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Effective field theories for non-equilibrium many-body systems

Project description

New theoretical approach to modelling off-equilibrium systems

Non-equilibrium phenomena challenge our understanding of many-body systems. Until now, systems far from thermal equilibrium could not be analysed with a framework that accounts for stochastic thermal noise. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NonEqbSK project plans to investigate fluid systems far from equilibrium using the Schwinger-Keldysh framework. The new framework offers a systematic understanding of thermal fluctuations and dissipation and is suitable for constructing models describing non-equilibrium phenomena in many-body systems. Project results will have far-reaching implications for high-energy physics and condensed matter physics, especially concerning the hunt for the quantum chromodynamics critical point at heavy-ion colliders, modelling of living systems and the development of biophysical membranes.

Objective

Non-equilibrium phenomena continue to challenge our understanding of many-body systems appearing in nature. Macroscopic processes are generally irreversible due to dissipation. Reconciling this irreversibility with the unitarity of quantum mechanics has been one of the long-standing puzzles in physics. To date, we lack a systematic framework to account for stochastic thermal noise in many-body dynamics that becomes increasingly important as we leave equilibrium. The situation is particularly dire in systems that naturally operate far from equilibrium, such as fluids near a critical point, actively driven fluids, or fluids fluctuating in a confined volume, as the validity of existing models is limited.

The goal of this proposal is to investigate these systems in the context of the newly developed Schwinger-Keldysh framework for non-equilibrium effective field theories. The new framework offers a systematic understanding of thermal fluctuations and dissipation starting from an action principle, and is suitable for constructing models describing non-equilibrium phenomena in many-body systems. During this fellowship, I will develop effective field theories specialised to the non-equilibrium systems mentioned above, and investigate their repercussions for observed phenomena. These results will have far-reaching impact in the fields of high-energy physics and condensed matter physics, especially concerning the hunt for the QCD critical point at heavy-ion colliders, modelling of living systems in biophysics, and biophysical membranes. This work will also provide insights into the broader physical problems such as the emergence of dissipation from microscopic principles and the quantum nature of gravity via the AdS/CFT correspondence.

The increased visibility that I will gain in the scientific community due to these results, along with the training and experience I will obtain during this fellowship, will help me establish myself as an independent scientist in the future.

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 175 572,48
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 175 572,48
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