In this episode Cumrun Vafa, a Harvard theoretical physicist known for his work on string theory and quantum gravity, explores the deep links between mathematics and physics, covering F‑Theory, the Dark Dimensions proposal, and the Swampland program. He explains how extra dimensions could unify dark matter and dark energy, and shares his intuition behind recent advances.
- 00:00 - Intro
- 00:50 - Getting Started in Math/Physics
- 05:08 - Relationship Between Math and Physics
- 11:51 - Gromov-Witten Invariants
- 12:29 - Self-Dual Connections (4 Dimensions)
- 13:55 - Physics Revolutions
- 17:30 - F-Theory (2 Extra Dimensions)
- 21:10 - Swampland (Quantum Field Theories)
- 45:31 - Quantum vs. Classical
- 46:14 - What Defines a “String Theory”
- 51:57 - Quantum Gravity Approaches
- 54:24 - Incorporating Gravity (Gauge Gravity)
- 56:13 - Vafa’s Intuition
- 58:18 - Vafa’s Swampland Program
- 01:03:39 - Dark Dimensions (Dark Matter)
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RESOURCES:
- Cumrun’s paper on dark dimension gravitons: https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.09249
- Cumrun’s paper on chiral rings: https://lib-extopc.kek.jp/preprints/PDF/1989/8907/8907191.pdf
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