Research in Novel Symmetries of Quantum Field Theory and String Theory

This award funds the research activities of Professor Nikita Nekrasov at Stony Brook University. The research of Professor Nekrasov aims to improve our understanding of the Universe large and small by studying the laws governing the behavior of the building blocks of matter and their interactions at subnuclear distances. As part of this research, Professor Nekrasov will develop and use modern mathematical tools that permit exact calculations of the outcomes of physical processes. These tools are often referred to as "localization" techniques. Another line of research to be investigated concerns the connections between the dynamics of quasi-one-dimensional particle systems, such as quantum wires, and the low-energy states associated with elementary particles in our three dimensional space. This research advances the national interest by promoting the progress of science in one of its most fundamental directions: the discovery and understanding of new physical law. This is both exciting intellectually and interesting for the advancement of technology and security. This project is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. Professor Nekrasov will involve graduate students and postdocs in his research, and thereby provide critical training for junior physicists beginning research in the field of elementary particle physics. They will also give public lectures on their research results and develop new course curricula based on the results of their research. More technically, Professor Nekrasov and his students will study extended observables in theories exhibiting a novel type of symmetry relating particles of different spin, with the goal of gaining insight into the behavior of the interactions believed to be responsible for the structure of nucleons and nuclei. They will also study models of statistical physics relevant for strongly coupled phenomena and the small-scale nature of space-time; low dimensional strongly correlated electron systems which are relevant for quantum information on the one hand and superconductivity on the other; and applications in mathematics. 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.