Skip to main content
School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  1. School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  2. Staff
  3. Academics
  4. Profiles

Dr Congkao Wen

Congkao

Royal Society University Research Fellow | Senior Lecturer in Theoretical Physics

Email: c.wen@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: 207 882 5923
Room Number: G. O. Jones Building, Room 613

Profile

I joined the Centre for Theoretical Physics (CTP) in 2018. Previously, I held research positions at Caltech, at University of Rome, Tor Vergata, and at CTP in QMUL. I received my PhD at Brown University, and I did my undergraduate and graduate studies at Zhejiang University.

Teaching

I currently teach a module `An introduction to strings and branes`. The course is a basic introduction to String theory and Branes.

I also supervise undergraduate and master projects.

Research

Research Interests:

My research interests focus on both perturbative and non-perturbative aspects of quantum field theory, quantum gravity, and string theory.

One of my primary areas of activity has been the development and application of modern techniques for scattering amplitudes. Over the past few years, new geometric formulas have been discovered for scattering amplitudes in a wide range of interesting theories. These new mathematical formulas not only provide concrete expressions for the amplitudes in these theories but also reveal new structures. Another major line of my research in scattering amplitudes involves applying these techniques to study physics in other areas. Specifically, I have been interested in understanding the symmetry constraints on effective actions using amplitudes and, more recently, the applications of amplitude techniques to black-hole scattering and gravitational-wave physics.

Most recently, I have been developing exact methods for computing correlation functions in N=4 SYM (and other supersymmetric theories) beyond perturbation theory. These methods, based on supersymmetric localisation, have proven to be extremely powerful, allowing access to the non-perturbative regime of the correlators. The results have led to deep insights into the S-duality and modularity of the correlation functions in N=4 SYM. These exact results also enable the exploration and exploitation of deep connections between flat-space string amplitudes and holographic correlators in AdS space.

Examples of research funding:

Grants held at QMUL as PI:

Royal Society University Research Fellowship, 2018 - 2022 (£430,693)

Royal Society Grant supporting a PhD Studentship, 2018 - 2022 (£92,148)

Royal Society Grant supporting a PhD Studentship,  2022-2024 (£52,218)

Royal Society University Research Fellowship Renewals, 2023- 2025 (£356,623)

Royal Society Grant supporting a postdoc,  2023-2025 (£240,000)

Publications

My list of publications:

Complete list of publications on INSPIRE-HEP.

Google Scholar data

Supervision

Correlators and scattering amplitudes: AdS/CFT correspondence and exact results
 

Scattering amplitudes are among the most fundamental observables in quantum field theory and string theory. In recent years, hidden structures within scattering amplitudes have been uncovered, and powerful computational methods have been developed. These advancements have significantly enhanced our understanding of both quantum field theory and string theory.

According to the AdS/CFT correspondence, scattering amplitudes in AdS space are equivalent to correlation functions in the dual CFT. Recently, exact methods have been developed for computing certain correlators in supersymmetric CFTs beyond perturbation theory. These new exact results have been shown to match the exact results of superstring amplitudes.

This project will focus on these recent and remarkable developments in this rapidly evolving research field. It aims to further develop these powerful tools for both amplitudes and CFT correlators, as well as to understand their connections within the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence.

Requirements: knowledge of Quantum Field Theory, String Theory and Supersymmetry at the level of a Master course.

Back to top