Investigating Fundamental Physics with Cosmological Probes

该奖项资助塔夫茨大学马克·赫茨伯格教授的研究活动。现代物理学的许多分支都建立在粒子物理和宇宙学的标准模型之上。基础物理学的未来发展将源于解决我们宇宙的几个未解释的特征。宇宙学中出现了一些最紧迫的问题：在标准模型之外，还有什么物理可能与早期宇宙有关？暗物质的本质是什么？引力的基本结构是什么？作为研究的一部分，赫茨伯格教授将通过建立理论模型并与宇宙学数据进行比较来研究这些重要问题的具体方面。因此，这项研究通过追求具有重要意义的基本科学问题来促进国家利益。该项目还将产生更广泛的影响。它将涉及受训者，他们将在开发模型和计算工作中发挥重要作用，并帮助他们发展基本的研究技能。从技术上讲，这个项目将探索膨胀后标准模型一致动力学所需的新物理，探索新的光轴子暗物质和新的暗物质模型的探测器，并从引力部分的一致性探索庞加莱对称性的起源。这项工作包括形成理论模型，既需要内部一致性，也需要与观测一致，所有这些都使用有效场论的指导原则进行了严格的研究。在有关超越标准模型的物理学方面，主要目标是限制标准模型的特征，包括希格斯玻色子和膨胀模型，使其与早期宇宙动力学保持一致。在暗物质方面，主要目标是研究暗物质候选者的天体物理后果，例如轴子的新性质，并探索暗物质的自然模型。在引力方面，主要目标是确定建立局部引力理论的充要条件。这一奖项反映了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 Mark Hertzberg at Tufts University.Many branches of modern physics are built upon the Standard Model of particle physics and cosmology. Future developments in fundamental physics will arise from addressing several unexplained features of our universe. Some of the most pressing questions arise in cosmology: What physics lies beyond the Standard Model that might be relevant to the early universe? What is the nature of dark matter? What is the underlying structure of gravitation? As part of his research, Professor Hertzberg will investigate specific aspects of these important questions by building theoretical models and comparing to cosmological data. This research therefore advances the national interest by pursuing basic scientific questions of high significance. This project will also have broader impacts. It will involve mentees, who will play an important role in developing models and in computational work, and help them develop essential research skills. More technically, this project will explore new physics required for consistent dynamics of the Standard Model after inflation, explore novel probes of light axion dark matter and new dark-matter models, and investigate the origin of Poincare symmetry from consistency of the gravitational sector. This work involves forming theoretical models, requiring both internal consistency and agreement with observations, all studied rigorously using the guiding principles of effective field theory. On the front concerning physics beyond the Standard Model, the primary objectives are to constrain features of the Standard Model, including the Higgs boson and models of inflation, from consistency with early-universe dynamics. On the dark-matter front, the primary objectives are to investigate astrophysical consequences from dark-matter candidates, such as novel properties of axions, and to explore natural models of dark matter. On the gravitational front, the primary objectives are to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions to build a local theory of gravitons.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.