F-Theory and its Applications

这个奖项资助了圣巴巴拉的加州大学的大卫莫里森教授的研究活动，物理学中的一些理论问题被称为“微扰”。 对于这样的理论问题，存在鲁棒的数学方法，它们可以被解决。 莫里森教授的研究涉及量子力学（亚原子世界的物理学）与引力理论的非微扰方面，特别集中在一个非正式地称为“F理论”的理论上。" 作为研究的一部分，莫里森教授将使用从纯数学中借来的技术来研究这些理论，这可能会导致物理学和数学的进步。 因此，这一领域的研究通过促进科学在两个最基本的方向上的进步来促进国家利益：对新物理理论的理解，以及发现新的数学工具来研究它们。 预计该项目还将产生更广泛的重大影响。 教授莫里森将涉及研究生和博士后在他的研究，从而为初级科学家开始在这一领域的研究提供关键的培训。 此外，他亦希望透过向公众广泛提供科学文献，以促进公众对科学的认识。莫里森教授将从技术层面探讨F理论（紧致化至四维时空）的多个范畴。 他将确定在这些理论中离散规范对称的可能性，研究背景通量和膜在这些理论中的作用，并研究由F理论在探测D3膜上诱导的理论，着眼于确定F-该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识产权进行评估来支持的。优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。

This award funds the research activities of Professor David Morrison at the University of California, Santa Barbara.Some theoretical problems in physics are known as "perturbative". For such theoretical problems there exist robust mathematical methods by which they may be addressed. For other problems, by contrast, these methods do not work and different methods must be found. Professor Morrison's research involves non-perturbative aspects of theories which unify quantum mechanics (the physics of the subatomic world) with gravity, concentrating in particular on a theory known informally as "F-theory." As part of his research, Professor Morrison will use techniques borrowed from pure mathematics to study these theories, potentially leading to progress in both physics and mathematics. As a result, research in this area advances the national interest by promoting the progress of science in two of its most fundamental directions: the understanding of new physical theories, and the discovery of new mathematical tools with which to investigate them. This project is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. Professor Morrison will involve graduate students and postdocs in his research, and thereby provide critical training for junior scientists beginning research in this field. He also intends to promote the public understanding of science through efforts to make the scientific literature broadly available to the public at large.More technically, Professor Morrison will investigate a number of aspects of F-theory (compactified to four spacetime dimensions). He will determine the possibilities for discrete gauge symmetries in such theories, investigate the role of background fluxes and branes in these theories, and investigate the theories induced by F-theory on probe D3-branes with an eye towards determining how much of F-theory can be recovered from such probes.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.