Strings, Branes and the Search for Unification

Texas A&M Research Foundation, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal requests support for research by a newly formed group in M-theory, string theory and gauge theories, with applications to particle physics and cosmology. It will make use of some of the major developments in recent years, such as branes, the duality between supergravity and gauge theories, and compactification of extra dimensions to search for solutions to problems like the hierarchy problem and the cosmological constant. The PI is an expert on supergravity and was involved in the original papers on branes. The co-PI's are known for their work on the new method of flux compactification. The broader impacts of the proposal include phenomenological predictions which can be tested at the LHC and in detailed observations of the cosmic microwave background. They also lead to the training of graduate students and the encouragement of women students in physics.