Hirosi Ooguri receives the Frontier of Science Award

18 July, 2024
Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI)

Professor Hirosi Ooguri of the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI) at the University of Tokyo received the Frontier of Science Award in Theoretical Physics at the International Congress for Basic Science (ICBS) in Beijing, China.

Ooguri is being recognized for the paper he co-authored with Daniel Harlow of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology entitled “Symmetries in Quantum Field Theory and Quantum Gravity,” which was published in Communications in Mathematical Physics in 2021.

The ICBS is an annual conference held in Beijing that brings together over 1000 leading experts to celebrate the three areas of basic sciences: mathematics, theoretical physics, and theoretical computer and information science. The Frontiers of Science Award is given to papers published in the last ten years in these areas of science that are of the highest scientific merit and originality and have had a significant impact on their fields.

The award ceremony was held on July 14, the first day of ICBS. In addition to the award lecture, Ooguri will also give a special lecture with a screening of the 3D dome theater movie “The Man From the 9 Dimensions,” which he supervised. He will also give a public lecture on his five popular science books that have been translated into Chinese and participate in a panel discussion on basic science.

In the paper cited for the Award, Harlow and Ooguri used the holographic principle to prove that no quantum gravity theory in anti-de Sitter space (spacetime with negative vacuum energy) can have global symmetry. The announcement of this result was published in Physical Review Letters in 2019, as an Editor’s Suggestion.

“70 years ago, John Wheeler conjectured that there is no global symmetry in quantum gravity. Daniel Harlow and I proved it from the fundamental principle for gravitational theories in anti-de Sitter space. It is one of my favorite papers, and I am delighted that it is being recognized by the Frontiers of Science Award. I would like to thank Daniel for the collaboration. I would also like to thank the organizers of the ICBS for the wonderful conference and the award selection committee for the recognition.” said Ooguri.

Frontier of Science Award details
Category: Theoretical Physics (String Theory and Quantum Gravity)
Paper title: Symmetries in Quantum Field Theory and Quantum Gravity
Journal: Communications in Mathematical Physics (2021)
Authors: Daniel Harlow (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Hirosi Ooguri (California Institute of Technology & University of Tokyo)

Related links
Frontier of Science Awards (International Congress for Basic Science)
Professor Hirosi Ooguri’s website