Towards the microscopic structure of space-time

这项研究的目的是解决当今理论物理学中最深刻的问题之一，即时空的微观结构。这项研究探索了已知物理学和量子引力未知领域之间的理论和观测问题。它借鉴了许多物理领域的经验教训和见解，并反过来可能为这些领域做出贡献。因此，它具有重要的跨学科领域，涉及引力、弯曲时空中的量子场论、非平衡量子场论、宇宙学、高能天体物理学、原子光学和凝聚态物理。这一研究将有助于指导从早期宇宙结构的起源到遥远黑洞的引力波发射的观测研究。它将探索相对论的局限性，从宇宙高能辐射的性质中提取对基础物理的新约束，并将发展超低温凝聚态物质物理与弯曲时空中的量子场之间的联系。这项研究活动是研究生教育的一个组成部分，对他们进行有关引力、量子场、统计力学和早期宇宙和黑洞问题的培训。研究结果亦会以大学课程、独立研究、受欢迎或半受欢迎的讲座的形式，纳入大学及研究生的教学，由私人投资督导员及其同僚和学生主讲。

The objective of this research is to address one of the most profound questions in theoretical physics today, that of the microscopic structure of space-time. The research explores theoretical and observational issues at the interface between known physics and the unknown realm ofquantum gravity. It draws on lessons and insights from a number of fields of physics, and may in turn contribute to those fields. It thus has significant interdisciplinary aspects, involving the areas of gravitation, quantum field theory in curved spacetime, nonequilibrium quantum field theory, cosmology, high energy astrophysics, atom optics, and condensed matter physics.This research will help guide observational investigations from the origin of structure in the early universe to the gravitational wave emission from distant black holes. It will probe for the limits of relativity theory and extract new constraints on fundamental physics from the properties of high energy radiation in the universe, and it will develop connections between the physics of ultra-lowtemperature condensed matter and quantum fields in curved spacetime. This research activity is an integral part of the education of graduate students training them on topics related to gravitation, quantum fields, statistical mechanics and problems of the early universe and black holes. The research results will also be assimilated into undergraduate and graduate teachings in the form of college courses, independent studies, and popular or semi-popular lectures given by the PIs and their associates and students.