Petr Horava
Encyclopedia
Petr Hořava is a Czech string theorist
. He is currently a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley
, where he frequently teaches courses on quantum field theory
and string theory
. Hořava is also a member of the theory group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
about the Hořava-Witten domain wall
s in M-theory
. These articles demonstrated that the ten-dimensional heterotic
string theory could be produced from 11-dimensional M-theory
by making one of the dimensions have edges (the domain walls). This discovery provided crucial support for the conjecture that all string theories could arise as various limits of a single higher-dimensional theory.
Hořava is less well known for his discovery of D-branes, usually attributed to Dai, Leigh
and Polchinski
, who discovered them independently, also in 1989.
In 2009, Hořava proposed a theory of gravity
that separates space from time at high energy while matching some predictions of general relativity
at lower energies.
Superstring theory
Superstring theory is an attempt to explain all of the particles and fundamental forces of nature in one theory by modelling them as vibrations of tiny supersymmetric strings...
. He is currently a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he frequently teaches courses on quantum field theory
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
and string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
. Hořava is also a member of the theory group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Work
Hořava is well-known for his articles written with Edward WittenEdward Witten
Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist with a focus on mathematical physics who is currently a professor of Mathematical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study....
about the Hořava-Witten domain wall
Horava-Witten domain wall
In theoretical physics, a Hořava–Witten domain wall is a type of domain wall that behaves as a boundary of the eleven-dimensional spacetime in M-theory....
s in M-theory
M-theory
In theoretical physics, M-theory is an extension of string theory in which 11 dimensions are identified. Because the dimensionality exceeds that of superstring theories in 10 dimensions, proponents believe that the 11-dimensional theory unites all five string theories...
. These articles demonstrated that the ten-dimensional heterotic
Heterotic string
In physics, a heterotic string is a peculiar mixture of the bosonic string and the superstring...
string theory could be produced from 11-dimensional M-theoryM-theory
In theoretical physics, M-theory is an extension of string theory in which 11 dimensions are identified. Because the dimensionality exceeds that of superstring theories in 10 dimensions, proponents believe that the 11-dimensional theory unites all five string theories...
by making one of the dimensions have edges (the domain walls). This discovery provided crucial support for the conjecture that all string theories could arise as various limits of a single higher-dimensional theory.
Hořava is less well known for his discovery of D-branes, usually attributed to Dai, Leigh
Robert Leigh
Robert Leigh is a physicist working on string theory.He obtained his B.Sc. degree from the University of Guelph in 1986, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1991, working with Joe Polchinski...
and Polchinski
Joseph Polchinski
Joseph Polchinski is a physicist working on string theory. He graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, Arizona in 1971, obtained his B.S. degree from Caltech in 1975, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1980 under the supervision of Stanley Mandelstam...
, who discovered them independently, also in 1989.
In 2009, Hořava proposed a theory of gravity
Hořava-Lifshitz gravity
Hořava–Lifshitz gravity is a theory of quantum gravity proposed by Petr Hořava in 2009. It solves the problem of different concepts of time in quantum field theory and general relativity by treating the quantum concept as the more fundamental so that space and time are not equivalent...
that separates space from time at high energy while matching some predictions of general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
at lower energies.