Kaon Production in Heavy-Ion Collisions and Maximum Mass of Neutron Stars
Chang-Hwan Lee
Department of Physics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
FULL ARTICLE in Postscript File:  Download (Received on October 6, 1998)

Abstract: We determine an `empirical' kaon dispersion relation by analysing and fitting recent experimental data on kaon production in heavy-ion collisions. We then investigate its effects on hadronic equation of state at high densities and on neutron star properties. We find that the maximum mass of neutron stars can be lowered by about 0.4M fi , once kaon condensation as constrained by our empirical dispersion relation is introduced. We emphasize the growing interplay between hadron physics, relativistic heavy-ion physics and the physics of compact objects in astrophysics.

Editor's Note: The author received his Ph.D. in Physics at Seoul Nat'l University in 1995 in study of kaon condensation in dense stellar matter. Since 1996, he is a postdoc in the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His research interest is the combination of heavy ion collisions and dense stellar systems like black-hole or neutron stars. His e-mail address is "chlee@silver.physics.sunysb.edu''.

 

 

 

 

 

 

World as Matrix Quantum Mechanics
Piljin Yi
F.R. Newman Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
FULL ARTICLE in Postscript File: Download

(Received on Dec. 2, 1998; Revised on Dec. 16, 1998)

Abstract: Last few decades' attempts to understand the fundamental forces of nature have lead, in the 80's, to superstring theory. According to its viewpoint, the fundamental building blocks of the universe are loops or segments of string that are of typical size ~ 10^-31cm and live in 10-dimensional world. However, many recent studies suggest that superstring theories are merely particular manifestations of the more fundamental M theory that lives in 11 dimensions. One possible formulation of M theory involves point-like objects known as Dirichlet particles, in the form of a matrix quantum mechanics. We explore this model and try to understand how such basic excitations as gravitons are realized.

Editor's Note: Dr. Piljin Yi received a Ph.D. in Physics at California Institute of Technology in 1994, and joined Columbia University High Energy Theory Group. He is with Cornell High Energy Theory Group since 1997. Dr. Yi specializes in the study of quantum aspects of black holes as well as of supersymmetric theories in general. His most notable works concern understanding spectrum of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories and superstring theories. His e-mail address is "piljin@lns598.lns.cornell.edu".