Theoretical Research in Particle Physics and String Theory

该奖项资助了北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校物理与天文系路易丝·多兰教授的研究活动。理论粒子物理学的最新进展表明，物质的基本成分是如何通过新的结构来描述的，这些结构提供了对空间和时间的更深层次的理解。特别是，计算物质的这些基本成分如何相互散射的新方法，最近已经发展起来，超越了以前已经确立的技术。这些新方法有助于计算在大型强子对撞机（LHC）上测量的各种散射。在她的研究中，多兰教授将采用这些方法，以获得对理解自然基本力量的基本理论结构的知识。因此，这项工作有助于我们对基础物理学的理解的进步，从而符合国家利益。这笔拨款还将部分支持一名博士后研究员，并将使多兰教授能够继续与高中理科女生接触，与她们讨论她研究的某些令人兴奋的方面。更技术性的是，多兰教授将试图通过与散射方程的多项式形式相关的代数表达式来理解任意时空维度中的无质量场论树振幅。树级的精确结果很可能通过椭圆函数的多项式扩展到环级。追求对平面规范理论中的Yangian不变性以及平面空间和反德西特空间中的量子引力方面的强大理解将加强我们对这些结构的认识。

This award funds the research activities of Professor Louise Dolan in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Recent advances in theoretical particle physics have shown how the fundamental constituents of matter are described by novel constructions that provide a deeper understanding of space and time. In particular, new methods of calculating how these fundamental constituents of matter scatter off each other have recently been developed which transcend the previous, well-established techniques. These new methods facilitate calculations of the kinds of scattering that are measured at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In her research, Professor Dolan will pursue these methods in order to acquire knowledge of the underlying theoretical structure responsible for understanding the fundamental forces of nature. This work thus serves the national interest by contributing to progress in our understanding of fundamental physics. The grant will also partially support a postdoctoral researcher, and will enable Professor Dolan to continue her outreach to female high-school science students in which she discusses with them certain exciting aspects of her research.More technically, Professor Dolan will seek to understand massless field theory tree amplitudes in arbitrary space-time dimensions in terms of an algebraic expression associated with the polynomial form of the scattering equations. Precise results at tree level are likely to extend to loop level via polynomials of elliptic functions. Pursuit of a robust understanding of Yangian invariance in planar gauge theories and aspects of quantum gravity in flat space and anti-de-Sitter space will strengthen our knowledge of these structures.