Berndt Mueller

J. B. Duke Professor of Physics mueller@phy.duke.edu Phone: [+1]  919 660 2570 Office: 261-D Physics Bldg.

Research Area: Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics

Research Group: Hot and Dense QCD Matter / Duke QCD Theory

Current Graduate Students:

Previous Graduate Students (at Duke University):

• Chengqiang Gong (Retired from JP Morgan Chase in Hongkong)
• Chaoran Hu
• Jochen Rau
• Michael T. Strickland
• R. Bryon Neufeld
• Hung-Ming Tsai
• Chris Coleman-Smith
• Di-Lun Yang
• Xiaojun Yao

Mentored Undergraduate Students:

• Jacob G. Foster

Teaching:

• Spring 2021: PHY 141L General Physics I
• Fall 2021, Fall 2022: PHY 142L General Physics II

Research:

My research currently focuses on (nuclear) matter at extreme energy density. Quantum chromodynamics, the fundamental theory of nuclear forces, predicts that nuclear matter dissolves into quarks and gluons, the constituents of nucleons, when a critical energy density is exceeded. My collaborators and I are studying the properties of this quark-gluon plasma from the theoretical point of view. We are developing the theory of the formation of a quark-gluon plasma, in particular the problem of thermalization, and we study methods of its detection in high-energy nuclear collisions.

Recent Highlights:

• The exploration of hot and dense nuclear matter: Introduction to relativistic heavy-ion physics: Overview article written with H. Elfner (2022).
• QCD Phase Boundary and the Hadrochemical Horizon: Article in Jean Cleymans Memorial volume of MDPI Physics (2022).
• Issues with the search for critical point in QCD with relativistic heavy ion collisions: Article with M. Asakawa and M. Kitazawa in Physical Review C (2020).
• Hot Spaghetti: Viscous Gravitational Collapse: Article with A. Schäfer in European Physical Journal A (2018).
• Approach to equilibrium of quarkonium in quark-gluon plasma: Article with Xiaojun Yao in Physical Review C (2018)
• From Strangeness Enhancement to Quark–Gluon Plasma Discovery: Article with P. Koch and J. Rafelski in International Journal of Modern Physics A (2017).
• Electron Ion Collider: The Next QCD Frontier -- Understanding the glue that binds us all: EIC Whitepaper, published in European Physical Journal A (2016).

Additional Links My departmental web page Curriculum Vitae List of Publications on inSPIRE-HEP Triangle Nuclear Theory My Erdös Number

Virtual Journal on QCD Matter

Reports and Proposals

Monographs

Recent Lectures

Quotations in the Literature

Some family history

Interesting links:

•  Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
•  European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN)
•  DOE Office of Nuclear Physics
•  DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC)