Exceptional Theta Series and Higher Spins in Constant Curvature Backgrounds

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

0140365 Waldron Einstein both proposed and retracted an addition of a cosmological constant Lambda term to his equations describing gravity as curvature of space and time. Recent observations indicate the presence of a small, positive Lambda. As shown by the PI and collaborators, the notions of spin and mass are mathematically richer if this the case. The project will in part be devoted to a study of these new phenomena. In addition, the theoretical understanding of what a quantum theory of gravitation might look like, has significantly advanced in a large part through studies of string theories which replace particle excitations with those of fundamental strings. Strikingly, many new results in mathematics have arisen from these considerations. The PI will investigate various aspects of this math/physics interplay, including a generalization of strings to membranes, random matrices and supersymmetry.