The research conducted by the Theoretical Nuclear Physics group at Florida State University spans over fifty seven orders of magnitude in baryon number, and seeks new insights into baryon interactions and the fundamental nature of baryonic matter. Core research is being undertaken in several areas: hadronic structure, where the aim is to understand the structure and dynamics of hadrons in terms of their fundamental quark and gluon constituents; the nuclear structure of exotic nuclei and the emergence of novel phenomena expected at the limits of nuclear existence; and in neutron star structure, where the focus is on the identification and characterization of new states of matter and on constraining the equation of state of high-density matter. The group offers research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Dr. Simon Capstick's research focuses on the properties of excited states of baryons like the proton and neutron, and their strong electromagnetic interactions. His recent work has been designed to complement the baryon physics experimental program at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) in Virginia.
Dr. Jorge Piekarewicz's main research interests focus on the behavior of nuclear matter under extreme conditions of density, such as those found in the interior of neutron stars. One of the main goals of his research is to use physical observables that may be determined from terrestrial experiments to constrain the properties of neutron stars. Conversely, he aims to incorporate observations from new telescopes operating at a variety of wavelengths and gravitational wave observatories to elucidate the structure of nuclear matter at the extremes.
Dr. Alexander Volya's research work focuses on novel aspects of nuclear physics and its connections to astrophysics, mesoscopic physics, fundamental science, quantum chaos, and many-body physics in general. Using the atomic nucleus as a research laboratory we target the generic phenomena of finite open quantum many-body systems, such as shell structure, superfluidity and superconductivity, effects of particle decay and radiation, onset of chaotic dynamics and its interplay with collective motion.
Dr. Kevin Fossez's research explores the physics of exotic nuclei as many-body open quantum systems, and notably their emergent properties far from nuclear stability. His group works on the development of ab-initio methods to increase predictive power in unknown regions of the nuclear chart and test nuclear forces in extreme conditions; novel approaches based on effective field theory to better study unique phenomena such as halo states and exotic decay modes; and new mathematical techniques in the context of AI/ML to accelerate existing methods and extent their reach. Dr. Fossez is also strongly involved with experimental research conducted at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB).