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。这组教授的工作范围从最基本的物理学到与粒子物理和宇宙学当前观测相关的计算。作为这一研究项目的一部分，这些教授打算继续深入了解理论物理面临的各种挑战，从对量子力学和引力(包括宇宙学)结合时的错综复杂的基本理解，到粒子物理的现象学。要在这些领域取得进展，需要多管齐下，利用从全息术等现有概念中获得的洞察力，发展更深层次的数学理解，包括场论和弦论中的新工具。温伯格教授将寻求量子测量理论的新方法，并研究宇宙学微扰理论的替代正则化方案。费施勒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，迪特勒教授将继续他在Gaiotto对偶和定向褶皱理论方面的工作，同时寻求关于杂交弦紧凑的新想法。这三名教员还拥有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)向更广泛的受众传播物理学的良好记录。预计这些活动将结合目前的研究项目继续进行。这些活动还包括开发网络技术和编写物理学研究生教科书。

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.