From quantum chaos to collective transport in plasmas

Theoretical physics strives to formulate and study the laws governing natural phenomena. I draw immense excitement from deciphering those laws that are at very small scales described by quantum mechanics. After more than a century of striking advance in quantum theories, our theoretical understanding remains mostly limited to systems with weak interactions where perturbative methods allow to compute physical observables. Recently, however, string theory has also enabled explorations of strongly interacting quantum theories through a remarkable mathematical result: holographic duality. This duality allows one to study strong interactions by performing a dual gravitational analysis involving well-established laws that describe the properties of black holes.

During the course of this fellowship hosted by the Centre for Research in String Theory at Queen Mary University of London, I will use the synthesis of weak and strong interaction analyses to investigate the fundamental laws governing quantum systems across interaction strengths and to examine their potential for real-world applications. My first category of objectives will study collective hydrodynamic transport in magnetised plasmas, of which we recently constructed a comprehensive theory, and in liquids. This work should bear experimental implications for nuclear matter such as quark-gluon plasma, which filled the early Universe and is currently being recreated at the particle collider (the Large Hadron Collider) in CERN. An improved understanding of magnetised plasmas that are used in fusion reactors could also have far-reaching impact on society by helping harness enormous amounts of clean energy. My second category of objectives pertains to investigations of chaotic mechanisms among the fundamental constituents of quantum matter. I plan to research the definition and classification of quantum chaos and to examine the signatures that chaos imprints on collective transport in plasmas.

The Centre for Research in String Theory at Queen Mary University of London is a world-class institute that has long been at the forefront of research in string theory and theoretical quantum physics. As such, it provides a thriving environment that will ideally facilitate my explorations into the foundations of natural laws. Furthermore, the breadth and quality of the physics research undertaken in other sub-departments of the Physics Department at Queen Mary will enable me to participate in interdisciplinary collaborations that are necessary for developing experimental and practical real-world applications of my work.