Scientific Series

Current progress in quantum field theory is largely driven by the conformal bootstrap program, which aims to classify the space and properties of conformal field theories using symmetries and other fundamental constraints. In the context of the AdS/CFT Correspondence, this increasingly sophisticated endeavor doubles as a probe of foundations of quantum gravity. I will describe the current era in the holographic application of conformal field theory methods, with particular focus on the use of the conformal bootstrap to describe the spectrum and dynamics of quantum gravity and string theory beyond the classical regime.

Adiabatic evolution is a common strategy for manipulating quantum states. However, it is inherently slow and therefore susceptible to decoherence. Shortcuts to adiabaticity are methods of achieving faster adiabatic evolution, in order to maintain high fidelity in the presence of decoherence and noise. In this talk I will review recent progress on counter-diabatic (CD) driving for many-body systems. In particular, we will discuss a variational principle that allows to systematically compute approximate CD Hamiltonians. Two recent experiments will be discussed. 

3d quantum gravity is a beautiful toy-model for 4d quantum gravity: it is much simpler, it does not have local degrees of freedom, yet retains enough complexity and subtlety to provide a non-trivial example of dynamical quantum geometry and open new directions of research in physics and mathematics. I will present the Ponzano-Regge model, introduced in 1968, built from tetrahedra “quantized" as 6j-symbols from the theory of recoupling of spins. I will show how it provides a discrete path integral for 3d quantum gravity, related to topological invariants and loop quantum gravity and other approaches to quantum gravity. It is also a perfect arena to investigate boundary theories and holographic dualities, with a beautiful duality with the 2d Ising model realized through a supersymmetry, and more.

Experiments with ultracold fermionic gases are thriving and continue to provide us with valuable insights into fundamental aspects of physics. A special system of interest is the so-called unitary Fermi gas (UFG) situated right in the "middle" of the crossover between Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluidity and Bose-Einstein condensation. However, the theoretical treatment of these gases is highly challenging due to the absence of a small expansion parameter as well as the appearance of the infamous sign problem in the presence of, e.g., finite spin polarizations. In this talk, I will discuss the concept of stochastic quantization and motivate the complex Langevin (CL) method for non-relativistic fermions as an alternative to conventional Monte Carlo approaches. In particular, I will show how the CL approach can be employed to study the spin-polarized UFG. In the unpolarized limit, our results for the EOS are in excellent agreement with the existing state-of-the-art results from other ab-initio approaches as well as with experimental data. For the polarized case, our results for the EOS and other thermodynamic quantities represent experimentally testable predictions, already providing us with some insight into the underlying phase diagram.

I will give an overview of recent results on three-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories placed on arbitrary half-BPS geometries. In particular, I will explain an explicit computation of the supersymmetric partition function on any Seifert three-manifold; such manifolds can have very intricate and interesting topology (for instance, a nice example is the Poincaré sphere) and can provide new interesting observables in 3d SCFTs. I will also discuss to which extent these results exhibit a generalisation of the 3d TQFT structure of Chern-Simons theory to non-topological (but supersymmetric) theories.
 

Bosonic ultra-light dark matter (ULDM) would form cored density distributions at the centres of galaxies. These cores admit analytic description as the lowest energy bound state solution ("soliton") of the Schrödinger-Poisson equations. Numerical simulations of ULDM galactic halos found empirical scaling relations between the mass of the large-scale host halo and the mass of the central soliton. 
We connect the simulation results of different groups to basic properties of the soliton. Importantly, simulations imply that the specific kinetic energy in the soliton and in the host halo should be approximately equal. This relation predicts that the peak circular velocity, measured for the host halo in the outskirts of the galaxy, should repeat itself in the central region. Contrasting this prediction to the measured rotation curves of low surface-brightness galaxies, we show that ULDM in the mass range m ~ 10⁻²²-10⁻²¹ eV, which has been invoked as a possible solution of small-scale puzzles of ΛCDM, is in tension with the data. We discuss the potential of detailed dynamical modelling of the Milky Way and other well-resolved galaxies to probe ULDM up to m ~ 10⁻¹⁹ eV.

I'll discuss recent work on finding time-dependent solutions of a black hole interacting with a scalar field. I'll discuss two distinct cases where the back-reaction of the scalar can be found. First, in the case that the scalar is slowly rolling (such as in inflation) the scalar field can be found in terms of super-advanced time coordinate, regular on both horizons. The scalar back-reacts on the geometry, with the black hole accreting and growing more or less as expected. The second case I'll describe briefly is scalar hair in modified gravity - giving a scalar-dressed rotating black hole that is finite on both horizons. 

The Heisenberg algebra plays a vital role in many areas of mathematics and physics.  We will describe a family of quantum Heisenberg categories, depending on a choice of central charge, that categorify this algebra.  When the central charge is nonzero, these categories act on modules for cyclotomic quotients of the affine Hecke algebra.  In central charge zero, we obtain an affinization of the HOMFLY-PT skein category, which acts on modules for $U_q(\mathfrak{gl}_n)$.  We will also discuss how the categories can be generalized by adding a Frobenius superalgebra into the construction.  This is joint work with Jon Brundan and Ben Webster.

I will discuss an attempt at approaching quantum features of spacetime from a microscopic point of view. In combination with quantum gravity, one can consider a scenario in which spacetime has structure at the level of quantum interactions, and classical spacetime emerges at larger scales. This type of scenario would require entangling interactions, and a reliance on information exchange would have effects on the classical field theory.

The conservation law for the total (orbital plus spin) angular momentum of a Dirac particle in the presence of gravity requires that spacetime is not only curved, but also has a nonzero torsion. The coupling between the spin and torsion in the Einstein–Cartan theory of gravity generates gravitational repulsion at extremely high densities, which prevents a singularity in a black hole and may create there a new, closed, baby universe undergoing one or more nonsingular bounces. We show that quantum particle production caused by an extremely high curvature near a bounce creates enormous amounts of matter and can generate a finite period of inflation. Our scenario has only one parameter, does not depend significantly on the initial conditions, does not involve hypothetical scalar fields, avoids eternal inflation, and predicts plateau-like inflation that is supported by the Planck observations of the cosmic microwave background. This scenario suggests that our Universe may have originated from a nonsingular bounce in a black hole existing in another universe.

Strong gravitational lenses with measured time delays between the multiple images can be used to determine the Hubble-Lemaitre constant (H0) that sets the expansion rate of the Universe. An independent determination of H0 is important to ascertain the possible need of new physics beyond the standard cosmological model, given the tension in current H0 measurements. A program initiated to measure H0 to <3.5% in precision from strongly lensed quasars is in progress, and I will present the latest results and their implications. Search is underway to find new lenses in imaging surveys. An exciting discovery of the first strongly lensed supernova offered a rare opportunity to perform a true blind test of our modeling techniques. I will outline a new research program on lensed supernovae, showing their bright prospects as a competitive and unique probe of cosmology and stellar physics.

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) describes the low-energy physics of electromagnetically conducting plasmas. In the conventional formulation of MHD, one introduces dynamical electromagnetic fields on top of the usual hydrodynamic setup by hand. In this talk, we will explore an alternate effective view of MHD purely based on symmetries, as a "string fluid" of magnetic field lines, without any assumption about the underlying microscopic field content. We will argue that MHD is described by a novel theory of superfluidity with a partially broken one-form symmetry. We will also discuss the implications of this broken symmetry for constructing hydrostatic partition functions describing MHD. The talk is based on [arXiv:1808.01939, arXiv:1811.04913].