Beyond Spacetime and the Geneva Symmetry Group are happy to present an online talk by Erik Curiel next week:
Thursday, 30 April 2020, at 16:15 over ZOOM:
Erik Curiel (LMU Munich): On the mathematical, physical, and conceptual cogency of quantum field theory on curved spacetime
Please find the abstract below.
The meeting is open to all and will be held over ZOOM (https://unige.zoom.us/), with the meeting ID 286-342-072.
In order to directly join, please use
https://unige.zoom.us/j/286342072
We will record this meeting, and plan to livestream it on our Youtube channel ‘Beyond Spacetime: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_VhTJBl6Mpmfjj5q832rjg
Anyone is welcome to participate!
Best regards,
Christian Wüthrich
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Erik Curiel (LMU Munich): On the mathematical, physical, and conceptual cogency of quantum field theory on curved spacetime
Abstract: Quantum field theory on curved spacetime (QFT-CST) is the framework within which our current theories about quantum effects around black holes are formulated. The results of their study, including most famously the Hawking effect and its infamous spawn the information-loss paradox, have revealed several surprises that threaten to overturn the views of space, time, and matter that general relativity and quantum field theory each on their own suggests. In partiular, they appear to point to a deep and hitherto unsuspected connection among our three most fundamental theories, general relativity, quantum field theory and thermodynamics. As such, work in QFT-CST provides some of the most important, central, and fruitful fields of study in theoretical physics, bringing together workers from a variety of fields such as cosmology, general relativity, quantum field theory, particle physics, fluid dynamics, condensed matter, and quantum gravity, providing bridges that now closely connect disciplines once seen as largely independent. The framework, however, has serious mathematical, physical and conceptual problems. In this talk, I will provide a sketch of the framework and a survey of some of the most important problems it faces.
[In terms of technical difficulty, this talk rates 4/5]
