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# Quantum Gravity

This series consists of talks in the area of Quantum Gravity.

## Seminar Series Events/Videos

déc 8 2016 - 2:30pm
Room #: 294
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## Symmetries of Flat Quantum Spacetime

Jeudi nov 24, 2016

By applying loop quantum gravity techniques to 2+1 gravity with a positive cosmological constant Λ, we show how the local gauge symmetry of the theory encoded in the constraint algebra acquires the quantum group structure of SOq(4). By means of an Inonu-Wigner contraction of the quantum group bi-algebra we obtain the kappa-Poincaré algebra of the flat quantum space-time symmetries.

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## The loop gravity string

Jeudi nov 17, 2016
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In this talk we present the study of canonical gravity in finite regions for which we introduce a generalisation of the Gibbons-Hawking boundary term including the Immirzi parameter. We study the canonical formulation on a spacelike hypersuface with a boundary sphere and show how the presence of this term leads to a new type of degrees of freedom coming from the restoration of the gauge and diffeomorphism symmetry at the boundary.

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## Singularity resolution in loop quantum gravity: Emergence of non-Riemannian spacetimes

Jeudi nov 10, 2016
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It is a common expectation in quantum gravity that the fundamental nature of space-time would be radically different from the smooth continuum of classical general relativity. In this talk it shall be shown that a quantum modification from loop quantum gravity crucial for singularity resolution is also responsible for deforming the underlying space-time in a manner which cannot be realized using classical geometric structures.

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## The universe as a quantum gravity condensate.

Jeudi nov 03, 2016
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I describe how, within the group field theory (GFT) formalism for quantum gravity, we can:

1) provide a candidate description of the quantum building blocks of spacetime, bringing together ideas and mathematical structures from other quantum gravity formalisms;

2) apply powerful tools from quantum field theory, like the (perturbative and non-perturbative) renormalization group, to establish the quantum consistency of given GFT models and to study their continuum limit and phase structure;

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## Thoughts on quantum gravity and the superposition principle

Jeudi oct 27, 2016

In this talk, I will address a major conceptual and technical concern of non-perturbative quantum gravity: the quantum superposition of causal structures of space-times. I will discuss a class of theories that can address the problem, their flaws, and their relation to general relativity.

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## Causality in the quantum world

Jeudi oct 20, 2016
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Einstein's causality is one of the fundamental principles underlying modern physical theories. Whereas it is readily implemented in classical physics founded on Lorentzian geometry, its status in quantum theory has long been controversial. It is usually believed that the quantum nature of spacetime at small scales induces the breakdown of causality, although there is no empirical evidence that would support such a view.

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## Integrability and null canonical gravity

Jeudi sep 22, 2016

Constraint free initial data can be given for vacuum general relativity on a pair of intersecting null hypersurfaces. Moreover, the Poisson algebra of a set of such free null initial data has been found,but it has an unfamiliar structure, making its quantization difficult. We note that this algebra is essentially a sum of an infinite number of copies of the Poisson algebras of cylindrically symmetric gravity. Using the fact that cylindrically symmetric gravity is integrable we find new free data with an algebra more amenable to quantization.

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## Emergent network geometry and quantum statistics

Jeudi sep 15, 2016
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Abstract: Complex networks describe interacting systems ranging from the brain to the Internet. While so far the geometrical nature of complex networks has been mostly neglected, the novel field of network geometry is crucial for gaining a deeper theoretical understanding of the architecture of complexity. At the same time, network geometry is at the heart of quantum gravity, since many approaches to quantum gravity assume that space-time is discrete and network-like at the quantum level.

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## Surprising consequence of a positive cosmological constant

Jeudi sep 08, 2016
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The study of isolated systems has been vastly successful in the context of vanishing cosmological constant, $\Lambda = 0$. However, there is no physically useful notion of asymptotics for the universe we inhabit with $\Lambda > 0$. The full non-linear framework is still under development, but some interesting results at the linearized level have been obtained. I will focus on the conceptual subtleties that arise at the linearized level and discuss the quadrupole formula for gravitational radiation.

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## The commutative limit of non-commutative geometries.

Jeudi sep 01, 2016
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A formulation of a limit of a sequence of finite non-commutative spectral triples is presented. Examples of the commutative limits are the coadjoint orbits of semisimple Lie groups.

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## RECENT PUBLIC LECTURE

### Michael Cates: Bulletproof Custard: Fluids That Stop Flowing When You Push Them Too Hard

Speaker: Michael Cates