New geometry from string dualities
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
The aim of our proposed research is to develop new ideas in geometry using structures that naturally arise in string theory, which in turn feeds back to advance our understanding of the nature of gravity and particle physics. String theory is a putative quantum theory of gravity, that defines particular, natural extensions of General Relativity, Einstein's description of gravity in terms of curved geometry. These extensions include analogues of the electromagnetic field, collectively known as fluxes. Certain special spacetimes have additional symmetries (known as supersymmetries) that give additional structure to the geometry. Such structures, such as Kahler, Calabi-Yau, Sasaki-Einstein and Joyce manifolds have long been studied by mathematicians. In some cases powerful theorems exist, where the existence of solutions to the differential equations the structures have to satisfy can be translated into a more algebraic condition known as stability. In addition, there can be remarkable duality symmetries between spaces with such structures (notably mirror symmetry of Calabi-Yau manifolds, first discovered in the context of string theory). The theme of this proposal is that both ideas of stability and mirror symmetry have physical interpretations using string theory and furthermore have extensions to a larger class of natural string structures. A key ingredient is the remarkable duality between gravitational theories on certain spacetimes and certain conventional (non-gravitational) quantum field theories, known as the AdS-cft correspondence. We hope to develop these ideas in multiple ways: to ask if one can propose new existence conjectures which ultimately will be important for building string models of particle physics; to understand the relation between stability and the notion of quantum corrections in the dual quantum field theory and the connection to the algebraic structure of field theory defining so-called Calabi-Yau algebras; and to understand extensions of the topological string theories that underlie mirror symmetry.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Daniel Waldram (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Arvanitakis A
(2023)
Brane wrapping, Alexandrov-Kontsevich-Schwarz-Zaboronsky sigma models, and Q P manifolds
in Physical Review D
Arvanitakis A
(2022)
Romans Massive QP Manifolds
in Universe
Ashmore A
(2022)
Topological G2 and Spin(7) strings at 1-loop from double complexes
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Ashmore A
(2021)
Generalising G2 geometry: involutivity, moment maps and moduli
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Ashmore A
(2022)
Exactly Marginal Deformations and Their Supergravity Duals.
in Physical review letters
Bugden M
(2021)
G-Algebroids: A Unified Framework for Exceptional and Generalised Geometry, and Poisson-Lie Duality
in Fortschritte der Physik
Bugden M
(2021)
Exceptional Algebroids and Type IIB Superstrings
in Fortschritte der Physik
Cassani D
(2021)
$$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 consistent truncations from wrapped M5-branes
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Hulík O
(2022)
Super AKSZ construction, integral forms, and the 2-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = (1, 1) sigma model
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Hulík O
(2024)
Y-algebroids and E7(7) × R+-generalised geometry
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Description | The aim of our proposed research is to develop new ideas in geometry using structures that naturally arise in string theory, which in turn feeds back to advance our understanding of the nature of gravity and particle physics. Three key findings have already been achieved. The first is a new description of a special type of seven-dimensional space, called a G2-holonomy manifold, in terms of an extension of conventional geometry. This allows one to describe the conditions on the space using "moment maps", a generalisation of the idea that whenever there is a symmetry there is a corresponding conserved quantity. This opens the possibility of looking for new ways to prove the existence of such spaces. We have also used the same ideas to describe a generalised class of six-dimensional spaces related to Calabi-Yau geometries. The second key development is the use of generalised geometry to classify a particular class of lower-dimensional theories (known as consistent truncations) that can arise in out of string theory. This has important implications for understanding how our universe arises. The third key finding is proving the existence of a class of string theory solutions that are dual to certain supersymmetric field theories. This gives a completely new perspective on solving a long-standing problem, and provides new detailed results about the dual field theories. String theory is a putative quantum theory of gravity, that defines particular, natural extensions of General Relativity, Einstein's description of gravity in terms of curved geometry. These extensions include analogues of the electromagnetic field, collectively known as fluxes. Certain special spacetimes have additional symmetries (known as supersymmetries) that give additional structure to the geometry. Such structures, such as Kahler, Calabi-Yau, Sasaki-Einstein and Joyce manifolds have long been studied by mathematicians. In some cases powerful theorems exist, where the existence of solutions to the differential equations the structures have to satisfy can be translated into a more algebraic condition known as stability. In addition, there can be remarkable duality symmetries between spaces with such structures (notably mirror symmetry of Calabi-Yau manifolds, first discovered in the context of string theory). The theme of this proposal is that both ideas of stability and mirror symmetry have physical interpretations using string theory and furthermore have extensions to a larger class of natural string structures. A key ingredient is the remarkable duality between gravitational theories on certain spacetimes and certain conventional (non-gravitational) quantum field theories, known as the AdS-cft correspondence. We hope to develop these ideas in multiple ways: to ask if one can propose new existence conjectures which ultimately will be important for building string models of particle physics; to understand the relation between stability and the notion of quantum corrections in the dual quantum field theory and the connection to the algebraic structure of field theory defining so-called Calabi-Yau algebras; and to understand extensions of the topological string theories that underlie mirror symmetry. |
Exploitation Route | These outcomes has academic impact both in differential and algebraic geometry and, through their applications, to building consistent physical models of our universe. |
Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Other |
Description | This research is partly into fundamental questions about how geometry encodes gravity and particle physics with implications for understanding, for example, black holes, cosmology and the nature of particle interactions. Addressing these questions have societal and cultural impact, both for encouraging students to study science and as some of the most fundamental questions one can have about the universe. Scientific breakthroughs in such endeavours invariably led to technological advances, but the precise nature of these and the timescales are unpredictable and can be long. The positive impact on the economy is the production of highly trained individuals with the skills necessary to contribute at the highest level to modern businesses and industries. This includes but is not limited to, developments in conventional computing, notably machine learning, financial mathematics and quantum computing. |
First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Other |
Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |