US-Ireland Cooperative Research: Classical Topology and Quantum Symmetries

该奖项将支持美国和爱尔兰物理学家在经典拓扑和量子对称性方面的合作研究。美国调查人员均来自锡拉丘兹大学，分别是A. P. Balachandran博士、Rafael D. Sorkin博士和William mcgynn博士。爱尔兰调查人员是L. O'Raifeartaigh教授（都柏林高等研究所）、S. Sen博士（都柏林大学）和C. E. Nash博士（梅努斯圣帕特里克学院）。拓扑概念和对称原理在理论物理的许多分支中起着重要的作用。研究人员将研究拓扑的作用，以及它与量子力学和对称原理在量子引力、共形场论（CFT）和磁单极子理论中的相互作用。在重力方面，他们将研究三维空间的丰富拓扑特征，相关量子理论的结构及其对对称原理的影响。与这些空间相关的某些类粒子激发的性质也将被研究。其他主题包括：1)CFT的对称群的性质，以及2)在量子水平上恢复某些对称性的可能性，这些对称性在单极子理论中由于拓扑原因而被经典地“打破”。参与这个联合项目的两组美国和爱尔兰物理学家在拟议的主题领域拥有广泛的专业知识。

This award will support collaborative research between U.S. and Irish physicists on classical topology and quantum symmetries. The U.S. investigators, all from Syracuse University, are Dr. A. P. Balachandran, Dr. Rafael D. Sorkin and Dr. William McGlinn. The Irish investigators are Professor L. O'Raifeartaigh (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), Dr. S. Sen (Dublin University) and Dr. C. E. Nash (St. Patrick's College, Maynooth). Topological concepts and symmetry principles play a significant role in many branches of theoretical physics. The investigators will study the role of topology, and its interplay with quantum mechanics and symmetry principles in quantum gravity, conformal field theories (CFT's) and the theory of magnetic monopoles. In gravity, they will examine the rich topological features of three dimensional spaces, the structure of associated quantum theories and its influence on symmetry principles. The properties of certain particle-like excitations called geons, associated with these spaces, will also be studied. Other topics include: 1) the properties of symmetry groups underlying CFT's and 2) the possible restoration of certain symmetries at the quantum level, which classically are "broken" for topological reasons in monopole theories. Both groups of U. S. and Irish physicists involved in this joint project have extensive expertise in the proposed subject area.