Dr. Alford's
research interests center on Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD), the theory
of the strong interaction. Currently he is working on the properties
of quark matter. This is the state of matter that occurs at very high
density, such as might be attained inside neutron stars or in heavy-ion
collisions. Dr. Alford is most active in the area of color superconductivity,
a phenomenon that is analogous to superconductivity in metals, but
transposed to the more exotic context of quark matter.
One of the main aims of his work is to find signatures of the presence
of color superconducting quark matter in neutron stars. His work therefore
incorporates aspects of particle physics, nuclear physics, condensed
matter physics, and astrophysics. In the past Dr. Alford has worked
on numerical lattice QCD calculations, developing improved actions
that greatly increase the efficiency of these computations, and also
looking for ways to apply numerical methods at high density.
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