Gauge/gravity duality

• Grant number: 24/15298-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: April 01, 2026
• End date: March 31, 2031
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Horatiu Stefan Nastase
• Grantee: Horatiu Stefan Nastase
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Andrey Yuryevich Mikhaylov ; Carlos Nunez ; Diego Trancanelli ; Eduardo Tremea Casali ; Jacob Sonnenschein ; Jeff Murugan ; Konstantinos Skenderis ; Nathan Jacob Berkovits ; Osvaldo Mario Chandia Quevedo

Abstract

In this proposal, we aim to put together several specialists in various areas of string theory and quantum field theory, with the goal to analyze various aspects and applications of gauge/gravity duality. Gauge/gravity duality and its applications make one of the most important areas of active research in theoretical physics, and São Paulo has become the leading center in Brasil, maybe the whole of Latin America. We need to coordinate and grow the interactions of researchers in the field, to stay competitive, and develop our expertise. The AdS/CFT correspondence proposed by Maldacena, now extended to gauge/gravity duality, says that quantum gravity theories in general, and string theory in particular, are the same as quantum field theories living at the boundary of the gravitational spacetime, just in different regimes. Since it maps strong coupling to weak coupling, one can study nonperturbative issues in either side, using perturbation theory on the other. We will use this duality to analyze formal aspects of string theory and gauge theory (BV formalism, associated varieties, cohomology of renormgroup), applications to condensed matter, cosmology, string theory and supergravity, pure spinor formulation in AdS space and supergeometrical approach for the correspondence, integrability aspects of the duality, as well as better defining the correspondence and finding more examples of gravity dual pairs, and of course, exploring various mathematical issues that appear. (AU)