22-Year-Old Disrupts 50+ Years of Theoretical Physics

Listen to 100s of Science Documentaries on Turing for Free. Checkout the App at iOS: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/the-turing-app/id6752724106 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theturingapp.turing&hl=en or listen at https://theturingapp.com ----------- TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - The Princeton Math That Didn't Make Sense 02:40 - Lisbon Beginnings: Music, Relativity, and Riemannian Manifolds 06:58 - The Problem with Feynman Diagrams in Particle Physics 10:04 - What Are Singularities vs. Zeros in Quantum Field Theory? 15:00 - Winning the Vera Rubin New Frontiers Prize at the Breakthrough Awards ------------ Imagine trying to map out a single particle collision at CERN, only to discover that standard methods require calculating hundreds—or even thousands—of wildly complex Feynman diagrams. For decades, physicists have wrestled with these massive mathematical headaches just to figure out basic subatomic interactions. Enter Carolina Figueiredo, a brilliant Princeton PhD student whose journey from Lisbon to the Institute for Advanced Study is officially shaking up the foundation of theoretical physics. Instead of getting bogged down in endless pages of calculations, Carolina uncovered a revolutionary geometric framework known as surfaceology—a concept that completely bypasses traditional methods by viewing quantum field theory through the lens of geometry. Her groundbreaking approach not only earned her the inaugural Vera Rubin New Frontiers Prize, but it also gives us a fascinating glimpse into the future of quantum gravity, scattering amplitudes, and the fundamental rules of our universe. Turing is a leading publishers of popular science books. Check out our collection on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Turing-Editorial-Team/author/B0GVXKMGGJ/allbooks?ccs_id=4637a82d-44e3-49b7-92d6-ed1aec5fe06b Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/turing-editorial-team/id1895369034?see-all=books ---------------- Checkout our Series of Weekly Podcasts On Wonders of Science Adventures into Chemistry Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kqIbkcrhuzFPf5rgRDPkQ?si=88693d8c97934fc6 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-into-chemistry/id1801975450 Beyond Proof: Stories in Maths Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0EJXj5CF6wqE79WTwpYKGr?si=a429edd3979b4429 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-proof-stories-in-mathematics/id1881693625 Mavericks of Science: Meet the most influential and groundbreaking contemporary researchers Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/48c6VqsI8vtH9D2W5MYXfG?si=acc3565470d246ef Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mavericks-of-science/id1875688838 Million Dollar Problems of Mathematics: Legendary, unsolved puzzles that have baffled the world's sharpest minds, using Everyday Language Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1dHIDxANHtjJtVzITrOwYM?si=8e7b302f198548ac Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/million-dollar-problems-of-mathematics/id1796668358 Mysteries of the Universe: Questions that keep astrophysicists awake at night Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/53cFFxbShCGjYBKFFUayNq?si=d47ed62f389c4f8b Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-would-worlds-largest-telescope-find/id1796678795?i=1000768443430 Planet Earth: Science of Climate and Earth Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4HRLQiQJ6GUgJs6wotO3xn?si=b99ce74037534f28 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-earth/id1886256155 Quarks to Cosmos: Journey Inside the Atom to the Far End of Cosmos Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OtvBwq0GA0SGijgF2GZYv?si=4a2d444aadd94121 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quarks-to-cosmos/id1809992176 Realm of Quantum Mechanics Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ESCY4B2HB03ZpZJB5J6Y9?si=462d90847a4a4077 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/realm-of-quantum-mechanics/id1796673349 The Future of Medicine Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ioXdgkNuHThPc8p1DRHxk?si=ebcbfe9b417f48bb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-future-of-medicine/id1793412323 The Science of Us: Biology, neuroscience, and psychology to unpack the machinery behind our daily experiences Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/28qepKUu83gGzPXtst5MeT?si=2c2a7aec570d4a54 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-science-of-us/id1887044303 What the Tech: Foundational math and engineering underneath The Frontier Tech Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/41I3bea5v66iKTZdOglG0R?si=279f4848e6bd46eb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-tech/id1887925458 Wild Origins: Nature, Animals and Us Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0sdLh1dp4jT7WgGNSvzyVG?si=aa15e34f827446ab Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wild-origins/id1881725041 Credits CERN Princeton University NASA MIT Department of Physics Instituto Superior Técnico - ULisboa ICTP-SAIFR