Theoretical physics attempts to describe and predict the fundamental laws governing the structure and interactions of matter. The Duke group focuses on the rules governing the interactions of quarks and nuclei (QCD or quantum chromodynamics) using a variety of theoretical and computational techniques. The group focuses both on trying to predict the structure of matter by deriving quark interactions from first principles and by investigating the behavior of quark matter under the most extreme conditions. These two approaches give insight both into nuclear structure today and conditions in the early universe. See all Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics information.