My father raised me to think independently and follow my own path in life. I started surfing when I was a teenager and used the money from my first job to buy gas for my family’s 1970 VW bus and a surfboard. I also started snowboarding shortly after the sport was invented in the 1980s. Surfing and snowboarding free my mind and let me enjoy nature. It’s when I feel most fully alive.
When I was about 16, I found out that the abstract mathematics I was learning in school actually describes how the physical universe operates. It was like stumbling on the existence of true magic in the world. My life since then has been dedicated to studying theoretical physics.
I always found it satisfying that gravity was described by Einstein’s geometric theory of general relativity. Whereas in particle theory, the fields representing electrons and other particles didn’t have a satisfying geometric description. I wanted to find one.
The theory I work on aims to describe all known elementary particles as parts of a single geometric structure called E8, and predicts the existence of 22 new particles. E8 is a very complicated shape with 248 dimensions, and is perhaps the most beautiful structure in mathematics. Its symmetries very closely match the structure of interactions of the elementary particles we know of, and some new ones as well.
Those who have looked at the math behind my theory, including grant review panels, have found the work to be mathematically consistent and sensible. But there’s still a lot to figure out. Most importantly, the second and third generations of fermions – particles we only know about from accelerator experiments – are hinted at by the structure of E8 but don’t seem to work perfectly in this theory.
I submitted the paper introducing the theory on November 6 2007. Because of its revolutionary nature, I was aiming for Guy Fawkes Day, but missed by a day.
The attention my paper got was unexpected and caused some stress in my otherwise peaceful life. My personal history provided some background colour for gossip. But the coverage has also brought experiences and opportunities, as well as some irresistibly attractive distractions.
The academic response to the theory was mixed. Some people made criticisms that were laughably inaccurate and didn’t hold up. I think scepticism is healthy and there are justified criticisms of my theory. But I would feel better if the critics would acknowledge which elements of it work, since I have been candid in describing its inadequacies. That is the best road to progress.
Even if this theory doesn’t turn out to work perfectly as a whole, there are several new pieces in it that are almost certainly true about how our universe works, and will be of value in understanding particle physics.
Most people daydream about what they want to be doing and where; but you make your own meaning in life. I try to find the best of all possible worlds to live in, and make that world myself if I can’t find it. I enjoy the freedom of working outside academia. I get to wake up when I like – usually to the sound of birds singing outside my window – and set about my day in the environment I choose. I’m in Maui now, splitting my time between kitesurfing, physics research and fielding interesting propositions. I also spend time snowboarding when and where I can.
Our universe is a beautiful place. There are many hidden structures and complicated mechanisms at play that we’re just beginning to figure out. Mathematics is the true magic underlying the workings of our universe, and I feel compelled to discover as much of this magic as I can. Science is our last and greatest frontier.
