Sen, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, works in a field called quantum chromodynamics, which is all about the forces that hold quarks together, and therefore hold protons and neutrons together, and therefore hold everything together. Sen’s work in quantum materials has recently won support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program. She’s one of 83 scientists from American universities and DOE national laboratories selected for the award. She’ll receive about $150,000 per year for five years for salary and research expenses.

Read more at the press release.

The title of her project is "Quantum materials, lattice gauge theory and QCD". 

The abstract of her project is "The confluence of modern scientific ideas from Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) - the fundamental theory of nuclear interactions, condensed matter physics and particle physics has enabled notable discoveries of exotic phenomena in extreme astrophysical environments as well as in materials in tabletop experiments. This project brings together seminal ideas from lattice quantum field theory (QFT), dense-QCD and topological superconductors and insulators, the interrelations of which in two and higher dimensions could reveal novel phase structures of QCD as well as lead to the discovery of new quantum materials. Of great current interest is the realization of anyonic excitations because of their resilience in fault tolerant quantum computing and their ability to exquisitely diagnose topological phases of quantum materials. Advancing our understanding of anyonic excitations in QFT could, in turn, address foundational questions in the study of the QCD phase diagram and nuclear matter."

This research was selected for funding by the Office of Nuclear Physics and the DOE Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.