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GAPP Seminar - Pietro Dona

GAPP Seminar - Pietro Dona

320 Whitmore

2023-02-17

GAPP SEMINAR (Gravity, Astroparticle & Particle Physics) Friday, February 17th 11:00 am, 320 Whitmore Zoom link: https://psu.zoom.us/j/93737760341?pwd=Qlc4bWFDU0taSHhJK0RHeWMvendHZz09 Meeting: 937 3776 0341 Passcode: 150786

Speaker: Pietro Dona (CSTQ, Marseille)

Title: An Overview of Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity Abstract: Covariant loop quantum gravity (or spin foam theory) defines a background-independent Lorentzian path integral for gravity. I will review its formulation and highlight its successes, open questions, and physical applications. Numerical calculations have been a major driving force in recent developments. I will overview the leading frameworks, their ingredients, and regimes of validity.

TimeSpeakerTitle
11:00Pietro DonaAn Overview of Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity
About our wordmark
Monica The IGC wordmark was created by Monica Rincon Ramirez, while she was a graduate student at the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos (IGC). Monica enjoys drawing new connections between fundamental theory and observations. Her graduate work includes specialized topics in general relativity, loop quantum gravity, and quantum fields in cosmological backgrounds. In particular, her thesis work focused on finding effective quantum corrections to gravitational phenomena from spinfoams, and applications to cosmology. She received her PhD in 2024.

The wordmark symbolizes the scope and variety of research at the IGC. The base of the image represents quantum gravity, evoking the quantum geometrical picture from spinfoams and loop quantum gravity. These are among the approaches to fundamental questions studied at the Center for Fundamental Theory. The middle of the image represents the Center for Theoretical and Observational Cosmology by galaxies embedded in a smooth surface, characteristic of spacetime in general relativity and the much larger physical scales studied in cosmology. Finally, at the top, the surface curves to an extreme, representing a supermassive black hole accompanied by an energetic jet. These elements depict an active galactic nucleus, inspired by Centaurus A. Just to the right, a pair of black holes approaches merger. This top portion of the wordmark represents the Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics, which specializes in the study of high-energy phenomena in the universe.