Research in High Energy Physics and Cosmology

高能物理与宇宙学研究

• 批准号: 1521017
• 负责人: Matthew Kleban
• 金额: $ 27万
• 依托单位: New York University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1521017&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Research; Energy; Physics; Cosmology

This award funds the research activities of Professor Matthew B. Kleban at New York University.Some contemporary theories of fundamental physics predict the existence of a so-called "multiverse" containing many distinct bubble universes. These bubbles collide, and collisions with our own bubble produce "cosmic wakes" that travel across our universe, creating specific patterns that are potentially observable with cosmological data from satellite- and ground-based observatories. The detection of such a collision would be a transformative discovery, demonstrating that our observable universe is a tiny part of a vastly larger whole populated by bubbles containing regions of highly exotic physics. It would confirm a prediction of string theory, provide crucial evidence for the nature of "dark energy", and permanently alter our view of the big bang. Professor Kleban will advance a program of research focused on those aspects of string theory and quantum gravity that predict effects --- like bubble collisions --- that can be tested with cosmological observations. Professor Kleban's ongoing research seeks to determine the microphysical origin of cosmic inflation, a period of explosive expansion that took place in the very early universe. As such, Professor Kleban's research advances the national interest by promoting the progress of science in one of its most fundamental directions: the discovery and understanding of new physical laws. Professor Kleban's work will also continue to have broader impact in the form of public lectures and interviews, and in inspiring undergraduate and graduate physics students at NYU. On another front, Prof. Kleban will also train and assist in the professional development of a postdoctoral researcher who will participate in this project.More technically, Prof. Kleban will attempt to realize a model known as "unwinding inflation" in a consistent, stabilized string theory compactification. This model has a number of notable advantages that might make it a plausible explanation for inflation, particularly the fact that it begins spontaneously from a generic meta-stable de Sitter phase in the string landscape. He will also continue his work on inflationary signatures of bubble collisions, tunneling, and other initial-state effects, as well as dynamical features produced during inflation that might indicate its microphysical origin. Lastly, he will continue to study string theory in strongly time-dependent settings, such as cosmology and relativistic brane scattering.

该奖项资助纽约大学 Matthew B. Kleban 教授的研究活动。一些当代基础物理学理论预测存在一个包含许多不同气泡宇宙的所谓“多元宇宙”。这些气泡发生碰撞，而与我们自己的气泡的碰撞会产生穿过我们宇宙的“宇宙尾流”，从而产生可以通过卫星和地面天文台的宇宙学数据观测到的特定模式。检测到这样的碰撞将是一项变革性的发现，表明我们的可观测宇宙只是一个更大的整体的一小部分，这个整体由包含高度奇异物理区域的气泡组成。它将证实弦理论的预测，为“暗能量”的本质提供关键证据，并永久改变我们对大爆炸的看法。克莱班教授将推进一项研究计划，重点关注弦理论和量子引力的那些方面，这些方面可以预测可以通过宇宙学观测来测试的效应（例如气泡碰撞）。克莱班教授正在进行的研究旨在确定宇宙膨胀的微观物理起源，宇宙膨胀是发生在宇宙早期的爆炸性膨胀时期。 因此，克莱班教授的研究通过促进科学在其最基本方向之一的进步（发现和理解新的物理定律）来促进国家利益。 克莱班教授的工作还将继续以公开讲座和采访的形式产生更广泛的影响，并激励纽约大学的物理学本科生和研究生。另一方面，Kleban教授还将培训和协助参与该项目的博士后研究员的专业发展。从技术上讲，Kleban教授将尝试在一致、稳定的弦理论紧致化中实现一种称为“展开膨胀”的模型。 该模型具有许多显着的优点，可能使其成为暴胀的合理解释，特别是它是从弦景观中的通用亚稳定德西特相自发开始的这一事实。 他还将继续研究气泡碰撞、隧道效应和其他初始状态效应的暴胀特征，以及暴胀过程中产生的可能表明其微观物理起源的动力学特征。 最后，他将继续研究强时间依赖性环境中的弦理论，例如宇宙学和相对论膜散射。