearastrophysics, the properties of neutron stars and quark stars are discussed. A topic which transcends nuclear physics is discussed in two chapters: The proposed pseudo-complex extension of Einstein's General Relativity leads to the prediction that there are no blackholes and that big bang cosmology has to be revised. Finally, the interdisciplinary nature of this volume is further accentuated by chapters on protein folding and on magnetoreception in birds and many other animals.

State-of-the-art survey by leading experts in the field. Major foci are superheavy nuclei and neutron-rich exotic nuclei. In addition new developments in nuclear fission and nuclear cluster decay are shown. Finally developments in relativistic heavy ion collisions and the physics of supercritical fields are detailed.

This book explores the role of singularities in general relativity (GR): The theory predicts that when a sufficient large mass collapses, no known force is able to stop it until all mass is concentrated at a point. The question arises, whether an acceptable physical theory should have a singularity, not even a coordinate singularity. The appearance of a singularity shows the limitations of the theory. In GR this limitation is the strong gravitational force acting near and at a super-massive concentration of a central mass. First, a historical overview is given, on former attempts to extend GR (which includes Einstein himself), all with distinct motivations. It will be shown that the only possible algebraic extension is to introduce pseudo-complex (pc) coordinates, otherwise for weak gravitational fields non-physical ghost solutions appear. Thus, the need to use pc-variables. We will see, that the theory contains a minimal length, with important consequences. After that, the pc-GR is formulated and compared to the former attempts. A new variational principle is introduced, which requires in the Einstein equations an additional contribution. Alternatively, the standard variational principle can be applied, but one has to introduce a constraint with the same former results. The additional contribution will be associated to vacuum fluctuation, whose dependence on the radial distance can be approximately obtained, using semi-classical Quantum Mechanics. The main point is that pc-GR predicts that mass not only curves the space but also changes the vacuum structure of the space itself. In the following chapters, the minimal length will be set to zero, due to its smallness. Nevertheless, the pc-GR will keep a remnant of the pc-description, namely that the appearance of a term, which we may call "dark energy", is inevitable. The first application will be discussed in chapter 3, namely solutions of central mass distributions. For a non-rotating massive object it is the pc-Schwarzschild solution, for a rotating massive object the pc-Kerr solution and for a charged massive object it will be the Reissner-Nordström solution. This chapter serves to become familiar on how to resolve problems in pc-GR and on how to interpret the results. One of the main consequences is, that we can eliminate the event horizon and thus there will be no black holes. The huge massive objects in the center of nearly any galaxy and the so-called galactic black holes are within pc-GR still there, but with the absence of an event horizon! Chapter 4 gives another application of the theory, namely the Robertson-Walker solution, which we use to model different outcomes of the evolution of the universe. Finally the capability of this theory to predict new phenomena is illustrated.

State-of-the-art survey by leading experts in the field. Major foci are superheavy nuclei and neutron-rich exotic nuclei. In addition new developments in nuclear fission and nuclear cluster decay are shown. Finally developments in relativistic heavy ion collisions and the physics of supercritical fields are detailed.

