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Quantum Gravity

Group “Fundamental Interactions”

Quantum Gravity The quantum gravity team works on a major open question in fundamental physics: how to reconcile general relativity and quantum mechanics. Since gravity describes the dynamics of space-time, this amounts to studying the quantum behavior of time and space.

Loop quantum gravity (LQG) is a major approach aimed at answering this question. In this field, the CPT is at the very forefront, and the team works on the formal definition of the theory, its mathematical aspects, and its applications.

Among the formal developments, the group studies the properties of coherent semiclassical states, which describe quantum geometry, and develops a reformulation of the theory in terms of twistors, which should simplify its application.

The main applications are primordial cosmology and black hole physics. The objective of this research is to identify observable phenomena that could make it possible to test the theory. In the context of cosmology, LQG makes it possible to explore the region close to the initial singularity predicted by classical general relativity. The theory indicates that the current expansion phase of the universe was preceded by a phase of contraction.

LQG also allows the study of the high-curvature region inside black holes (the “Planck star”) and suggests that the central singularity is avoided thanks to quantum effects. The black hole thus becomes unstable: it can explode through a quantum tunneling process, similar to conventional nuclear decay. The team studies the signals produced in this way, which could correspond to observed phenomena such as very high-energy gamma rays or Fast Radio Bursts, possibly caused by explosions of primordial black holes. The quantum structure of space-time is also relevant for studying the thermal properties of black holes and the “information paradox”. The group is at the forefront of the analysis of these questions.

Team's directory

BRUNO Matteo

Post Ph.D.

Contact
DIAZ Juan-Manuel

Ph.D.

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DONA Pietro

Research teacher

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KRAJEWSKI Thomas

Research teacher

+33.4.91.26.95.53

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PEREZ Alejandro

Research teacher

Team leader « Quantum Gravity »

+33.4.91.26.97.98

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PIOVESAN Pierre

Ph.D.

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ROVELLI Carlo

Research teacher emeritus

+33.4.91.26.96.44

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SPEZIALE Simone

Researcher

Unit leader « Interactions fondamentales »

+33.4.91.26.95.47

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SREERAM Gowrisankar

Ph.D.

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YAN Ruijue

Ph.D.

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Team's publications

First order gravity on the light front

Sergey Alexandrov, Simone Speziale

Physical Review D, 2015, 91 (6), pp.064043. (10.1103/PhysRevD.91.064043)

Journal articles


No firewalls in quantum gravity: the role of discreteness of quantum geometry in resolving the information loss paradox

Alejandro Perez

Classical and Quantum Gravity, 2015, Focus Issue: Entanglement and Quantum Gravity, 32 (8), pp.084001. (10.1088/0264-9381/32/8/084001)

Journal articles


Discrete Renormalization Group for SU(2) Tensorial Group Field Theory

Sylvain Carrozza

Annales de l’Institut Henri Poincaré (D) Combinatorics, Physics and their Interactions, 2015, 2 (1), pp.49-112. (10.4171/AIHPD/15)

Journal articles


How big is a black hole?

Marios Christodoulou, Carlo Rovelli

Physical Review D, 2015, 91 (6), pp.064046. (10.1103/PhysRevD.91.064046)

Journal articles


Parametric Representation of Rank d Tensorial Group Field Theory: Abelian Models with Kinetic Term $\sum_{s}|p_s| + \mu$

Joseph Ben Geloun, Reiko Toriumi

Journal of Mathematical Physics, 2015, 56 (9), pp.093503. (10.1063/1.4929771)

Journal articles


Relative information at the foundation of physics

Carlo Rovelli

A. Aguirre et al. It From Bit or Bit From It?, Springer International Publishing, pp.79-86, 2015

Book Section


Symplectic and Semiclassical Aspects of the Schläfli Identity

Hal M. Haggard, Austin Hedeman, Eugene Kur, Robert G. Littlejohn

Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 2015, 48 (10), pp.105203. (10.1088/1751-8113/48/10/105203)

Journal articles


Curvatures and discrete Gauss-Codazzi equation in (2+1)-dimensional loop quantum gravity

Seramika Ariwahjoedi, Jusak Sali Kosasih, Carlo Rovelli, Freddy Zen

International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physics, 2015, 12 (10), pp.1550112. (10.1142/S0219887815501121)

Journal articles


How many quanta are there in a quantum spacetime?

Seramika Ariwahjoedi, Jusak Sali Kosasih, Carlo Rovelli, Freddy Zen

Classical and Quantum Gravity, 2015, 32 (16), pp.165019. (10.1088/0264-9381/32/16/165019)

Journal articles


General Relativity. The Most beautiful of Theories.

Carlo Rovelli

De Gruyter, pp.208, 2015, 978-3-11-038364-5, 978-3-11-038364-5. (10.1515/9783110343304)

Book