M-Theory, Cosmology and Quantum Field Theory

伦敦帝国理工学院理论物理小组的STFC研究项目侧重于m理论、量子场论和宇宙学之间相互关联的基本问题。m理论包含了弦理论和超引力理论，是我们统一爱因斯坦广义相对论和粒子物理学标准模型的核心方法。m理论最有趣的特征之一是，它结合了弦对非摄动杨-米尔斯理论的双重描述，从而在黑洞和热量子场论之间建立了深刻的联系，并对强耦合现象（如夸克约束）产生了新的见解。这些联系将继续以许多不同的方式进行探索，包括使用新的几何技术和精确可积量子场论模型。在传统几何无法描述的背景下探索弦理论，既加深了我们对m理论真空空间结构的理解，应用于粒子物理现象学，也为m理论的基本自由度提供了提示。在理解m理论中黑洞的量子特性方面已经取得了很大的进展。利用分析和数值技术，我们将构建和研究具有新特性的黑洞解，这些解可能应用于夸克胶子等离子体和高温超导体等凝聚态物质中鲜为人知的系统。m理论黑洞与量子纠缠测量之间的联系也将被探讨。在宇宙学和量子场论的相关方面，宇宙大爆炸起源结构的关键线索可以在宇宙微波背景的非高斯修正中找到。这为早期宇宙中密度扰动的起源和星系结构的形成提供了重要的指示。在拨款的过程中，将会有大量的新数据，尤其是来自普朗克和蜘蛛实验的数据。我们将分析这些数据，并探索一系列宇宙学模型的详细含义。在分析观测到的微波背景数据的同时，我们将继续开展各种模型构建活动，既基于暴胀情景，也基于替代方案。我们将进行早期宇宙场动力学和结构形成的计算建模，并探索量子引力在宇宙学数据上留下印记的可能性。我们还将研究如何利用天体物理学黑洞来检验修正的引力理论，这些理论已经被提议作为暗物质的替代品。我们广泛的研究领域之间有着深刻的协同作用，一方面，Yang-Mills规范理论的非摄动方面的工作为超重力和超弦理论提供了信息，另一方面，对早期宇宙高温场的研究和早期宇宙密度波动的计算建模提供了信息。

The STFC research programme of the Theoretical Physics Group at Imperial College London is focused the interrelated fundamental problems of M-theory, quantum field theory and cosmology. M-theory, which subsumes string theory and supergravity theory, is our central approach to unify Einstein's theory of General Relativity with the Standard Model of particle physics. One of the most interesting features of M-theory is that it incorporates dual descriptions of non-perturbative Yang-Mills theories in terms of strings leading to profound connections between black holes and thermal quantum field theory and also to new insights into strong coupling phenomena such as quark confinement. These connections will continue to be explored in a number of different ways, including using novel geometric techniques and exactly integrable quantum field theory models. Exploration of string theory on backgrounds which cannot be described by conventional geometry will be carried out, both to deepen our understanding of the structure of the space of vacua of M-theory, with applications to particle physics phenomenology, and also to provide hints as to the fundamental degrees of freedom of M-theory. There has been a great deal of progress in understanding the quantum properties of black holes in M-theory. Using both analytical and numerical techniques we will construct and study black hole solutions with novel properties that have possible applications to both the quark gluon plasma and poorly understood systems in condensed matter such as high temperature superconductors. Connections between M-theory black holes and measures of quantum entanglement will also be explored. In the area of cosmology and related aspects of quantum field theory, key clues to the structure of the Big Bang origin of the universe are to be found in the non-Gaussian corrections to the cosmic microwave background. This provides an important indication about the origin of density perturbations in the early universe and of the formation of galactic structures. Over the course of the grant there will be a wealth of new data arriving most notably from the Planck and Spider experiments. We will analyse this data and explore the detailed implications for a host of cosmological models. In parallel with the analysis of observational microwave background data, we will pursue our diverse model building activities, both based around inflationary scenarios and also alternatives. Computational modelling of early-universe field dynamics and structure formation will be carried out and we will also explore the possibility of imprints of quantum gravity on cosmological data. We will also investigate how astrophysical black holes can be used to test modified theories of gravity that have been proposed as alternatives to dark matter.There is a deep synergy between the broad strands of our research, with work on the non-perturbative aspects of Yang-Mills gauge theories informing both supergravity and superstring theory on the one hand and the study of high-temperature fields in the early universe and the computational modelling of early-universe density fluctuations on the other.