Manki Kim, Pappalardo Fellow

Name: Manki Kim
Title: Pappalardo Fellow in Physics, 2021-2024
Email: mk2427@mit.edu
Phone: (607) 261-9367
Office: MIT Department of Physics
77 Massachusetts Avenue, 6c-433
Cambridge, MA 02139

Related Links:
Pappalardo Fellowships in Physics

Area of Physics

String Theory; Cosmology

Research Interests

Manki Kim’s research is centered on string theory and its applications in the physics of the early universe.

Despite the heroic achievements of string theory, fully explicit experimental predictions in string theory have been out of reach. To understand if string theory can describe our universe, or how it fails to do so, Manki thinks we should bring string theory under the scrutiny of experimental tests. Thus, his long-term goal is to experimentally test string theory through the physics of the early universe such as inflation, which is highly sensitive to the Planck scale physics.

The first step towards this direction is to show or disprove the existence of cosmologically realistic vacua in string theory. Manki has been working on string compactifications and topological string theory in efforts to construct cosmologically realistic string vacua, such as the de Sitter vacua of string theory.

Biographical Sketch

Manki was born and raised in South Korea. In 2016, he received a BS degree in physics and mathematics from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology).

Later that year he went to Cornell University for PhD studies, working on particle phenomenology, and flavor and neutrino physics in particular.

A few months later, he switched his research field to string theory to work with Professor Liam McAllister. Manki is expected to complete his PhD in mid-2021.

Selected Publications

  • Jiang, M. Kim and G. Wong, “Entanglement entropy and edge modes in topological string theory II: The dual gauge theory story,” arXiv:2012.13397 [hep-th].
  • Donnelly, Y. Jiang, M. Kim, and G. Wong, “Entanglement entropy and edge modes in topological string theory: I,” arXiv:2010.15737 [hep-th].
  • Demirtas, M. Kim, L. McAllister, and J. Moritz, “Conifold Vacua with Small Flux Superpotential,” arXiv:2009.03312 [hep-th].
  • Demirtas, M. Kim, L. McAllister, and J. Moritz, “Vacua with Small Flux Superpotential,” arXiv:1912.10047 [hep-th].
  • Kachru, M. Kim, L. McAllister, and M. Zimet, “de Sitter Vacua from Ten Dimensions,” arXiv:1908.04788 [hep-th].