Talks

In this talk I will sketch the relation between unitary representations of the BMS3 group and three-dimensional, asymptotically flat gravity. More precisely, after giving an exact definition of the BMS group in three dimensions, I will argue that its unitary representations are classified by orbits of CFT stress tensors under conformal transformations. These stress tensors, in turn, can be interpreted as Bondi mass aspects for asymptotically flat metrics. I will also show how one can compute characters of the BMS3 group, which coincide with suitable gravitational one-loop partition functions

In recent years, entanglement has become a new frontier with applications across several fields in physics. Nevertheless, simple conceptual pictures and practical ways to quantify entanglement in many-body systems have remained elusive even for the simplest models. In this talk, I will consider entanglement and Renyi entropies as well as quantum (mutual, tripartite, etc.) information in a quantum field theory. For free field theories, I will show that quantum entropies and information can be computed and understood by analogy with the thermal Casimir effect in one higher dimension. Furthermore, I will introduce a geometrical picture for the quantum (mutual, tripartite) information as a sum over polymers establishing a connection to purely entropic effects that prove useful in deriving information inequalities.  Finally, I will show that similar ideas may be extended beyond free field theories.

In light of the upcoming Generation 2 (G2) direct-detection experiments attempting to record dark matter scattering with nuclei in underground detectors, it is timely to inquire about their ability to single out the correct theory of dark-matter-baryon interactions, in case a signal is observed. I will present a recent study in which we perform statistical analysis of a large set of direct-detection simulations, covering a wide variety of operators that describe scattering of fermionic dark matter with nuclei. I will show that a strong signal on G2 xenon and germanium targets has enough discrimination power to reconstruct the momentum dependence of the interaction, ruling out entire classes of models. However, zeroing in on a correct UV completion will critically depend on the availability of measurements from a wide variety of nuclear targets (including iodine and fluorine) and on the availability of low energy thresholds. This study quantifies complementarity amongst different experimental designs and targets, and provides a roadmap for future data analyses. It also highlights the critical need for bringing in information from all available probes in dark matter studies.

Many-body systems with both coherent dynamics and dissipation constitute a rich class of models which are nevertheless much less explored than their dissipationless counterparts. The advent of numerous experimental platforms that simulate such dynamics poses an immediate challenge to systematically understand and classify these models. In particular, nontrivial many-body states emerge as steady states under non-equilibrium dynamics. In this talk, I use a systematic approach based on the Keldysh formalism to study nonequilibrium phases and phase transitions in such models. I show that an effective thermal behavior generically emerges as a result of dissipation, and the universal behavior including the dynamics near the steady state is described by a universality class in equilibrium thermodynamics. In the end, I will also discuss possibilities that go beyond the paradigm of an effective thermal behaviour.

I will review the possible role in Geometric Langlands
of N=4 boundary conditions in four-dimensional supersymmetric Yang Mills theory.
The action of S-duality on such boundary conditions can be understood
in terms of symplectic duality.

The mergers of black hole-neutron star and neutron star-neutron star binaries are one of the primary targets for Advanced LIGO and other gravitational wave detectors now coming online. In addition, these events may source a number of electromagnetic counterparts, including short gamma-ray bursts and ejecta powered transients. Particularly in the case of binaries that are dynamically-assembled in dense stellar regions like globular clusters, these mergers may involve neutron stars with non-negligible spin. I will present results from simulations of such events that show that neutron star spin can have important consequences, including altering the amount of unbound material that may power a transient, and determining whether or not a hypermassive neutron star forms following a binary neutron star merger. I will also discuss how in some cases, this resulting hypermassive neutron star becomes dominated by the one-arm spiral instability, and how this affects the gravitational signal from such events.

I will present a generalization of the spinor approach of Euclidean loop quantum gravity to the 3D Lorentzian case, where the gauge group is the noncompact SU(1,1). The key tool of this generalization is the recoupling theory between unitary infinite-dimensional representations and non-unitary finite-dimensional ones, needed to generalize the Wigner-Eckart theorem to tensor operators for SU(1,1).
SU(1,1) tensor operators are used to build observables and a quantum Hamiltonian constraint, analogous to the one introduced by Bonzom and Livine in the Euclidean case. I will show that the Lorentzian Ponzano-Regge amplitude is a solution of the Hamiltonian constraint, by making use of the Biedenharn-Elliott relations (generalized to the case where unitary and non-unitary SU(1,1) representations are coupled to each other).

Emerging techniques and technologies, drawn from many fields of science and medicine, are allowing us to peer inside the human body with unprecedented sensitivity and to probe the fundamental processes of life – in real time. TRIUMF’s Life Sciences Division is making such studies possible with isotopes, short-lived elements that are harnessed and incorporated into next generation pharmaceuticals designed to provide incredible insight into the complex systems that make up life. With its specialized expertise and facilities in particle accelerator targets, isotope production, and radiochemistry, TRIUMF – Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics and accelerator-based science – has unique capabilities in this area.

In his talk, Dr. Paul Schaffer, Associate Laboratory Director of TRIUMF’s Life Sciences Division, will explore how he and his team use accelerators to develop tools and techniques to advance the field of nuclear medicine. He’ll share leading-edge developments and discuss the promise advanced medical isotopes hold for disease diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as talk about his team’s award-winning efforts to produce a secure supply of critical medical isotopes.