Search Talks

In Weinberg’s asymptotic safety approach to quantum gravity, one has a finite dimensional critical surface for a UV stable fixed point to generate a theory of quantum gravity with a finite number of physical parameters. The task is to demonstrate how this fixed point behavior actually arises. We argue that, in a recently formulated extension of Feynman’s original formulation of the theory, which we have called resummed quantum gravity, we recover this fixed-point UV behavior from an exact re-arrangement of the respective perturbative series. We argue that the results we obtain are consistent both with the exact field space Wilsonian renormalization group results of Reuter and Bonanno and with recent Hopf-algebraic Dyson-Schwinger renormalization theory results of Kreimer. We calculate the first "first principles" predictions of the respective dimensionless gravitational and cosmological constants and argue that they support the Planck scale cosmology advocated by Bonanno and Reuter as well. Comments on the prospects for actually predicting the currently observed value of the cosmological constant are also given.

I present an overview of how inspiral-merger-ringdown (IMR) waveforms are currently being used within LIGO and Virgo search efforts. I'll discuss search strategies from the two major astrophysics working groups within t he LIGO/Virgo collaboration searching for transient gravitational-wave signals - the Compact Binary Coalescence group and the Burst Group. For masses where the inspiral, merger and ring-down phases are prominent in the LIGO/Virgo band both working groups have developed pipelines that are sensitive to these systems and are now trying to work together to make a joint statement about LIGO and Virgo's sensitivity to IMR systems.

A recent breakthrough in quantum computing has been the realization that quantum computation can proceed solely through single-qubit measurements on an appropriate quantum state. One exciting prospect is that the ground or low-temperature thermal state of an interacting quantum many-body system can serve as such a resource state for quantum computation. The system would simply need to be cooled sufficiently and then subjected to local measurements. It would be unfortunate, however, if the usefulness of a ground or low-temperature thermal state for quantum computation was critically dependent on the details of the system's Hamiltonian; if so, engineering such systems would be difficult or even impossible. A much more powerful result would be the existence of a robust ordered phase which is characterized by the ability to perform measurement-based quantum computation. I’ll discuss some recent results on the existence of such a computational phase of matter. I’ll first outline some positive results on a phase of a toy model that contains the cluster state. Then, in a realistic model of coupled spin-1 particles, I’ll demonstrate the existence of a computational phase. This result is obtained by using a local measurement sequence to “renormalize” the state to a computationally-universal fixed point. Together, these results reveal that the characterization of computational phases of matter has a rich, complex structure – one which is still poorly understood. Joint work with Gavin Brennen, Akimasa Miyake, and Joseph Renes.

Gravitational waves provide a unique way to study the Universe. From 2005 to 2007, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) took data at design sensitivity. After describing gravitational waves and how LIGO works, I will discuss the status of searches for those waves and current astronomical constraints imposed by those searches. Data taking resumed in summer 2009 with enhanced LIGO detectors and the European Virgo detectors. I will discuss plans for combined electromagnetic and gravitational observing campaigns. Finally, I will highlight the prospects for gravitational-wave astronomy with Advanced LIGO over the next decade.