On May 21, Ananya Rai successfully defended the thesis “Unveiling the Structure of the Perfect Superfluid using Correlation Functions” (advisor: Helen Caines).
Rai explained, “The goal of my research is to better understand one of the fundamental forces of nature—the strong nuclear force—which holds the building blocks of matter together. To do this, I study fundamental particles called quarks and gluons, which interact through this force. When these particles are created in high-energy collisions at particle accelerators, they form narrow sprays of particles known as ‘jets’. My work focuses on exploring what’s happening inside these jets using a new tool called Energy Correlators. This technique helps us see how energy is distributed within a jet. By studying jets both in empty space (vacuum) and in an extremely hot, dense form of matter called the Quark Gluon Plasma, I can compare how the strong force behaves in different conditions and learn more about the structure and fluid-like properties of this exotic state of matter.”
Rai intends to do a one year long masters program in Education Policy focusing in Global and Comparative Education at Harvard starting this Fall.
Rai added, “I want to just highlight how much I have enjoyed working with my RHIG family. It was a long-winded road to figure out what I enjoyed in grad school, and I am very happy that I found my way to RHIG. I will miss being here a lot. “
Thesis Abstract: The sequential clustering of particles into jets provides an algorithmic link between final-state hadrons and the partons from which they originated. Jet substructure techniques allow us to trace the radiation history of jets, offering a powerful framework to probe Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) across different energy scales. Projected N-point Energy Correlators (ENCs) are a novel class of observables that explore the energy flow within hadronic jets.