Research in String Theory and Holography

该奖项资助了德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校瓦迪姆·卡普洛夫斯基教授的研究活动。他的工作集中在弦理论的几个方面——弦理论将引力与其他自然基本力（强、弱和电磁）统一起来。弦理论有一个不寻常的特性——它包含了一种叫做“全息二象性”的东西，它将多体量子系统（从夸克-胶子等离子体到超导体）的理论与高维空间的引力理论联系起来。由于这些对偶性与非常不同的系统有关，因此在一个系统中的计算可以在另一个系统中得到结果。Kaplunovsky教授研究了超致密核物质形式与晶体状结构模型之间的对偶性，以及高度弯曲空间中引力模型与强相互作用粒子物理模型之间的对偶性。他也研究相互对偶的弦理论。所有这些项目都与弦理论的其他方面以及粒子物理、核物理和凝聚态物质密切相关。为了提高他的研究的广泛影响，卡普洛夫斯基教授将给高中生们做一系列关于现代物理学热点问题的演讲（唉，这些问题甚至在常规课程中都没有提到）。这些科目可能涉及基本粒子、宇宙学或任何学生可能感兴趣的东西。卡普洛夫斯基教授还将为德克萨斯大学以及美国和海外其他大学的本科生举办一系列关于理论物理的高级讲座。卡普鲁诺夫斯基的研究主要集中在弦理论和全息量子光盘的几个问题上。其中一个项目是关于YM瞬子的无限晶体——它们“生活”在4+1维度中（在那里它们作为粒子），但可能在外部电位中形成较低维度的晶格。这种晶体有很多种类型，具有不同的晶格几何形状和/或不同的瞬子同位旋取向模式。该项目的重点是测量这些晶体和它们之间的相变，特别是改变晶格维度的相变（3D-4D，或2D-3D，或1D-2D）。另一个项目侧重于在具有O(1) t Hooft耦合的高曲率全息QCD模型中对强子谱的领先级（in α '）弦修正。一个相关的问题是，在双重子看起来像弦星而不是瞬子的模型中，对短距离核力的弦修正。第三个项目是关于异杂轨道的M理论对偶，它似乎给出了矛盾的结果，他希望能想出一个解决这些难题的方法。

This award funds the research activities of Professor Vadim Kaplunovsky at the University of Texas at Austin. His work focuses on several aspects of string theory -- which unifies gravity with the other fundamental forces of nature (strong, weak, and electromagnetic). String theory has an unusual property - it contains something called "holographic dualities", which relate theories in many-body quantum systems (ranging from quark-gluon plasma to superconductors) to theories of gravity in higher dimensional spaces. These dualities, since they relate to very different systems, allow calculations in one system to give results in the other. Professor Kaplunovsky studies the duality between forms of super-dense nuclear matter and models with crystal-like structures, as well as the duality between models of gravity in highly curved spaces with strongly interacting particle physics models. He also studies string theories which are dual to each other. All these projects are deeply connected to other aspects of string theory as well as to particle physics, nuclear physics, and condensed matter. To enhance the broader impact of his research, Professor Kaplunovsky will give a series of talks to high-school students about hot issues of modern physics (which alas are not even mentioned in a regular curriculum). The subjects may involve fundamental particles, cosmology, or anything else the students may be interested in. Prof. Kaplunovsky will also give a series of more advanced lectures about theoretical physics to the undergraduate students at the University of Texas and at other universities in the US and overseas.Prof. Kaplunovsky's research focuses on several issues of string theory and holographic QCD. One project is about infinite crystals of YM instantons -- which 'live' in 4+1 dimensions (where they act as particles) but may form lower-dimensional lattices in external potentials. There are many types of such crystals, with different lattice geometries and/or different patterns of instantons' isospin orientations. The project focuses on surveying such crystals and the phase transitions between them, especially the transitions which change the dimensionality of the lattice (3D-4D, or 2D-3D, or 1D-2D). Another project focuses on leading order (in alpha') stringy corrections to the hadron spectra in high-curvature holographic QCD models with O(1) 't Hooft couplings. A related issue concerns stringy corrections to the short-distance nuclear forces in models where the dual baryons looks like string stars rather than instantons. The third project is about M theory duals of the heterotic orbifolds, which seem to give paradoxical results, and he hopes to come up with a solution to these puzzles.