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In this talk I will present the recent results of my work with Edoardo d'Angelo, Nicolo Drago and Nicola Pinamonti. Using the methods of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory, we have formulated new flow equations on Lorentzian spacetimes that work for arbitrary states (not only the vacuum) and in Minkowski vaccum reduce to Wetterich equations. This has potential applications to the asymptotic safety approach to quantum gravity.

Zoom link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/98616857260?pwd=ajZoS1lZc0cySlVmTVdVUnA5Ull6Zz09

The Lense-Thirring spacetime describes a 4-dimensional slowly rotating approximate solution of vacuum Einstein equations valid to a linear order in rotation parameter. It is fully characterized by a single metric function of the corresponding static (Schwarzschild) solution. We shall discuss a generalization of the Lense-Thirring spacetimes to the case that is not necessarily fully characterized by a single (static) metric function. This generalization lets us study slowly rotating spacetimes in various higher curvature gravities as well as in the presence of non-trivial matter such as non-linear electrodynamics.  In particular, we construct slowly multiply-spinning solutions in Lovelock gravity and notably show that in four dimensions Einstein gravity is the only non-trivial theory amongst all up to quartic curvature gravities that
admits a Lense-Thirring solution characterized by a single metric function. We will also discuss a `magic square' version of our ansatz and show that it can be cast in the Painlevé-Gullstrand form (and thence is manifestly regular on the horizon) and admits a tower of exact rank-2 and higher rank Killing tensors that rapidly grows with the number of dimensions.

Zoom Link: TBD

We discuss how 3+1-dimensional physics including gravity can arise in the IKKT or IIB matrix model.  The model is related to string theory, but it also provides a direct and accessible definition of  3+1-dimensional physics on suitable backgrounds. This leads to a higher-spin extension of gravity on covariant quantum space-time with manifest volume-preserving diffeos, which is UV finite at one loop. 

Zoom Link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/94588999721?pwd=VTdxQSt3MGhSMkt3UThCVjNRcXJBQT09

The search for pragmatic observables of quantum gravity remains at the forefront of fundamental physics research. A large set of ideas collectively known as the gauge-gravity duality have proven fruitful in tackling this problem. While such a duality is believed to universally govern gravitational theories, its nature in theories of gravity that describe our universe to a good degree of approximation is still little understood.

In this talk I will discuss efforts in formulating a holographic correspondence for gravity in four-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetimes. The proposed dual theory lives on a two-dimensional celestial sphere at infinity and is constrained by a wide range of symmetries. I present recent evidence for this proposal by showing that it arises naturally in a flat space limit of AdS/CFT. I will illustrate this construction with two related examples: the propagation of a particle in a shockwave background and the high-energy scattering of 2 particles.

Zoom Link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/97426266597?pwd=UmhncFR6NExFVzI2SlJwdE1LeUlIQT09

We examine the validity of the classical approximation of the waterfall phase transition in hybrid inflation from an effective field theory (EFT) point of view. The EFT is constructed by integrating out the waterfall field fluctuations, up to one-loop order in the perturbative expansion. Assuming slow-roll conditions are obeyed, right after the onset of the waterfall phase, we find the backreaction of the waterfall field fluctuations to the evolution of the system can be dominant. In this case the classical approximation is completely spoiled. We derive the necessary constraint that ensures the validity of the EFT.

Zoom Link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/96209675696?pwd=ZkZ2NGpRVW9vVkdaY1QrWG5GRFltdz09

Topology has become a powerful tool to classify and understand materials. The standard paradigm divides the energy bands into two groups separated by a gap, or with at most some low-dimensional band crossings. Single-gap topological materials include topological insulators, Chern insulators, and topological semimetals. Recent work has extended these ideas to multi-gap systems, in which the energy bands are separated into three or more groups. The resulting phases can be characterized using the Euler class, and exhibit some interesting properties such as non-Abelian charges in the bulk.

In this talk, I will describe our work using first principles calculations to explore topological phases in materials, including both electronic and phononic spectra. In the context of single-gap topology, I will describe the interplay between temperature and topology in electronic systems; while in the context of multi-gap topology, I will present the manipulation of non-Abelian band nodes in phononic systems.

Zoom Link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/93085720537?pwd=RlhrVFJZU1RmY284Nm5xUXRJakdMZz09

I discuss how exact, non-perturbative results can be obtained for both optical transport and static susceptibilities in “Hertz-Millis” theories of Fermi surfaces coupled to critical bosons. Such models possess a large emergent symmetry and anomaly structure, which we leverage to fix these quantities. In particular, I will show that in the infrared limit, the boson self energy at zero wave vector is a constant independent of frequency, and the real part of the optical conductivity is purely a delta function Drude peak with no other corrections. I will also obtain exact relations between Fermi liquid parameters as the critical point is approached from the disordered phase. 

Zoom Link:  https://pitp.zoom.us/j/93340611986?pwd=cisrZmFxcEVWZVdrT2tMRVZiVTdRQT09

String theory suggests the existence of multiple axion species forming what is known as an “axiverse”. The axions in this model are thought to have logarithmically-distributed masses extending far below 10^{-21} eV, leading to the presence of ultralight axions. The latter have astrophysical de Broglie wavelength and affect the cosmic structures in which they cluster by erasing small-scale features. In contrast to other ultralight or fuzzy dark matter models, the string axiverse allows for a mixed dark sector with a subdominant ultralight component. Trace amounts of ultralight axions have been shown alleviate some observational discrepancies in cosmology such as the missing satellite problem and the Hubble-S8 tensions. Using an effective field theory approach and data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, we reach the strongest constraints on the axion relic density for axions with masses below 10^{-25} eV. To study heavier axions, we develop a new algorithm capable of simulating the formation of large-scale structure in the presence of more than one axion species. Making use of this code, we isolate new observational features in the cosmic web which may help us detect the presence of a plenitude of axions with weak lensing surveys.

Zoom Link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/95089179013?pwd=NTBIeitScFRhYnBBSnlrcnoyVEhydz09