Space-Time Quantization and Dark Matter

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This award funds the research activities of Professor Ali Chamseddine at the American University of Beirut.Theoretical elementary-particle physics research aims to develop a better understanding of the building blocks of nature and their fundamental interactions. This is done by searching for and building theoretical models which go beyond what is presently known and which could be tested by experiments or which satisfy stringent mathematical requirements. This forces researchers in this field to explore the frontiers of knowledge and invent new methods for their analysis of such theories. Thus, research in this area advances the national interest by promoting the progress of science in one of the most challenging directions requiring human ingenuity: finding the physical laws that govern the universe and its matter constituents ranging from cosmic to subatomic scales. As part of this project, Professor Chamseddine will invent new mathematics to reach this scientific goal. In particular, the research of Professor Chamseddine will continue to develop new geometry that describes the hidden structure of spacetime and helps to explain why nature behaves in the way in which it is observed. Professor Chamseddine will also study a modified model of Einstein's General Relativity which explains the origin of dark matter and helps to solve some long-standing problems such as removing singularities in cosmological models at the birth of the universe and for black holes. This work will also have an important broader impact. The American University of Beirut plays a very important role in promoting the American educational system in the Middle East. This grant will therefore help to sustain a world-class scientific research program within that part of the world.At the technical level, the research of Professor Chamseddine is aimed at developing consistent noncommutative geometric models at the quantum level. One important step is to identify quanta of geometry that could be used as building blocks of matter to construct four-dimensional manifolds and their noncommutative extension. In addition, the work of Professor Chamseddine on the newly developed mimetic gravity will be applied to solve some outstanding problems in cosmology.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.