Conference

I will derive the gravitonic Casimir effect with non-idealized boundary conditions. This allows the quantification of the gravitonic contribution to the Casimir effect from real bodies. I will show how to use this formula to calculate the meagre gravitonic Casimir effect in ordinary matter. I will also apply this formula to the speculated Heisenberg-Couloumb (HC) effect in superconductors, thereby providing a test for the validity of the HC theory, and, consequently, the existence of gravitons.

The path integral is a very elegant formulation of quantum theory. It can also be an incredibly useful one, since it allows us to use methods of statistical physics, like computer simulations. In this talk I will introduce the subject of Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations to solve the path integral over geometries. This general introduction will use examples from Causal Dynamical Triangulations, Causal Set Theory and Non Commutative geometry to show how different issues can be explored in this manner.