Quantum Gravity, Field Theory, and Quantum Information

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This award funds the research activities of Professor Xi Dong at the University of California, Santa Barbara.Many of the deepest issues in physics are rooted in the difficulty of unifying quantum mechanics with Einstein's general theory of relativity into a quantum-mechanical description of gravity. Finding such a theory of quantum gravity will solve some of the biggest mysteries surrounding black holes and the origin of the universe, and will undoubtedly lead to a deeper understanding of nature from the largest to the smallest scales. As a result, research in this area advances the national interest by promoting the progress of science in its most fundamental direction: the discovery and understanding of new physical laws. As part of this project, Professor Dong will use the latest techniques from quantum field theory and the field of quantum information science to address some of the foundational questions about quantum gravity. This project is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. Professor Dong will involve graduate students in his research and thereby provide critical training for junior physicists beginning research in this field. Through a wide range of forums, Professor Dong will also communicate and disseminate the findings of his research to a broad audience.More technically, Professor Dong will develop new theoretical tools and ideas for studying the structure of quantum entanglement in holography and quantum field theory. Equipped with these entanglement tools, he will further explore the connection between quantum information and quantum gravity. He will then leverage these results in order to investigate the black hole information paradox and quantum gravity in the accelerating universe.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.