Quantum field Theory and String Theory

量子场论和弦论

• 批准号: 1418069
• 负责人: Silviu Pufu
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Princeton University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-07-01 至 2018-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1418069&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Quantum; field; Theory; String

This award funds the research activities of Professor Silviu Pufu at Princeton University. Professor Pufu's research addresses, from different points of view, how the behavior of physical systems changes between short and long distance scales. This research is focused on physical systems that are effectively two-dimensional, such as layered materials that have weak interactions between the layers and very strong interactions within each layer. Such two-dimensional systems are interesting partly because they might realize new strongly-interacting phases of matter, and partly because they represent toy models for phenomena that occur in our three-dimensional world and are hard to understand. Professor Pufu will develop theoretical tools for understanding how, in these two-dimensional systems, the short-distance physics affects and constrains the long-distance physics. These tools are partly based on ideas from string theory, whereby one can describe strongly-interacting two-dimensional systems by gravity in three spatial dimensions.Specifically, this project's goals are to deepen our understanding of the renormalization group by investigating constraints on possible renormalization group flows; to study properties of three-dimensional quantum field theories with holographic duals; and to learn about monopole operators in simple non-supersymmetric conformal field theories. This research aims not only to cement our understanding of quantum field theory and of the renormalization group, but also to gain insight into phenomena like confinement in three space-time dimensions that are hard to understand in the theory of strong interactions in four space-time dimensions. In addition, studying strongly-interacting theories with holographic duals can teach us, indirectly, important lessons about quantum gravity. The proposed research provides a bridge between the high energy and condensed matter communities, because learning about confinement and monopole operators is very important in understanding which types of consistent theories can describe, at least in principle, the low-energy physics of various lattice systems. This project has a significant educational and mentoring component, whereby it can be used to train post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students and prepare them for successful scientific careers. Pufu will be involved in advising science-inclined beginning undergraduates on matters that would prepare them for careers in scientific research.

该奖项资助普林斯顿大学教授西尔维乌·蒲夫的研究活动。蒲夫教授的研究从不同的角度阐述了物理系统的行为在短距离和长距离尺度之间的变化。这项研究的重点是有效的二维物理系统，例如层状材料，其层之间的相互作用很弱，而每一层内的相互作用非常强。这种二维系统之所以有趣，部分是因为它们可能会实现新的强相互作用的物质相，部分是因为它们代表了我们三维世界中发生的难以理解的现象的玩具模型。普夫教授将开发理论工具，以了解在这些二维系统中，短距离物理是如何影响和约束远程物理的。这些工具在一定程度上是基于弦理论的思想，在弦理论中，人们可以在三维空间中通过引力来描述强相互作用的二维系统。具体地说，这个项目的目标是通过研究可能的重整化群流的约束来加深我们对重整化群的理解；研究具有全息对偶的三维量子场论的性质；以及学习简单的非超对称共形场论中的单极算符。这项研究的目的不仅是为了巩固我们对量子场论和重整化群的理解，而且也是为了深入了解像三维时空中的限制这样的现象，这些现象在四个时空维度的强相互作用理论中是很难理解的。此外，研究全息对偶的强相互作用理论可以间接地给我们上关于量子引力的重要一课。这项研究在高能和凝聚态之间架起了一座桥梁，因为学习限制和单极算符对于理解哪些类型的一致性理论至少在原则上可以描述各种晶格系统的低能物理是非常重要的。这个项目有一个重要的教育和指导部分，可以用来培训博士后研究人员、研究生和高级本科生，并为他们成功的科学生涯做好准备。普孚将参与为倾向于科学的本科生提供建议，这些问题将为他们在科学研究领域的职业生涯做准备。