High Energy Physics

I will explain that a geometric theory built upon the theory of complex surfaces can be used to understand wide variety of phenomena in five-dimensional supersymmetric theories, which includes the following:

1. Classification of 5d superconformal field theories (SCFTs).
2. Enhanced flavor symmetries of 5d SCFTs.
3. 5d N=1 gauge theory descriptions of 5d and 6d SCFTs.
4. Dualities between 5d N=1 gauge theories.
5. T-dualities between 6d N=(1,0) little string theories.

This relationship between geometry and 5d theories is based on M-theory and F-theory compactifications.

Theories beyond the Standard Model of particle physics often predict new, light, feebly interacting particles whose discovery requires novel search strategies. A light particle, the QCD axion, elegantly solves the outstanding strong-CP problem of the Standard Model; cousins of the QCD axion can also appear, and are natural dark matter candidates.  First, I will discuss my experimental proposal based on thin films, in which dark matter can efficiently convert to detectable single photons. A prototype experiment is underway, and current techniques promise to reach significant new dark matter parameter space.

Second, I will show how rotating black holes turn into axionic and gravitational wave beacons, creating nature's laboratories for ultralight bosons. When an axion's Compton wavelength is comparable to a black hole size, energy and angular momentum from the black hole source exponentially-growing bound states of particles, forming `gravitational atoms'.  These `gravitational atoms' emit monochromatic gravitational wave signals, enabling current searches at gravitational wave observatories to discover ultralight axions. If the axions interact with one another, instead of gravitational waves, black holes populate the universe with axion waves.

I will describe how within eleven dimensional supergravity one can compute the logarithmic correction to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of certain magnetically charged asymptotically AdS_4 black holes with arbitrary horizon topology.  The result perfectly agrees with the dual field theory computation of the topologically twisted index in  ABJM theory and in certain theories obtained from M5 wrapping a hyperbolic 3-manifold. The extension to rotating, electrically charged AdS_4 black holes and the dual superconformal index will also be discussed.