Dyana Duarte
Physics
The quest to understand matter at high densities opens new horizons for our understanding of the universe. In line with this trend, Dyana Duarte’s project aims to investigate exotic phases in the data generated from the merger of two neutron stars. Physics from the Federal University of São João, Dyana also has a master’s degree in physics from the same institution. She continued her doctorate at the Federal University of Santa Maria, where she now works as an adjunct professor. She had two postdoctoral periods, first at the University of Washington, United States, and then at the Aeronautical Technological Institute.
Very connected to nature, Dyana uses her free time to go trekking, walks to the beach and waterfalls and long walks outdoors. Married and without children, Dyana has two other passions: dogs and Japanese manga. Little Nika is the couple’s faithful canine companion. She earned her name in a double tribute: a character from the manga One Piece and a particle accelerator under construction, both her namesakes.
Projects
The structure of the matter that makes up the universe has fascinated several generations of scientists. Quantum Chromodynamics is the theory about subatomic particles, quarks and gluons and how they come together to form protons and neutrons. One of the most important recent advances in this area was the detection of gravitational waves originating from the merger of neutron stars, which has generated interesting data about objects with very high densities. Such environments today cannot be reproduced experimentally on Earth, and all knowledge about dense matter comes from theoretical models. The most intriguing thing is that none of the well-established models can produce important results from the gravitational wave data analysis, such as the behaviour of the star’s mass as we approach its interior. This project aims to build models that include unusual ingredients and verify whether the presence of exotic phases will satisfy observational constraints. With this, we seek to expand our understanding of matter at high densities.
