String Theory and Quantum Field Theory: From the Planck Scale to the Hubble Scale

该奖项资助了德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的Steven Weinberg、Willy Fischler和Jacques Distler教授的研究活动。这组教授所做的工作范围从最基本的物理学到与粒子物理学和宇宙学中当前观测相关的计算。作为这个研究项目的一部分，这些教授打算追求他们对理论物理学面临的各种挑战的更深层次的理解，从在结合量子力学和重力（包括宇宙学）到粒子物理学的现象学时对其复杂性的基本理解。在这些领域取得进展需要多管齐下的方法，利用从全息术等现有概念中获得的洞察力来发展更深层次的数学理解，包括场论和弦理论中的新工具。温伯格教授将探索量子测量理论的新方法，并研究宇宙摄动理论的替代正则化方案。Fischler教授将继续他在全息时空，AdS/CFT和探索暗物质的替代理论方面的工作。最后，Distler教授将继续他在Gaiotto对偶性和取向褶皱理论方面的工作，同时在杂态弦紧化方面寻求新的思路。这三位教职员工在通过流行讲座和各种其他媒体（包括新闻、广播、电视和互联网）将物理学传播给更广泛的受众方面也有着良好的记录。预计这些活动将与目前的研究项目一起继续进行。这些活动还包括网络技术的开发和研究生物理教科书的编写。

This award funds the research activities of Professors Steven Weinberg, Willy Fischler, and Jacques Distler at the University of Texas at Austin.The work done by this group of professors ranges from physics at the most fundamental level to computations relevant to current observations in particle physics and cosmology. As part of this research project, these professors intend to pursue their quest for a deeper understanding of the various challenges confronting theoretical physics, ranging from attaining a fundamental understanding of its intricacies when combining quantum mechanics and gravity including cosmology to the phenomenology of particle physics. Making progress in these areas will require a many-pronged approach, using insight gained from existing concepts like holography to developing a deeper mathematical understanding including new tools in field theory and string theory. Professor Weinberg will pursue new approaches to quantum measurement theory and investigate alternative regularization schemes for cosmological perturbation theory. Professor Fischler will continue his work on Holographic Space Time, AdS/CFT and exploring alternative theories of dark matter. Finally, Professor Distler will continue his work on Gaiotto Duality and on the theory of orientifolds, while pursuing new ideas on heterotic string compactification.These three faculty members also have a strong track record of making physics accessible to a wider audience through popular lectures and through various other media including Press, Radio, TV and the Internet. These activities are envisioned to continue in conjunction with the current research project. These activities also include the development of Web technologies and the authoring of graduate textbooks in physics.