This award funds the research activities of Professor Matthew B. Kleban at New York University.
New data from cosmology have quantified many parameters of our universe to unprecedented accuracy. Among the most significant is the determination that much of the energy in the universe is "dark", of a form consistent with a small, positive vacuum energy. Such a result is famously difficult to explain, and accounting for it probably requires a theory of quantum gravity. Professor Kleban will advance his ongoing program of research in fundamental physics, with a focus on those aspects of string theory and quantum gravity that predict effects which can be tested with cosmology. Professor Kleban's recent work helped lay the foundation for understanding the effects of high-scale physics on cosmology, particularly signatures of cosmic bubble collisions, and in a recent development, an independent group recently analyzed Cosmic Microwave Background data for the signals of bubble collisions which were predicted by the Prof. Kleban. This search uncovered several anomalous features consistent with collisions, but the results were incomplete and inconclusive. Determining the origin of those anomalies is of paramount importance, and Prof. Kleban will pursue this along with a number of other related research directions.
This work is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. The detection of a cosmic bubble collision would be a transformative discovery, permanently altering our understanding of the universe and humanity's place within it. It would demonstrate that our observable universe is a tiny part of a vastly larger multiverse populated by other bubbles containing regions of highly exotic physics. It would also confirm a prediction of string theory, provide crucial evidence for the nature of dark energy, and dramatically change our view of the Big Bang. This possibility continues to have a substantial broader impact in the form of magazine and newspaper articles, public lectures and interviews given by Prof. Kleban, and by inspiring undergraduate and graduate physics students at NYU. On another front, Prof. Kleban recently helped develop a survey that was administered to hundreds of NYU undergraduates, with the aim of determining if and why minority and women students drop out of the physics program at a higher rate than others. As part of his continuing research, he will continue the analysis of the results of this survey with the goal of using the conclusions to help improve the graduation and success rates of women and minority physics students. Finally, Prof. Kleban will train and aid in the professional development of graduate students that participate in this project.
