Project description
Research could transform understanding of generalised symmetries in quantum gravity
Symmetries are central to physics. Recent advancements have expanded their scope to include more complex types called generalised symmetries. However, these have rarely been studied in the context of gravity. The ERC-funded SymQuaG project will explore how these generalised symmetries work in quantum gravity, aiming to uncover new universal laws. Researchers will investigate how these symmetries are either preserved or broken in quantum gravity, using advanced mathematical tools to classify the processes involved. By applying these findings to string theory, SymQuaG will show how all consistent low-energy supergravity theories are connected to string theory. These findings should help refine models that describe the fundamental forces and particles in our Universe.
Objective
Throughout the history of physics symmetries have played a pivotal role. In recent years our understanding of them has been revolutionized to include their action on extended, rather than point-like, operators, called generalized symmetries. So far, however, they have mainly been discussed in theories without gravity.
In this project I will take on this important challenge and derive universal constraints on theories of quantum gravity with generalized symmetries. This combination of generalized symmetries and universal properties of gravitational systems allows to utilize the remarkable recent progress in both fields to provide insights into the hitherto unknown laws of quantum gravity, their manifestation in our Universe, and their implications at low energies. Applying these new laws to supersymmetric theories, I will show that all consistent low-energy supergravity theories necessarily have a string theory origin. I will further apply the constraints to restrict phenomenological models describing the dynamics of Nature.
The key strategy of my proposal is to investigate the gauging and explicit breaking of generalized symmetries, required by the absence of global symmetries in quantum gravity. Gauging demands the absence of anomalies, which would break the symmetries via quantum effects. I will classify these for generalized symmetries including the presence of quantum gravity fluctuations of the underlying spacetime manifold. The breaking of symmetries requires the inclusion of new objects, whose structure, properties, and applications I will explore systematically.
Both, the classification of these general anomalies as well as the classification of symmetry-breaking objects uses the mathematical formalism of bordism groups. Generalizing these to include localized degrees of freedom, SymQuaG uncovers a full web of novel anomalies in order to derive universal consistency constraints, which are then tested in the laboratory of string theory and beyond.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28049 MADRID
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.