9509847 Hu This U.S.-Argentina Cooperative Research grant will support the collaborative research of Dr. Bei-Lok Hu and three advanced graduate students from the University of Maryland College Park with Drs. Esteban Calzetta, Juan Pablo Paz, and Diego Mazzitelli of the University of Buenos Aires in quantum statistical field theory in gravitation and cosmology. Themes to be investigated include decoherence and quantum-to-classical transition; galaxy formation in inflationary cosmology; phase transition in the early universe, and general relativity as an effective theory. The experienced collaborators have probed the laws of nature and the structure of space-time at the Planck scale, obtaining results on early universe and black hole processes. The concepts and techniques of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and the formalisms of quantum stochastic field theory established in their joint work are to be further developed and applied to problems on relativity and cosmology under this grant. The team, including advanced graduate students, will collaborate closely in the generation and pursuit of new ideas and problems within the themes described. ***
