High Energy Physics

I will give an overview of recent results on three-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories placed on arbitrary half-BPS geometries. In particular, I will explain an explicit computation of the supersymmetric partition function on any Seifert three-manifold; such manifolds can have very intricate and interesting topology (for instance, a nice example is the Poincaré sphere) and can provide new interesting observables in 3d SCFTs. I will also discuss to which extent these results exhibit a generalisation of the 3d TQFT structure of Chern-Simons theory to non-topological (but supersymmetric) theories.
 

Bosonic ultra-light dark matter (ULDM) would form cored density distributions at the centres of galaxies. These cores admit analytic description as the lowest energy bound state solution ("soliton") of the Schrödinger-Poisson equations. Numerical simulations of ULDM galactic halos found empirical scaling relations between the mass of the large-scale host halo and the mass of the central soliton. 
We connect the simulation results of different groups to basic properties of the soliton. Importantly, simulations imply that the specific kinetic energy in the soliton and in the host halo should be approximately equal. This relation predicts that the peak circular velocity, measured for the host halo in the outskirts of the galaxy, should repeat itself in the central region. Contrasting this prediction to the measured rotation curves of low surface-brightness galaxies, we show that ULDM in the mass range m ~ 10⁻²²-10⁻²¹ eV, which has been invoked as a possible solution of small-scale puzzles of ΛCDM, is in tension with the data. We discuss the potential of detailed dynamical modelling of the Milky Way and other well-resolved galaxies to probe ULDM up to m ~ 10⁻¹⁹ eV.

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) describes the low-energy physics of electromagnetically conducting plasmas. In the conventional formulation of MHD, one introduces dynamical electromagnetic fields on top of the usual hydrodynamic setup by hand. In this talk, we will explore an alternate effective view of MHD purely based on symmetries, as a "string fluid" of magnetic field lines, without any assumption about the underlying microscopic field content. We will argue that MHD is described by a novel theory of superfluidity with a partially broken one-form symmetry. We will also discuss the implications of this broken symmetry for constructing hydrostatic partition functions describing MHD. The talk is based on [arXiv:1808.01939, arXiv:1811.04913]. 

The discovery of a Higgs like boson at LHC in 2012 was a development of fundamental importance in particle physics. With this newly discovered state included in theoretical predictions of scattering events,  the Standard Model can be extrapolated  to much higher experimental energies. This implies that a degree of scale separation will be present between the discovered particles of the Standard Model, and any new particles required to address the outstanding mysteries that the Standard Model leaves unanswered. As a result, interest in treating the Standard Model as a consistent Effective Field Theory (the SMEFT) has dramatically increased. This powerful theory is the state of the art in studying experimental results model independently, up to energies that LHC probes in a robust fashion experimentally. Rather remarkably, as interest in this theory has increased in recent years, a number of subtleties has also been discovered in the physics of the SMEFT.  In this talk, I will review this rapidly advancing area.

I will give a holographic argument in favor of the AdS Penrose inequality, which conjectures a lower bound on the total mass in terms of the area of apparent horizons. This inequality is often viewed as a test of cosmic censorship. Time permitting, I’ll also discuss a generalization to charged black holes and connections with a quasi-local energy and the second law for apparent horizons.  

I will introduce my recent works on the phenomenology of solutions to the strong CP problem, QCD axion and Parity. I will first describe the production of the QCD axion in the early universe and show that the dark matter abundance is naturally reproduced for a wide range of the parameter space. I will then show a tight relation between the Parity solution, dark matter direct detection, the proton decay, and the precise measurements of the standard model parameters.

In the first part of the talk, I will mention the ongoing numerical efforts using lattice calculations to understand the holographic dualities relating the super Yang-Mills (SYM) theories in various dimensions and their conjectured Type II supergravity theories in the decoupling limit. In the second part, I will discuss the tensor renormalization group study of the SU(2) gauge-Higgs model in two dimensions using the higher-order tensor renormalization group (HOTRG) algorithm and compare the results with the Monte Carlo simulations. 

The 21st century may come to be known as the Age of Photonics, as we exploit our ability to make and manipulate light as an amazing carrier of energy and information. From quantum computing and entanglement to eye surgery and solar energy, humans are already reaping the benefits of our own endeavours to understand and control light.

In her public lecture webcast at Perimeter on March 6, Cather Simpson from the University of Auckland will highlight her research in exploring how recent advances in the physics of light are transforming our ability to feed the planet safely and sustainably.

Simpson moved from Case Western Reserve University in the USA to the University of Auckland’s Physics and Chemistry Departments in 2007. There, she started the Photon Factory, a laser centre whose mission is to exploit exotic, ultrashort pulsed lasers to enable cross-disciplinary research from the very fundamental to the applied and entrepreneurial.

Simpson’s research explores the interaction of light with matter, particularly how materials can convert light into more useful forms of energy. A relatively recent area of focus is in agriculture, where her work has led to two international award-winning spinout companies. Her many recent accolades include a National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award, the 2016 Silicon Valley Forum 1st-place AgTech medal, and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi.