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Cosmic inflation has given us a remarkably successful cosmological phenomenology. But the original goal of explaining why the cosmos is *likely* to take the form we observe has proven very difficult to realize. I review the status of "eternal inflation" with an eye on the roles various infinities have (both helpful and unhelpful) in our current understanding. I then discuss attempts to construct an alternative cosmological framework that is truly finite, using ideas about equilibrium and dark energy. I report some recent results that point to observable signatures.

Tensor network algorithms are a powerful technique for the study of quantum systems in condensed matter physics. In this short series of lectures, I will present an applied perspective on tensor network algorithms. Topics to be covered will include motivation and methodology, graphical notation, Matrix Product States (MPS) and the Time-Evolving Block Decimation (TEBD) algorithm, identifying the capabilities and limitations of tensor network algorithms, the Multi-scale Entanglement Renormalisation Ansatz (MERA) and the study of systems at criticality, and the exploitation of global internal symmetries. The intent of this lecture series is to provide attendees with the necessary theoretical background to be able to understand and implement the more common tensor network algorithms.

The Polchinski equations for the Wilsonian renormalization group in the $D$--dimensional matrix scalar field theory can be written at large $N$ in a Hamiltonian form. The Hamiltonian defines evolution along one extra holographic dimension (energy scale) and can be found exactly for the subsector of $Tr\phi^n$ (for all $n$) operators. We show that at low energies independently of the dimensionality $D$ the Hamiltonian system in question reduces to the {\it integrable} effective theory. The obtained Hamiltonian system describes large wavelength KdV type (Burger--Hopf) equation with an external potential and is related to the effective theory obtained by Das and Jevicki for the matrix quantum mechanics.

Tensor network algorithms are a powerful technique for the study of quantum systems in condensed matter physics. In this short series of lectures, I will present an applied perspective on tensor network algorithms. Topics to be covered will include motivation and methodology, graphical notation, Matrix Product States (MPS) and the Time-Evolving Block Decimation (TEBD) algorithm, identifying the capabilities and limitations of tensor network algorithms, the Multi-scale Entanglement Renormalisation Ansatz (MERA) and the study of systems at criticality, and the exploitation of global internal symmetries. The intent of this lecture series is to provide attendees with the necessary theoretical background to be able to understand and implement the more common tensor network algorithms.