Fundamental Physics UK 3rd Annual Workshop

Over the past few years there has been a large inflow of researchers in fundamental physics from across the world into the UK. The aim of the proposal is to provide a stimulating environment for cross fertilization between the three main areas of fundamental physics: string theory, gravity and quantum field theory. The previous FPUK meetings, in November 2007 and 2008, were held at King's College London and were widely regarded to be a success. We wish to build on this and organize a third meeting in November 2009, this time in Trinity College, Cambridge. The following speakers have tentatively agreed to talk:Bobby Acharya (ICTP)Nick Dorey (Cambridge) Anne Green (Nottingham) Mukund Rangamani (Durham) Gabriele Travaglini (Swansea) One further speaker's slot will be kept open to allow for current developments.The meeting will be organized to allow for a good deal of interaction surrounding a selected number of talks. The aim of the talks will be to provide a pedagogical synopsis of the current 'hot' research topics. However there will also be significant periods of informal discussion, including both an active discussion centered on the talks as well as time for private discussions. As originally envisioned this meeting is the third in what is planned to be a regular, annual, series of meetings. The overall aim of these meetings will be to create dynamic and informal research environment from which all UK researchers will benefit.

The primary beneficiaries of this meeting will be the participants themselves. The previous two meetings both attracted over 50 participants from across the UK and received very positive feedback. We expect most of these participants to return again this year and hope that a few more will be able to come. However we wish to restrict the total number to 60 in order to maintain an informal atmosphere. The meeting itself is the main method of dissemination. However, as with the previous two meetings, we will provide a web site with copies of the talks. In addition by bringing together researchers from throughout the UK who may not otherwise meet we hope to foster new collaborations. Furthermore we hope that, by running this meeting annually over a number of years, a greater sense of community and cohesion will arise among UK Theoretical Physicists. These meetings are aimed at improving the UK science environment for all and indirectly there are also benefits to the UK's culture and economic prosperity. We note that there is a strong public interest in science and also a long and impressive list of UK science achievements. For example, the last meeting was attended by a journalist from New Scientist, Jessica Griggs. This allowed many members of the community to build a useful contact in the media and she has since contacted a number of us to discuss stories. Based on her discussions at the meeting, she is currently writing an article about the applications of the AdS/CFT correspondence to condensed matter systems. Furthermore these meetings also serve as a form of training for younger researchers (PhD students and post-docs). Some of these people may move out of academia into other skilled careers such as those in finance and high-tech industry which are vital to the UK's economic performance. Therefore this meeting also contributes indirectly to the UK's economic welfare. Ultimately, although the timescale for this could be large, we hope that there will also be applications of fundamental Theoretical Physics to technology. Certainly in the past there has been an enormous technological impact of fundamental Theoretical Physics both directly, such as the development of Quantum Mechanics and hence modern electronics and computers, as well as indirectly, such as the development of the internet at CERN. Some applications may not be very direct but perhaps arise through the development of sophisticated mathematical tools to solve difficult problems. One example of such new and unexpected applications is the use of AdS/CFT techniques to address problems in condensed matter physics.