Exploring the Theory of Everything – Scientists put Einstein to the test

The search for a theory of everything, which predates Archimedes and made great strides in the last century through Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity and quantum mechanics, faced major challenges due to their conflicting explanations of gravity. Kent Yaggi’s groundbreaking research at the University of Virginia aims to fill this gap, using artificial intelligence and support from a prestigious CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation. The aim is to provide new insights into the fundamental power of science and to strengthen STEM education through community. and educational support. (Artist’s concept). Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Long before Archimedes suggested that all the phenomena we can observe might be understood in terms of fundamental principles, humans were imagining the possibility of a theory of everything. Over the past century, physicists have inched closer to solving this mystery. Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity provides a solid foundation for understanding the universe on a large scale, and quantum mechanics allows us to understand how it works at the subatomic level. The problem is that the two systems don’t agree on how gravity works.

Today, artificial intelligence is bringing new hope to scientists tackling the enormous computational challenges involved in unraveling the mysteries of something as complex as the universe and everything in it, says University of Virginia School of the Arts Kent Yagi, also an associate professor at the graduate school, said. Science leads research partnerships between theoretical and computational physicists at UVA. This could lead to new insights into the possibility of a theory of everything, or at least a better understanding of one of the fundamental forces of the universe: gravity. This research earned him a CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation. This is one of his most prestigious awards given to the most promising young researchers and educators in the country.

A breakthrough in space observation

One aspect of Einstein’s theory of general relativity is that objects moving through space, much like a boat moving through water, generate waves, but those waves can cause waves to move around planets, stars, galaxies, and even the strongest Fields are possible even if produced by gravity-producing black holes, but they are still incredibly small. As a result, it has been almost 100 years since Einstein first published his idea. gravitational waves This means that technical means have been developed to observe them. In 2015, the program known as Lygoor the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, one of the largest NSF-funded projects ever, detected gravitational waves for the first time and led to the Nobel Prize in Physics for the project’s leader.

Associate Professor Kent Yagi, a physicist in the University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School, has been awarded a CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation, one of the most prestigious awards given to America’s most promising young researchers and educators. did.University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School

“This discovery was one of the most important moments in physics over the past 100 years,” Yagi said.

And as the technology needed to observe particle phenomena has advanced, so has the computing power needed to process the massive amounts of data astronomers are collecting about the universe. Furthermore, as a new development, machine learning And in recent years, artificial intelligence has enabled scientists to create and test complex mathematical models that describe the phenomena they observe at a rate that was once unimaginable.

Yagi studies giant gravitational waves produced by pairs of black holes and binary neutron stars. According to Yagi, they are some of the densest celestial objects in the universe and are 1013 times more powerful than a regular refrigerator magnet. And he uses these phenomena for the following purposes. He tests Einstein’s theory of gravity and investigates the fundamental laws of nuclear physics, looking for information that will help resolve the disconnect between Einstein’s theory and quantum mechanics.

Funding and educational support

The CAREER grant, which will provide the university with $400,000 in funding over the next five years, will create opportunities for current and future graduate students interested in developing and applying machine learning algorithms to help explain and predict gravitational wave observations. To do. Understand the behavior of gravity.

Once the computational algorithms are fine-tuned, a process that should take only a few weeks, Yagi says his team will be able to process the data collected by LIGO to test Einstein’s theories 100 times faster. I said it would be.

“And the amount of space that you can search for that data increases tenfold,” Yagi says.

One of the requirements of the CAREER award is that recipients incorporate educational and community outreach projects into their work. A portion of the funding will create jobs for undergraduate students who will work with Yagi to develop educational software for high school students interested in physics. , Yagi hopes this work will inspire the next generation of Nobel Prize-winning scientists.

The challenge of proving a theory

How much closer does this bring us to a theory of everything?

“There are still many problems to be solved,” Yagi said. “I hope I’ll see it in my lifetime, but I don’t want to be too optimistic.”

“It’s almost impossible to prove a theory,” Yagi explains. “Measurement errors are inherent in any experiment, but we will continue to see if we can find evidence that disproves general relativity. At the same time, we will discover how beautiful and correct it looks. It continues.”

Yagi’s work and the attention it has received has drawn praise from UVA colleagues and leaders.

“Recently, there’s been a huge push to understand gravitational waves, not just as a theoretical prediction or concept, but to be able to detect them directly,” said Phil Alas, director of astronomy at UVA. “This effort has opened a whole new window into the universe and given us a new way to confirm theories about how stars evolve. Kent’s research will greatly help us understand that. It was important.”

UVA Physics Department Chair Despina Luca described Yagi as a highly respected astrophysicist with an extensive research portfolio.

“Kent is a fascinating educator and popular leader whose research has had a profound impact on several fields of physics,” Luka added. “He is leading the way in testing the theory of general relativity while using machine learning to investigate the astrophysical properties of neutron stars, and his work with UVA students building online games that integrate research and education. will inspire young people around the world.”

“Professor Yagi’s accomplishments are remarkable,” said Krista Acampora, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. We appreciate his commitment to innovation in STEM education as well as the limits of our understanding of the universe. ”