Address:
Fridolin Weber, PhD, PhD habil
Professor of Theoretical Physics
Associate Chair
& Graduate Advisor
Department of Physics
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1233, USA
The Computational Science Research Center (CSRC) at San Diego State
University (SDSU) invites students to apply for funded PhD studies in
the areas of computational high-energy physics, nuclear many-body
physics, relativistic astrophysics (compact stars), and General
Relativity. The PhD
applicants are required to have a Masters or Diploma Degree in
physics, astronomy, or related fields. Successful applicants will be
working with Prof. Fridolin Weber in the Department of Physics at
SDSU. The CSRC provides an international environment with about 70
graduate students. Interested candidates should contact
Prof. Fridolin Weber at fweber@sciences.sdsu.edu. The closing date for
receipt of applications is around 15 January each year. For a complete
description of
the program including requirements please click here.
Astrophysicists distinguish between three different types of compact
stars. These are white dwarfs, neutron stars (see schematic
illustrations above), and black holes. The
former contain matter in one of the densest forms found in the
Universe which, together with the unprecedented progress in
observational astronomy, make such stars superb astrophysical
laboratories for a broad range of most striking physical phenomena.
These range from nuclear processes on the stellar surface to processes
in electron degenerate matter at subnuclear densities to boson
condensates and the existence of new states of baryonic matter--like
color superconducting quark matter--at supernuclear densities. More
than that, according to the strange matter hypothesis strange quark
matter could be more stable than nuclear matter, in which case neutron
stars should be largely composed of pure quark matter possibly
enveloped in thin nuclear crusts. Another remarkable implication of
the hypothesis is the possible existence of a new class of white
dwarfs referred to as strange dwarfs (for details, see "Strange Quark
Matter and Compact Stars", Prog. Nucl. Part. Phys. 54 (2005) 193-288.)
Public Lecture(s)
Albert Einstein (1879-155) was a theoretical physicist known to the
world as one of the most important figures in science. His discoveries
solved century-old problems in physics and astronomy and continue to
play a key role for the understanding of the modern world. If you want
to learn more about Albert Einstein
and
his contributions to science
and society, you are invited to attend a free public lecture on
"The Life and Science of Albert Einstein," which I will be presenting at Albert Einstein Academies
on 15 March 2011 at 6:30 PM.