Clifford CheungView profile
Professor
Clifford Cheung is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He is affiliated with the Department of Theoretical Physics within the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy. His research focuses on fundamental questions in quantum gravity, scattering amplitudes, string theory, and effective field theories, with particular emphasis on bootstrap principles, black hole dynamics, and gravitational wave physics. Cheung's work bridges high-energy physics, astrophysics, and mathematical physics. He has pioneered methods to reconstruct scattering amplitudes using symmetry principles and positivity bounds, contributing significantly to our understanding of string theory's uniqueness and the interplay between gravitational systems and gauge theories. His research also explores the implications of effective field theories for extreme mass ratio binaries and gravitational wave phenomena. Key themes in his work include the development of novel symmetry-based approaches to quantum gravity, the application of bootstrap methods to constrain fundamental theories, and the exploration of connections between scattering amplitudes and black hole thermodynamics. His findings have advanced our knowledge of gravitational interactions, string universality, and the foundational structure of spacetime. Cheung has been featured in Caltech news for his contributions to theoretical physics, including insights into the 'miracle and beauty of physics' and his work on the Sloan Research Fellowships. His research outputs consistently address cutting-edge topics in theoretical physics, with a focus on unifying principles and rigorous mathematical frameworks.










