The dynamics of strongly interacting quantum field theories and black holes

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To the best of our knowledge, all matter in the universe is comprised of fundamental particles. These particles obey two sets of principles. The first is the principle of relativity - that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. The second is the principles of quantum mechanics, which say that the outcome of any event can never be predicted with certainty. Instead, there are a variety of possible outcomes, each with its own probability. Quantum field theories are mathematical theories that combine these principles in a consistent way. The fundamental particles of nature obey the predictions of quantum field theory to great precision, as has been tested most recently in the collisions of protons at the Large Hadron Collider.However, quantum field theories can be fiendishly complex, like in situations where the behaviour of each particle has a large effect on its neighbours. These are called strongly interacting quantum field theories, and we do not understand many of their properties, particularly when there are a large number of particles present. This is because it is mathematically very difficult to keep track of the probabilities of all of the possible outcomes of every microscopic event, as one must do in a theory that obeys the principles of quantum mechanics.While you might think that these intricate and probabilistic microscopic processes would lead to a complicated mess, we have recently begun to understand that very organised phenomena can actually emerge in these systems. The aim of my research project is to develop this understanding and exploit it to explain the properties of two kinds of physical systems that are described by strongly interacting quantum field theories.The first kind of systems are the exotic quantum states of matter made up of strongly interacting particles. Despite the vast differences between examples of these kinds of states of matter at the microscopic level, a remarkable similarity is observed in how variations in temperature, or electric charge, spread through these systems over macroscopic distances. My research will examine why this is the case, by directly relating the macroscopic properties of strongly interacting quantum field theories to the chaotic processes that occur over microscopic distances. The second kind of systems are black holes. Amazingly, the complicated dynamics of strongly interacting quantum field theories can produce the phenomenon of gravity, as well as gravitational objects such as black holes. This is called 'holographic duality'. By better understanding how exactly this happens, and the circumstances under which it occurs, my research will help to give a much better understanding of the properties and the microscopic structure of black holes.