This award funds the research activities of Professor Oleg Lunin at the University at Albany (SUNY).
Two of the most important open problems in theoretical physics are a construction of a consistent theory of quantum gravity and an analytical understanding of the strong interaction. These subjects are unified in the framework of gauge/gravity duality, which translates difficult problems in the theory of strong interactions into simple questions in gravity and vice versa. This research project will utilize the techniques of gauge/gravity duality to get insights into quantum properties of black holes and into dynamics of strongly-coupled gauge theories. The first part of the project will focus of resolving the black hole information paradox by identifying the microscopic states contributing to the entropy of various black holes and by studying their dynamics. The second part of the project will focus on understanding dynamics of strongly--coupled gauge theories by studying the dual description in terms of classical geometries.
This project is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. Specifically, Professor Lunin will give lectures to high school students in the Albany area to inspire the students to consider careers in STEM and to prepare them for entering these quantitative fields. In addition, Professor Lunin will organize annual physics competitions, which will help the students to sharpen their problem-solving skills. He will also mentor graduate students and provide career advice to undergraduates.
