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RUI: Emergent Spacetime in Matrix Theory

RUI：矩阵理论中的涌现时空

基本信息

批准号：
1719686
负责人：
Vatche Sahakian
金额：
$ 12万
依托单位：
Harvey Mudd College
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2017
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2017-09-01 至 2020-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1719686&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
RUI Emergent Spacetime Matrix Theory

项目摘要

This award funds the research activities of Professor Vatche Sahakian at Harvey Mudd College. One of the great unsolved problems in modern physics is the fusing of two of the pillars of modern physics, namely quantum mechanics (the physics of the very small) and general relativity (the physics of gravity). Thus far, the best candidate theory for accomplishing this fusion is string theory. Professor Sahakian's research explores several key areas in string theory and quantum gravity. It investigates the idea that our awareness of space may be only an "emergent" perception which arises from the unique ways in which quantum mechanics spreads (or "entangles") information across different objects. This new rethinking of the nature of spacetime has recently shown great promise and may be key to addressing the longstanding problems in this field. This project also explores some of the unique properties of black holes. Black holes are extreme objects that test the limits of validity of our physical laws and hence are the ideal playgrounds for understanding quantum gravity. This project therefore 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. An extensive undergraduate research program is also a key part of the proposed project, including a course-development component for an undergraduate course on modern topics in theoretical physics. Such a course will help to provide undergraduate physics students with solid foundations for graduate school. The PI will also continue preparing an undergraduate textbook on classical field theory, a subject which forms one of the cornerstones of physics.More technically, Professor Sahakian will study the emergence of spacetime from quantum entanglement. This will be done primarily within the context of Matrix theory, a non-perturbative formulation of M-theory and hence of quantum gravity. Professor Sahakian will test these ideas of emergent spacetime within the setting of black-hole physics, attempting to unravel the nature of the black-hole horizon where recent work suggests the possible breakdown of spacetime geometry, even at long distances. It is also hoped that this research will lead to a better understanding of black-hole evaporation and the details of entanglement evolution in the process of transferring information from the interior of a black hole to the outside.

该奖项资助哈维穆德学院Vatche Sahakian教授的研究活动。现代物理学中最大的悬而未决的问题之一是融合了现代物理学的两大支柱，即量子力学(微物理学)和广义相对论(引力物理学)。到目前为止，实现这种融合的最佳候选理论是弦理论。萨哈金教授的研究探索了弦理论和量子引力的几个关键领域。它研究了这样一种观点，即我们对空间的认识可能只是一种“浮现”的感知，这种感知源于量子力学在不同物体上传播(或“纠缠”)信息的独特方式。这种对时空本质的新反思最近显示出巨大的希望，可能是解决该领域长期存在的问题的关键。该项目还探索了黑洞的一些独特性质。黑洞是测试我们物理定律有效性极限的极端物体，因此是理解量子引力的理想游乐场。因此，该项目通过促进科学在其最基本的方向之一的进步来促进国家利益：发现和理解新的物理定律。一个广泛的本科生研究项目也是这个拟议项目的关键部分，包括一个关于理论物理现代主题的本科生课程开发部分。这样的课程将有助于为本科物理专业的学生提供坚实的研究生基础。国际和平研究所还将继续编写一本关于经典场论的本科教科书，这是物理学的基石之一。更严格地说，萨哈金教授将研究量子纠缠中时空的出现。这将主要在矩阵理论的背景下完成，矩阵理论是M理论的非微扰形式，因此也是量子引力的形式。萨哈金教授将在黑洞物理学的背景下测试这些新兴时空的想法，试图揭开黑洞视界的本质，最近的研究表明，即使在很长的距离内，时空几何也可能崩溃。也希望通过这项研究，能够更好地理解黑洞蒸发以及从黑洞内部向外部传递信息过程中纠缠演化的细节。