Topics in String Theory

该奖项资助了加州大学洛杉矶分校的Eric D 'Hoker教授、Michael Gutperle教授和Per Kraus教授的研究活动。量子场论和爱因斯坦的广义相对论是两个著名的理论，前者支配着基本粒子的定律，后者用时空曲率来表述引力，它们精确地描述了从对撞机物理学到宇宙学的几乎所有观测到的物理现象。 弦理论是一个令人信服的框架，可以将这些原理整合到一个统一的框架中，然而，尽管经过了几十年的努力，弦理论的基本结构仍然知之甚少。 全息原理被认为是一个关键因素，它将量子场论与更高维度的弦理论联系起来。 D 'Hoker、Gutperle和Kraus教授的研究旨在加深我们对弦理论的理解，并通过全息术发展它与量子场论的联系。 他们的研究将应用于黑洞和凝聚态物质等不同的物理系统以及纯数学，从而通过促进美国基础科学的进步来服务于国家利益。 该项目也将产生广泛的影响。 教授D 'Hoker，Gutperle和Kraus将以高度协作的方式进行研究，涉及研究生和博士后，从而在他们的研究生涯的早期阶段为物理学家提供关键的培训。 他们还计划通过举办研讨会、座谈会和公开讲座，包括在高中和暑期学校，传播他们的研究成果。 此外，他们还参与推进教育，推广和跨学科合作。更具体地说，以下问题将得到解决。 弦的双圈散射振幅将被研究并应用于低能有效相互作用的确定和色运动学对偶性。弦理论的其他方面要研究的包括自助法和时空作用量的世界面定义。 新的渐近AdS超引力理论的解决方案将被构建，与应用物理的缺陷，接口，和superconformal场理论。还将获得与量子引力和AdS/CFT中的基础问题相关的进一步解决方案，包括虫洞和岛屿。 最后，将发展有限曲面上具有固定度规边界条件的纯重力;要计算的量子可观测量包括边界应力张量的能谱和相关函数，这两个奖项都将与由不相关算子变形的共形场论的类似结果进行比较。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价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

This award funds the research activities of Professors Eric D'Hoker, Michael Gutperle, and Per Kraus at the University of California, Los Angeles.Quantum field theory, which governs the laws of elementary particles, and Einstein's theory of General Relativity, which formulates gravity in terms of spacetime curvature, are known to accurately describe almost all observed physical phenomena from collider physics to cosmology. String theory is a compelling framework for incorporating these principles in a unified framework, yet despite decades of effort the fundamental structure of string theory remains poorly understood. A key ingredient is believed to be the holographic principle, relating quantum field theories to string theory in one higher dimension. The research of Professors D'Hoker, Gutperle, and Kraus is aimed at deepening our understanding of string theory, as well as developing its connection to quantum field theory through holography. Their research will have applications to such diverse physical systems as black holes and condensed matter as well as to pure mathematics, thereby serving the national interest by further the progress of basic science in the United States. This project will also have significant broader impact. Professors D'Hoker, Gutperle, and Kraus will be conducting research in a highly collaborative manner involving graduate students and postdocs, thereby providing critical training for physicists in the early stages of their research careers. They also plan to disseminate the results of their research by presenting seminars, colloquia, and public lectures, including at high schools and summer schools. Additionally, they are involved in advancing education, outreach, and interdisciplinary collaboration.More specifically, the following problems will be addressed. Two-loop scattering amplitudes of strings will be studied and applied to the determination of low-energy effective interactions and to color-kinematics duality. Other aspects of string theory to be studied include a bootstrap approach and the worldsheet definition of the spacetime action. New asymptotically AdS solutions to supergravity theories will be constructed, with applications to the physics of defects, interfaces, and superconformal field theories. Further solutions relevant to foundational issues in quantum gravity and AdS/CFT, including wormholes and islands, will also be obtained. Finally, pure gravity with fixed metric boundary conditions on a finite surface will be developed; quantum observables to be computed include the energy spectrum and correlation functions of the boundary stress tensor, both of which will be compared against analogous results from conformal field theories deformed by an irrelevant operator.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.