Searching for Quantum Gravity in the Sky

Scientific organizers:
Dr. Christian Pfeifer (ZARM Bremen), Prof. Dr. Giulia Gubitosi (U Napoli), Prof. Dr. Tomislav Terzić (U Rijeka), Prof. Dr. Jose Manuel Carmona (U Zaragoza)

February 16 - 21, 2025, Physikzentrum Bad Honnef, Germany
supported by

 

 

 

The goal of this physics school is to offer master and Ph.D. students from the field of experimental and theoretical physics as well as mathematics and philosophy, a coherent introduction to the subject of quantum gravity phenomenology from both theoretical and experimental perspectives. The participants should be interested in, or already work on, the search for quantum gravity from the theoretical or experimental side, and be motivated to learn from both sides to be able to get a more complete overview over the research field.

Quantum gravity phenomenology as rather new field of research represents a highly interesting bridge between fundamental theories of quantum gravity and observations.

The participants will receive a training in the language of theoretical phenomenology of quantum gravity and how to predict signatures that can be observed. They will learn how observatories collect data and how this data can be used to consistently test theoretical predictions. This education equips the participants with the skills to bridge the gap between theory and experiment in quantum gravity phenomenology research in the future.

To demonstrate and teach how theory and experiment in quantum gravity phenomenology can work together effectively, this school focuses on two selected and intensively discussed topics in the literature, for which this works particularly well. These topics are: modified particle propagation through the cosmos and modified relativistic interactions in the cosmos. The subjects will be covered in four lectures.

These four in-depth main lectures of the school are accompanied by a general overview and an outlook on future perspectives in quantum gravity phenomenology. The school will begin with an introductory talk on the history and future of quantum gravity phenomenology in general, and conclude with a final outlook lecture on the search for quantum gravity in laboratory experiments.

Beyond the main scope of the school, an evening talk will present the challenges in cosmology, which will help to place research on quantum gravity phenomenology within the context of intriguing questions posed by general relativity.

Lectures & Topics (preliminary)

Kick-Off Lecture:

• Christian Pfeifer (University of Bremen) - Quantum gravity phenomenology: The past, the now and the future

Main Lectures:

• Giacomo Rosati (University of Wrocław) - Theory and observables within deformed relativity
• Jelena Strišković (Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek) - The search for time delays in GRB and AGN observations
• Rafael Alves Batista (Sorbonne Université, Paris) - Quantum gravity effects on astroparticle propagation: interaction threshold effects
• Caterina Trimarelli (University of Geneva) - Data analysis for anomalous threshold reactions

Evening Lecture:

• Jackson Levi Said (University of Malta) - Reaching the boundaries of general relativity: Tensions in Cosmology

Closing Lecture:

• Flaminia Giacomini (ETH Zürich) - Gravitating quantum systems: a low-energy perspective on quantum effects in gravity

The accommodation and all meals during the school will be provided by the Physikzentrum. You will be accommodated directly in the building of the Physikzentrum - the school location.

FEES: 200 € full board and lodging (for DPG* members 100 € )
* The German Physical Society (DPG)

⇒ Registration Deadline November 30
⇒ Book of Abtracts
⇒ Special Offer for Train Tickets

Attention: There are some fake companies, which pretend to organize your stay in Bad Honnef. Please, be careful and do not reply to them. Your accommodation and full board will be provided exclusively by the Physikzentrum.