Workshop on Cosmology and Time
April 16 - 17, 2013
Workshop Description
What is the status of time in modern cosmology? Is time real, or is it a convenient illusion? Should the arrow of time be part of physics or should it be explained away? Are all the laws of physics time-reversal invariant? Should we treat time as a parameter or as an observable? What exactly do we measure when we measure time? When scientists try to unify Relativity Theory and Quantum Mechanics in their cosmological models of the universe, how does that unification affect the scientific account of time? What is the relation of time to spacetime? Is time (or spacetime) continuous or discrete?
The orientation of this workshop is retrospective and philosophical. The discussion about time that spans the twentieth century, and continues to the present day among cosmologists and philosophers, forces the articulation of important issues concerning the nature of time.
Presenters:
- Elie During (Université de Paris-Ouest Nanterre - Paris 10)
- William Nelson (IMAPP, Radboud University Nijmegen)
- Tom Pashby (University of Pittsburgh)
- Bryan Roberts (University of Southern California)
- Alexis de Saint-Ours (REHSEIS/SPHERE, Université de Paris Denis Diderot - Paris 7)
- David Sloan (University of Cambridge)
Responders:
- Abhay Ashtekar (Penn State)
- Gordon Fleming (Penn State)
- Kurt Gibble (Penn State)
- Emily Grosholz (Penn State; REHSEIS/SPHERE, Paris 7)
- John Norton (University of Pittsburgh)
- Sarah Shandera (Penn State)
Registration
There is no registration fee. However, because of limited seating capacity, all participants must register by Friday, April 10, 2013. Please email Randi Neshteruk to register for the workshop.
Workshop Poster
PosterWorkshop Location
The workshop will be held in the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos seminar room, 320 Whitmore Laboratory on the Penn State University Park campus.
Program and Workshop Abstracts
The program of talks is available at www.gravity.psu.edu/events/cosmology-time/program.shtml.
Hotel Information
Participants will be staying at the Days Inn and the Rodeway Inn in State College. We also recommend the Atherton Hotel.
Organizing Committee
Emily Grosholz (Philosophy/IGC, Penn State), Gordon Fleming (Emeritus, Physics, Penn State) and Abhay Ashtekar (Physics/IGC, Penn State)
Workshop sponsors: Penn State's Department of Philosophy, Center for Fundamental Theory/IGC and Schreyer Honors College