Talks

Quantum-reduced loop gravity is a model of loop quantum gravity, whose characteristic feature is the considerable simplicity of its kinematical structure in comparison with that of full loop quantum gravity. The model therefore provides an accessible testing ground for probing the physical implications of loop quantum gravity. In my talk I will give a brief introduction to quantum-reduced loop gravity, and examine the relation between the quantum-reduced model and full loop quantum gravity. In particular, I will focus on clarifying how the operators of the quantum reduced model are related to those of the full theory. I will show that despite their simplicity, the operators of the quantum-reduced model are simply the operators of the full theory acting on states in the Hilbert space of the quantum-reduced model. In order to pass from the full theory operators to the "reduced" operators, one only has to keep in mind that the states of the quantum-reduced model are labeled with large spins, and discard terms which are of lower than leading order in j.

A standard approach to quantifying resources is to determine which operations on the resources are freely available and to deduce the ordering relation among the resources that these operations induce. If the resource of interest is the nonclassicality of the correlations embodied in a quantum state, that is, entanglement, then it is typically presumed that the appropriate choice of free operations is local operations and classical communication (LOCC). We here argue that, in spite of the near-universal endorsement of the LOCC paradigm by the quantum information community, this is the wrong choice for one of the most prominent applications of entanglement theory, namely, the study of Bell scenarios. The nonclassicality of correlations in such scenarios, we argue, should be quantified instead by local operations and shared randomness (LOSR). We support this thesis by showing that various perverse features of the interplay between entanglement and nonlocality are merely an artifact of the use of LOCC-entanglement and that the interplay between LOSR-entanglement and nonlocality is natural and intuitive. Specifically, we show that the LOSR paradigm (i) provides a resolution of the "anomaly of nonlocality", wherein partially entangled states exhibit more nonlocality than maximally entangled states, (ii) entails a notion of genuine multipartite entanglement that is distinct from the conventional one and which is free of several of its pathological features, and (iii) makes possible a resource-theoretic account of the self-testing of entangled states which simplifies and generalizes prior results. Along the way, we derive some fundamental results concerning the necessary and sufficient conditions for convertibility between pure entangled states under LOSR and highlight some of their consequences, such as the impossibility of catalysis for bipartite pure states. 

We comment on the recently introduced Gauss-Bonnet gravity in four dimensions. We argue that it does not make sense to consider this theory to be defined by a set of D->4 solutions of the higher-dimensional Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We show that a well-defined D->4 limit of Gauss-Bonnet Gravity is obtained generalizing a method employed by Mann and Ross to obtain a limit of the Einstein gravity in D=2 dimensions. This is a scalar-tensor theory of the Horndeski type obtained by dimensional reduction methods. By considering simple spacetimes beyond spherical symmetry (Taub-NUT spaces) we show that the naive limit of the higher-dimensional theory to four dimensions is not well defined and contrast the resultant metrics with the actual solutions of the new theory. Theory and solutions in lower dimensions will also be briefly discussed.

Light dark photons are subject to various plasma effects, such as Debye screening and resonant oscillations, which can lead to a more complex cosmological evolution than is experienced by conventional cold dark matter candidates. Maintaining a consistent history of dark photon dark matter requires ensuring that the super-thermal abundance present in the early Universe (i) does not deviate significantly after the formation of the CMB, and (ii) does not excessively leak into the Standard Model plasma after BBN. In this talk, I will clarify the roles of resonant and non-resonant absorption and address some implications of plasma inhomogeneities on resonant transitions.