Talks

We argue that in quantum gravity there is no stable equilibrium state corresponding to the Born rule. Our main argument rests on the continued controversy over the physical meaning of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. We suggest that attempts to interpret it are hampered by the conventional assumption that probabilities should be governed by a fixed Born rule. It is possible to abandon this assumption in a de Broglie-Bohm interpretation. We argue that a stable Born rule emerges only in the limiting Schrödinger regime in which the system is described by an effective (time-dependent) Schrödinger equation with an appropriate conserved current. We consider a regime in which quantum-gravitational corrections to the  Schrödinger equation induce a non-conservation of the standard current. Such a regime can be consistently described in de Broglie-Bohm theory. As a result, quantum-gravitational effects can generate non-equilibrium deviations from the Born rule even starting from an initial equilibrium state. We provide estimates for such effects in an inflationary de Sitter background.

The recent detection of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 by LIGO and Virgo was followed by a firework of electromagnetic counterparts across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. In particular, the ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared emission is consistent with a kilonova that provided strong evidence for the formation of heavy elements in the merger ejecta by the rapid neutron capture process (r-process). In this talk, I will discuss the state of the art in modeling neutron star mergers from first principles, which represents a multi-physics challenge involving all four fundamental forces and petascale computing. I will present recent results from general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations and discuss possible scenarios and mass ejection mechanisms that can give rise to the observed kilonova features. In particular, I will argue that massive winds from neutrino-cooled post-merger accretion disks most likely synthesized the heavy r-process elements in GW170817. I will show how this finding (at least partially) concludes the quest for the cosmic origin of the heavy elements, which has been an enduring mystery for more than 70 years.