My research centers on theoretical high energy physics. The broad questions my work aims to address are: What is quantum field theory, and what are its limitations as a tool in describing Nature? What are the building blocks of matter and spacetime?
String theory provides a potential answer as an approach to unifying quantum theory with gravity. Specific research topics of interest include:
F-theory GUTs: With collaborators I have introduced a new approach to constructing Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) via compactifications of F-theory, a strongly coupled phase of string theory. This combines the merits of intersecting brane models and exceptional group structures in a single framework. This also includes top down models of flavor physics, along with a prediction for the neutrino mixing angle theta_{13} in 2009, which has since been confirmed by experiment.
6D SCFTs: With collaborators, I have also developed a systematic framework for constructing higher-dimensional conformal field theories via compactifications of F-theory. Six-dimensional superconformal field theories (6D SCFTs) are the "master theories" for many lower-dimensional strong coupling phenomena and dualities. My work has shown that all known 6D SCFTs resemble gauge theories coupled to generalizations of quarks and leptons known as "conformal matter," which are themselves strongly coupled SCFTs.
Currently, my efforts are concentrated in three directions. The first concerns the study of formal and phenomenological aspects of string compactification, and in particular F-theory. The second concerns conceptual questions connected with the embedding of field theoretic UV cutoffs in string theory. The third concerns the study of six-dimensional superconformal field theories.
Personal webpage: http://www.jjheckman.com
