Fundamental Physics UK 4th 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, 2008 and 2009, were held at King's College London and Trinity College Cambridge. These were widely regarded to be a success and we believe that there is now a strong tradition established for these meetings. The overall aim of these meetings will be to create dynamic and informal research environment from which all UK researchers will benefit. Therefore we wish to build on this and organize a fourth meeting in February 2011, again in Trinity College, Cambridge.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.

The primary impact of this meeting will be on the participants. The previous three meetings attracted over 50 participants from across the UK and received very positive feedback. We expect most of these participants to return again this year. 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 three 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 2008 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 has written 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.