Lattice quantum chromodynamics and chroma

Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is the theory of the strong nuclear force of nature that is responsible for binding protons and neutrons together into atomic nuclei. It is one of the four fundamental forces of the Standard Model of particle interactions that consist of QCD, the nuclear weak force responsible for radioactive decays, electromagnetic forces that power our daily lives, and the force of gravity. The key constituents of the QCD are matter particles known as quarks and force carrying particles known as gluons. QCD is believed to provide mechanisms to address many key questions in nuclear and high-energy physics and calculations in QCD are needed to interpret the output of several 346major experimental programs in the United States and worldwide. The flagship Glue X experiment of the 12 GeV upgrade at Jefferson lab seeks to produce so called exotic particles in which gluons play a special role, which are predicted by QCD but have not yet been observed. QCD calculations are also needed to understand the distributions of quarks and gluons in protons and neutrons to improve our understanding of how hadronic matter is formed. At the same time, QCD should predict the properties of light nuclei, such as Helium and Tritium, and allow the computation of effective nuclear forces to bridge to higher level nuclear models which can then predict the properties of the rest of the nuclei in the periodic table of the elements. An understanding is needed of the behavior of QCD under conditions of extreme temperature and pressure, which can provide important information in astrophysics and cosmology, such as the behavior of quarkgluon plasma in the early stages of the universe. Such calculations are also needed to understand and interpret the experimental results of the heavy ion collision experiments such as Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory and at CERN. High-energy physics also requires QCD calculations, for example, to understand the asymmetry of matter and antimatter in our universe. Current calculations in this direction provide a tantalizing tension with the predictions of the Standard Model and experimental results. High-precision calculations in this area are therefore strong candidates to point researchers to physics beyond the Standard Model.