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| Dr.
Michael Creutz |
Quarks are tiny particles, but a
force like the weight of 14 tons binds
them together. That's one of the findings
of physicists investigating quantum
chromodynamics (QCD), the theory describing
the "strong force" that binds subnuclear
particles called quarks and gluons.
The Office of Science has supported
the development of various computer-based
techniques for performing the difficult
calculations of QCD. Theorists at
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory, and
elsewhere have made relevant calculations.
Michael Creutz of Brookhaven demonstrated
that properties of QCD could be computed
numerically using a lattice of discrete
points of time and space instead of
a continuum. Creutz provided strong
evidence that quarks cannot be isolated
(the force between quarks does not
decrease, even as they are moved farther
apart), thus mathematically confirming
QCD. He won the American Physical
Society's Aneesur Rahman Prize for
Computational Physics in 2000. Another
project involving Columbia University,
Brookhaven, and the Riken Institute
produced the world's fastest multipurpose,
noncommercial supercomputer. The computer
turns space and time into a four-dimensional
lattice (or a three-dimensional grid
for any moment in time) and enables
scientists to calculate interactions
between quarks at larger distances
than possible with other methods.
The "do it yourself" approach to construction
limited costs to about $1.8 million
for the entire project and won the
1998 Gordon Bell Award for most cost-effective
computing.
Scientific Impact:
Creutz's methods have been applied
to various theoretical problems in
physics; lattice calculations are
the best estimates for the temperature
of the elusive quark-gluon plasma,
a form of matter dating back to the
Big Bang creation of the universe.
The Brookhaven supercomputer's speed
will enable scientists to simulate
and predict the behavior of such subatomic
particles and phenomena.
Social Impact: The
supercomputer project has led to affordable
teraflop-scale (1 thousand billion
calculations per second) computing
engines. Algorithms developed for
QCD computations have potential applications
in superconductivity, development
of magnetic materials, and other fields
of commercial interest.
Reference: "Monte
Carlo study of quantized SU(2) gauge
theory," M. Creutz, Phys. Rev.
D21, 2308-2315 (1980).
Quarks, Gluons, and Lattices,
M. Creutz (Cambridge Univ. Press,
1983).
Nuclear Physics B—Proceedings
Supplements, Volume 83-84 (2000).
Proceedings of the XVIIth International
Symposium on Lattice Field Theory,
Pisa, Italy, 29 June 1999.
URL:
http://penguin.phy.bnl.gov/~creutz/
Technical Contact:
Dr. Michael Creutz, creutz@bnl.gov
Press Contact: Jeff
Sherwood, DOE Office of Public Affairs,
202-586-5806
SC-Funding Office:
Office of High Energy and Nuclear
Physics |
