Static and Dynamical Aspects of String Theory

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This award funds the research activities of Professor Savdeep Sethi at the University of Chicago. The origins of space and time are one of the enduring mysteries of nature. Did space and time emerge in some kind of Big Bang? Will the universe end in a Big Crunch? Can we sensibly describe these singular highly quantum states of nature? In order to answer such basic questions about the nature of space and time, we need a quantum theory of gravity. String theory remains the best candidate for such a theory. In his research, Professor Sethi aims to explore static and dynamical aspects of string theory and quantum field theory. The static aspects include new ways of curling up the extra dimensions of string theory to arrive at a four-dimensional universe. These new types of compactification are closely tied to the dynamics of chiral gauge theory in two dimensions. The dynamical aspects include the study of stringy domain walls. These walls are bubbles of inflating space-time, quite similar to the conventional branes of string theory, which offer the possibility of a holographic definition of quantum gravity in an accelerating universe. This project is also expected to have significant broader impacts. Professor Sethi will involve graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in his research, thereby providing mentoring to junior physicists studying string theory and quantum field theory. He also intends to interact with high-school students and undergraduates through continued participation in the Chicago REU program and the Space Explorers inner-city K-12 enrichment program. The final aspect of the broader impacts comes from improved interdisciplinary ties with both cosmologists and mathematicians through lectures at schools and workshops, through direct collaboration, and by organizing workshops at the interface between these disciplines.