Research in Particle Theory, Cosmology, and Quantum Gravity

粒子论、宇宙学和量子引力研究

• 批准号: 2310429
• 负责人: Peter Graham
• 金额: $ 234万
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-15 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2310429&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Research; Particle; Theory; Cosmology; Quantum

This award funds the research activities of Professors Savas Dimopoulos, Peter Graham, Renata Kallosh, Andrei Linde, Stephen Shenker, Eva Silverstein, and Leonard Susskind at Stanford University.This group of physicists studies a broad range of subjects all aimed at answering two basic questions: Can we understand the origin and historical evolution of our Universe? And can we determine the nature of the basic building blocks --- the elementary particles --- that constitute the world around us? As part of their research, these physicists will attempt to discover dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up most of the matter in the universe, by designing new detectors based on quantum sensor technology. They will also explore the beginnings of our universe using information contained in some of the earliest ‘pictures’ from mere moments after the big bang. Finally, they will investigate the nature of black holes in order to gain a better understanding of the fundamental laws of nature. This research also has significant broader impacts. New tools will be developed which can have applications in diverse areas of science. Students and postdoctoral fellows who are trained in the course of performing this research will move on to serve the nation in crucial ways, whether by joining the next generation of leaders in research and teaching, or by transferring their expertise to firms which develop important new technologies in Silicon Valley and beyond. These faculty will also expend considerable effort in outreach activities in order to bring the fruits of modern science to the general public through public lectures, videos, and popular publications, including books accessible to the general public.At a more technical level, Dimopoulos will search for innovative approaches for manipulating and detecting the Cosmic Neutrino Background (CnuB). This includes the construction of a Diffraction Grating for the CnuB, which involves structures approximately ten meters in size. This technique significantly amplifies the net neutrino excess by several orders of magnitude, potentially serving as a crucial initial step towards uncovering the CnuB. Graham will design and optimize dark matter detectors using electron and ion traps to search for millicharged particles, axions, and dark photons. Graham will also discover the science available with gravitational wave observations in the ‘mid-band’, roughly 0.01 – 10 Hz, which will help in the design and operation of previously proposed atomic gravitational wave detectors such as MAGIS. Kallosh and Linde will explore inflationary theory and the theory of dark energy inspired by supergravity and string theory. Shenker will investigate the fine structure of quantum black holes. He will use two-dimensional models that have proven useful in studying non-perturbative effects in quantum gravity. He will also study BPS black hole states in supersymmetric theories. Silverstein will extend her 3d de Sitter microstate count in pure gravity to incorporate local bulk matter and derive physical implications of M theory de Sitter models from hyperbolic compactifications. She will systematize the theory of non-perturbative non-Gaussianity and its relation to large scale structure analysis and develop novel algorithms for AI. Susskind’s research involves holography, and several candidates for holographic systems which may describe de Sitter spaces have already been identified. These include matrix theories similar to BFSS matrix theory, and a promising candidate based on the double-scaled limit of Sachdev-Yeh-Kitaev theory at infinite temperature.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.

该奖项资助了斯坦福大学的Savas Dimopoulos、Peter Graham、Renata Kalosh、Andrei Linde、Stephen Shenker、伊娃西尔弗斯坦和伦纳德萨斯金德教授的研究活动。这群物理学家研究了广泛的学科，所有这些学科都旨在回答两个基本问题：我们能理解我们宇宙的起源和历史演化吗？ 我们能确定构成我们周围世界的基本组成部分--基本粒子--的性质吗？ 作为研究的一部分，这些物理学家将尝试通过设计基于量子传感器技术的新探测器来发现暗物质，暗物质是构成宇宙中大部分物质的神秘物质。 他们还将利用大爆炸后的一些最早的“图片”中所包含的信息来探索我们宇宙的起源。 最后，他们将研究黑洞的性质，以更好地理解自然的基本规律。 这项研究也具有重大的更广泛的影响。将开发新的工具，可在不同的科学领域的应用。在进行这项研究的过程中接受培训的学生和博士后研究员将继续以关键的方式为国家服务，无论是通过加入下一代研究和教学领导者，还是通过将他们的专业知识转移到在硅谷和其他地方开发重要新技术的公司。此外，为了通过公开讲座、视频、大众化出版物（包括大众化书籍）等形式，将现代科学的成果传播给大众，Dimopoulos还将在技术层面上探索操纵和探测宇宙中微子背景（CnuB）的创新方法。这包括为CnuB建造衍射光栅，其中涉及大约10米大小的结构。这项技术将净中微子过剩放大了几个数量级，可能是揭开CnuB的关键第一步。 格雷厄姆将设计和优化暗物质探测器，使用电子和离子陷阱来寻找毫荷电粒子，轴子和暗光子。 格雷厄姆还将发现在“中频”（大约0.01 - 10 Hz）的引力波观测中可用的科学，这将有助于以前提出的原子引力波探测器（如MAGIS）的设计和操作。 卡洛什和林德将探索暴胀理论和暗能量理论的灵感来自超引力和弦理论。 申克将研究量子黑洞的精细结构。 他将使用二维模型，这些模型已被证明在研究量子引力中的非微扰效应方面很有用。 他还将研究超对称理论中的BPS黑洞状态。 Silverstein将在纯重力中扩展她的3D de Sitter微观状态计数，以纳入局部散装物质，并从双曲紧致化中推导出M理论de Sitter模型的物理含义。 她将系统化非微扰非高斯性理论及其与大规模结构分析的关系，并为人工智能开发新的算法。 Susskind的研究涉及全息术，并且已经确定了几个可能描述德西特空间的全息系统的候选者。其中包括类似于BFSS矩阵理论的矩阵理论，以及基于Sachdev-Yeh-Kitaev理论在无限温度下的双尺度极限的有希望的候选理论。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。