Interactions of Particles, Fields, and Strings

该奖项资助哈佛大学教授Cumrun Vafa的研究活动。引力是物理学的一个重要基石。然而，当与量子力学(支配亚原子世界物理的理论)相结合时，引力相互作用导致了许多谜题。这些谜题最终在弦理论中得到了解决，因此弦理论可能是将引力与量子物理相结合的主要候选者。这项决议的一个结果是，许多可能在原则上存在的粒子和力(因此是自洽理论的弦理论的一部分)实际上被禁止了(因此被认为属于所谓的“沼泽地”)。作为这项研究的一部分，瓦法教授将试图揭开一些理论属于沼泽而不是景观的神秘原因。因此，这项研究的结果将导致对重力如何工作的更深层次的理解。因此，这一领域的研究通过促进科学基本方面的进步来促进国家利益。这项研究预计也将产生重大的更广泛的影响。瓦法教授计划继续他的大学一年级研讨会课程《物理、数学和谜题》，每年教授一次。本课程旨在通过简单的数学难题展示物理学的深层原理。瓦法教授还计划就这些主题进行公开演讲(基于他刚刚出版的一本书)。此外，瓦法教授计划继续在石溪大学举办西蒙斯几何和物理中心暑期研讨会。因此，这些讲习班将继续对培养一些对理论物理感兴趣的最优秀的年轻人产生深远的影响，特别是在与弦理论以及附近的凝聚态物理和数学领域有关的问题上。Vafa教授还计划继续发表演讲并参加公共论坛，向公众介绍弦理论取得的进展，以及它如何影响我们对宇宙的理解。更严格地说，Vafa教授将专注于阐述沼泽的原理及其与量子引力基本原理的联系，如黑洞物理和一元性。他将专注于从弦紧化的超对称例子中吸取教训，例如存在最多解析控制的Calabi-Yau流形。这项研究的一个中心目标将是解释为什么我们在超引力理论中可以获得的无质量粒子的数量存在上限，以及我们可以在量子引力的一致理论中获得的规范力和物质含量的类型。这些经验教训将揭示与我们的宇宙最相关的案例，即非超对称理论。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award funds the research activities of Professor Cumrun Vafa at Harvard University. The gravitational force is a key cornerstone of physics. Yet, when combined with quantum mechanics (the theory that governs the physics of the subatomic world), gravitational interactions lead to many puzzles. These puzzles are ultimately resolved within string theory, as a result of which string theory is perhaps the leading candidate for unifying gravity with quantum physics. One consequence of this resolution is that many possible particles and forces that could have existed in principle (and thus be part of the string-theory "landscape" of self-consistent theories) actually turn out to be forbidden (and thus are considered to belong to the so-called "swampland"). As part of this research, Professor Vafa will attempt to demystify the reasons why some theories belong to the swampland and not the landscape. The results of this research will therefore lead to a deeper understanding of how gravity works. As such, research in this area advances the national interest by promoting progress in fundamental aspects of science. This research is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. Professor Vafa plans to continue his freshman seminar course, "Physics, Math and Puzzles", by teaching it once a year. This course aims to showcase deep principles of physics through simple mathematical puzzles. Professor Vafa also plans to give public lectures on these topics (based on a book he has just published). Moreover, Professor Vafa plans to continue running the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics summer workshops at Stony Brook University. These workshops will therefore continue to have a deep impact in educating some of the best young minds interested in theoretical physics, especially in questions related to string theory and the nearby areas of condensed-matter physics and mathematics. Professor Vafa also plans to continue delivering and participating in public forums to inform the public of progress being made in string theory and how it impacts our understanding of our universe.More technically, Professor Vafa will focus on elaborating the principles of the swampland and their connection to basic principles of quantum gravity, such as black-hole physics and unitarity. He will focus on drawing lessons from the supersymmetric examples of string compactifications, such as Calabi-Yau manifolds, where the most analytic control exists. A central aim for this research will be to explain why there is an upper bound on the number of massless particles we can get in supergravity theories, as well as the types of gauge forces and matter content we can obtain in a consistent theory of quantum gravity. These lessons will shed light on the case which is most relevant to our universe, namely the non-supersymmetric theories.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.