This book explores the role of singularities in general relativity (GR): The theory predicts that when a sufficient large mass collapses, no known force is able to stop it until all mass is concentrated at a point. The question arises, whether an acceptable physical theory should have a singularity, not even a coordinate singularity. The appearance of a singularity shows the limitations of the theory. In GR this limitation is the strong gravitational force acting near and at a super-massive concentration of a central mass. First, a historical overview is given, on former attempts to extend GR (which includes Einstein himself), all with distinct motivations. It will be shown that the only possible algebraic extension is to introduce pseudo-complex (pc) coordinates, otherwise for weak gravitational fields non-physical ghost solutions appear. Thus, the need to use pc-variables. We will see, that the theory contains a minimal length, with important consequences. After that, the pc-GR is formulated and compared to the former attempts. A new variational principle is introduced, which requires in the Einstein equations an additional contribution. Alternatively, the standard variational principle can be applied, but one has to introduce a constraint with the same former results. The additional contribution will be associated to vacuum fluctuation, whose dependence on the radial distance can be approximately obtained, using semi-classical Quantum Mechanics. The main point is that pc-GR predicts that mass not only curves the space but also changes the vacuum structure of the space itself. In the following chapters, the minimal length will be set to zero, due to its smallness. Nevertheless, the pc-GR will keep a remnant of the pc-description, namely that the appearance of a term, which we may call "dark energy", is inevitable. The first application will be discussed in chapter 3, namely solutions of central mass distributions. For a non-rotating massive object it is the pc-Schwarzschild solution, for a rotating massive object the pc-Kerr solution and for a charged massive object it will be the Reissner-Nordström solution. This chapter serves to become familiar on how to resolve problems in pc-GR and on how to interpret the results. One of the main consequences is, that we can eliminate the event horizon and thus there will be no black holes. The huge massive objects in the center of nearly any galaxy and the so-called galactic black holes are within pc-GR still there, but with the absence of an event horizon! Chapter 4 gives another application of the theory, namely the Robertson-Walker solution, which we use to model different outcomes of the evolution of the universe. Finally the capability of this theory to predict new phenomena is illustrated.

This volume presents the state-of-the-art in selected topics across modern nuclear physics, covering fields of central importance to research and illustrating their connection to many different areas of physics. It describes recent progress in the study of superheavy and exotic nuclei, which is pushing our knowledge to ever heavier elements and neutron-richer isotopes. Extending nuclear physics to systems that are many times denser than even the core of an atomic nucleus, one enters the realm of the physics of neutron stars and possibly quark stars, a topic that is intensively investigated with many ground-based and outer-space research missions as well as numerous theoretical works. By colliding two nuclei at very high ultra-relativistic energies one can create a fireball of extremely hot matter, reminiscent of the universe very shortly after the big bang, leading to a phase of melted hadrons and free quarks and gluons, the so-called quark-gluon plasma. These studiestie up with effects of crucial importance in other fields. During the collision of heavy ions, electric fields of extreme strength are produced, potentially destabilizing the vacuum of the atomic physics system, subsequently leading to the decay of the vacuum state and the emission of positrons.  In neutron stars the ultra-dense matter might support extremely high magnetic fields, far beyond anything that can be produced in the laboratory, significantly affecting the stellar properties.At very high densities general relativity predicts the stellar collapse to a black hole. However, a number of current theoretical activities, modifying Einstein’s theory, point to possible alternative scenarios, where this collapse might be avoided.These and related topics are addressed in this book in a series of highly readable chapters. In addition, the book includes fundamental analyses of the practicalities involved in transiting to an electricity supply mainly based on renewableenergies, investigating this scenario less from an engineering and more from a physics point of view. While the topics comprise a large scope of activities, the contributions also show an extensive overlap in the methodology and in the analytical and numerical tools involved in tackling these diverse research fields that are the forefront of modern science.

This book summarizes recent developments in the research area of quantum gravity phenomenology. A series of short and nontechnical essays lays out the prospects of various experimental possibilities and their current status. Finding observational evidence for the quantization of space-time was long thought impossible. In the last decade however, new experimental design and technological advances have changed the research landscape and opened new perspectives on quantum gravity. Formerly dominated by purely theoretical constructions, quantum gravity now has a lively phenomenology to offer. From high precision measurements using macroscopic quantum oscillators to new analysis methods of the cosmic microwave background, no stone is being left unturned in the experimental search for quantum gravity. This book sheds new light on the connection of astroparticle physics with the quantum gravity problem. Gravitational waves and their detection are covered. It illustrates findings from the interconnection between general relativity, black holes and Planck stars. Finally, the return on investment in quantum-gravitation research is illuminated. The book is intended for graduate students and researchers entering the field.

This volume presents the state-of-the-art in selected topics across modern nuclear physics, covering fields of central importance to research and illustrating their connection to many different areas of physics.