Last week, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) was blessed with the presence of Fudan University Professor Wu Yongshi. As the invited speaker for the 198^th lecturer for the SUSTech Lecture Series, he spoke about “Opportunities and Challenges of Basic Theory of Physics.”

Wu Yongshi has been working at the forefront of international theoretical physics research for a long time. In recent years, he has focused on the topological properties of quantum theory and its applications in topological states, quantum information, and quantum computing.

Wu Yongshi started his lecture by speaking about the most important achievements in physics of the 20^th century. He did not deny that there were still challenges for the physics community, but he viewed them as opportunities. The first challenge is the quark confinement problem in quantum chromodynamics and the theoretical uncertainty of the Higgs Boson particle. Wu Yongshi subsequently used Einstein’s general theory of relativity to discuss the bending of light and space-time geometry. He used this to discuss theoretical and practical viewpoints on gravity.

The second challenge is the relationship between mathematics and physics. In this new era of mathematical physics, new ideas are developing such as the theory of special geometry and low-dimensional topology. There are also discussions around three-dimensional space, the states of a vacuum and other such theories that warrant future research.