Search Talks

The partition function on the three-sphere of many supersymmetric Chern-Simons-matter theories reduces, by localization, to a matrix model. In this talk I will describe a new method to study these models in the M-theory limit, but at all orders in the 1/N expansion. The method is based on reformulating the matrix model as the partition function of a Fermi gas. This new approach leads to a completely elementary derivation of the N^{3/2} behavior for ABJM theory and other quiver Chern-Simons-matter theories. In addition, the full series of 1/N corrections to the original matrix integral can be simply determined by a next-to-leading calculation in the semiclassical expansion of the quantum gas.

We investigate the theoretical implications of scale without conformal invariance in quantum field theory. We argue that the RG flows of such theories correspond to recurrent behaviors, i.e. limit cycles or ergodicity. We discuss the implications for the a-theorem and show how dilatation generators do generate dilatations. Finally, we discuss possible well-behaved non-conformal scale-invariant examples.

Based on tetrad-generalized canonical formalism by Arnowitt, Deser, and Misner most recent achievements in analytic calculations of higher order post-Newtonian Hamiltonians for spinning binary black holes and neutron stars are presented. The results of the generalized ADM formalism are put into mathematical relationship with those obtained within the Effective Field Theory approach.

The advent of large spectroscopic surveys of galaxies in the early 1980s has shown us that galaxies assemble in large scale structures. Recently, cosmic voids have received more attention through the availability wide and deep galaxy surveys. Voids have a simple phase space structure and thus are easier to model than cluster of galaxies. I will present two important applications of the precise analysis of voids in the context of constraining the equation of state of dark energy. First I will discuss how they could be used to have a much better determination of the expansion factor than using traditional methods, like Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations. Second, I will show that voids is maybe the only large-scale structure for which the dynamics can be finely modelled, notably through the use of the Monge-Ampere-Kantorovitch orbit reconstruction method. For the two above cases, I will present how we can mathematically define cosmic voids, the methods that have been developed to find them and some results based on N-body simulations for constraining the Dark Energy equation of state.

High-accuracy templates predicted by general relativity for the gravitational waves generated by inspiralling compact binaries (binary star systems composed of neutron stars and/or black holes) have been developed using a mixed multipolar and post-Newtonian (MPN) formalism. In this talk we shall review the foundations of this formalism and its main results, including the equations of motion and radiation from compact binaries up to 3.5PN order. We shall also present some recent work on the comparison between post-Newtonian approximations and black hole perturbations applied to compact binaries in the small mass ratio limit.

Many-body entanglement, the special quantum correlation that exists among a large number of quantum particles, underlies interesting topics in both condensed matter and quantum information theory. On the one hand, many-body entanglement is essential for the existence of topological order in condensed matter systems and understanding many-body entanglement provides a promising approach to understand in general what topological orders exist. On the other hand, many-body entanglement is responsible for the power of quantum computation and finding it in experimentally stable systems is the key to building large scale quantum computers. In this talk, I am going to discuss how our understanding of possible many-body entanglement patterns in real physical systems contributes to the development on both topics. In particular, I am going to show that based on simple many-body entanglement patterns, we are able to (1) completely classify topological orders in one-dimensional gapped systems, (2) systematically construct new topological phases in two and higher dimensional systems, and also (3) find an experimentally more stable scheme for measurement-based quantum computation. The perspective from many-body entanglement not only leads to new results in both condensed matter and quantum information theory, but also establishes tight connection between the two fields and gives rise to exciting new ideas.

In my talk I will discuss the static subsector of the black hole effective action in an arbitrary dimension. In particular, the derivation of the induced mass multipoles as a result of an external (static) gravitational field will be elucidated. In 4d these constants vanish, however in general they are non-vanishing in higher dimensions. Moreover, in certain cases they exhibit a (classical) renormalization group flow consistent with the divergences of the effective field theory.

Recent years have seen the paradigm of effective field theory (EFT) successfully applied to an increasing number of classical systems that range from the gravitational inspiral of compact binaries to hydrodynamics. Many of these systems exhibit dissipation in one form or another, such as radiation reaction or viscous fluid flow, that naturally results from the system being open. This "openness" can manifest as energy leaving the dynamical variables of interest via radiation or heat transfer, for example. As the EFT approach typically utilizes the action, and hence Hamilton's Principle of Extremal Action, it is crucial to determine how generally and consistently to accommodate dissipative effects in a variational principle. In this talk, I discuss why Hamilton's Principle fails to incorporate dissipation. I then provide a reformulation that has been used successfully to confirm well-established results as well as to provide new predictions regarding dissipative systems. I show specific examples drawn from EFT applications. Finally, I show how this reformulation of Hamilton's Principle turns out to correspond to the classical limit of quantum theories based on the so-called "in-in" or "closed-time-path" approaches.