Local Holography and Quantum Gravity

局域全息术和量子引力

• 批准号: RGPIN-2022-03837
• 负责人: Freidel, Laurent
• 金额: $ 5.46万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=762976
• 关键词: Local; Holography; Quantum; Gravity

Our understanding of the physical universe rests on two cornerstones: Quantum mechanics and general relativity. Quantum mechanics describes subatomic particles using statistical notions to describe their behavior. In contrast general relativity, Einstein's theory of gravity, provides an elegant description of physics on astronomical scales using spacetime geometry. Unifying these two dissimilar views of nature in a single framework called "quantum gravity'' remains the outstanding fundamental question for theoretical physicist in the twenty-first century. We are now on the verge of a radical transformation in our thinking about this problem. Over the past six years, it has become increasingly clear that a new organizational principle is becoming available: the concept of symmetries for gravitational physics. Since the beginning of physics, symmetries have been the primary organizational tool for understanding fundamental physics and the leading factor in many past breakthroughs. Symmetry usually allows us to understand the fundamental building blocks of our universe. Symmetry is also our only reliable theoretical guide allowing us to go from the classical to the quantum without getting lost. In the past 5 years, my work has revealed that it is possible to understand key aspects of gravitational dynamics in terms of a new kind of symmetry groups. This opens the possibility of accessing new information about the central conundrums of quantum gravity, such as : What are the fundamental gravitational degrees of freedom? What is the nature of their interaction with quantum matter? My research proposal builds on these results to develop a new paradigm for quantum gravity called Local Holography. This program aims to reveal in its full glory the full symmetry group organizing gravitational dynamics. It aims to prove that classical geometry and gravitational dynamics can be recast in terms of this new symmetry principle. Doing so will finally allow us to understand spacetime geometry in a way compatible with quantum mechanics. Finally, this quest will allow us to develop new mathematical and conceptual tools that finally bring together the different approaches to quantum gravity, such as AdS/CFT, Celestial Holography, and non-perturbative quantum gravity, under the umbrella and guidance of symmetry. This research will attract excellent students and train them in an exciting multidisciplinary environment. They will develop programming, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills, which are necessary for academia and transferable to many industry sectors.

我们对物理宇宙的理解依赖于两个基石：量子力学和广义相对论，量子力学使用统计概念来描述亚原子粒子的行为，相比之下，广义相对论，爱因斯坦的引力理论，使用量子力学在天文尺度上提供了对物理学的优雅描述。将这两种不同的自然观统一在一个称为“量子引力”的框架中仍然是二十一世纪理论物理学家面临的基本悬而未决的问题。在过去的六年里，我们对这个问题的思考正处于彻底转变的边缘，越来越清楚的是，一种新的组织原理正在变得可用：自物理学诞生以来，对称性一直是引力物理学的重要概念。对称性是理解基础物理的主要组织工具，也是过去许多突破的主导因素，它通常使我们能够理解宇宙的基本组成部分，也是我们从经典到量子的唯一可靠的理论指南。过去5年失去了。多年来，我的工作表明，可以用一种新型对称群来理解引力动力学的关键方面，这为获取有关量子引力核心难题的新信息提供了可能性，例如：什么是基本原理。引力自由度？它们与量子物质相互作用的本质是什么？我的研究计划建立在这些结果的基础上，开发一种称为局域全息术的新量子引力范式。它的目的是证明经典几何和引力动力学可以根据这种新的对称原理进行重塑，最终使我们能够以与量子力学兼容的方式理解时空几何。新的数学和概念工具最终将不同的量子引力方法（例如 AdS/CFT、天体全息术和非微扰量子引力）结合在一起，在对称性的保护和指导下这项研究将吸引优秀的学生并培训他们。令人兴奋的他们将培养编程、沟通、领导力和解决问题的技能，这些技能对于学术界来说是必需的，并且可以转移到许多行业领域。