School on Approaches to Quantum Gravity

Although quantum mechanics and general relativity are among the most successful theories ever constructed in physics, complications arise when these two theories are combined to describe quantum gravity. This school will discuss several approaches to resolving the complications of quantum gravity which involve different communities of physicists. In addition to lectures by leaders of the different approaches, there will be daily discussion sessions on selected topics. The school is intended for advanced graduate students and researchers and will be followed by the Quantum Gravity in the Southern Cone VI workshop in the Beach Hotel of Maresias from September 11-14.

Start time: September 2

Ends on: September 9

Venue: São Paulo, Brazil

Organizers: Nathan Berkovits (ICTP-SAIFR and IFT-UNESP), Rodolfo Gambini (Montevideo), Olivera Miskovic (Valparaíso), Carmen Núñez (Buenos Aires), Jorge Pullin (Louisiana), Victor Rivelles (USP São Paulo), Jorge Zanelli (CECS Valdivia)

Lecturers:
Abhay Ashtekar (IGC, Penn State) – The Very Early Universe
Juan Maldacena (IAS Princeton) – AdS-CFT
Alejandro Perez (CPT, AMU Marseille) – Loop Quantum Gravity
Martin Reuter (Mainz) – Asymptotic Safety
John Schwarz (Caltech) – String Theory
Erik Verlinde (Amsterdam) – Entropic Gravity
L. Raul Abramo (USP Sao Paulo) – guest lecture on inflation 

Announcement

List of Participants: Updated on Aug 23

Accommodation: Most participants whose accommodation has been arranged and paid by the institute will stay at Pousada Zilah. Each participant whose accommodation has been arranged by the institute has received the details about the accommodation individually.

Participants whose accommodation has been arranged by the institute, but will pay for their own accommodation, will stay at Ibis-Budget Paulista. The information will be sent individually in a few days with the payment instruction. 

Emergency number to call in case of any problem on the hotel check-in: 982 338 671 (from São Paulo city); +55 11 982 338 671 (from abroad), 11 982 338 671 (from outside São Paulo).

Registration: We ask ALL PARTICIPANTS to arrive at IFT-UNESP (Rua Dr. Bento Teobaldo Ferraz, 271 Bloco 2 4th floor, in front of Terminal Barra-Funda) on Sept. 2 between 8:00 am –9:00 am in order to complete the registration form and to collect the school material. You can find arrival instructions at http://www.ictp-saifr.org/?page_id=195.

Upon registration, please bring a copy of your ID or passport.

BOARDING PASS – All participants, whose travel has been provided or will be reimbursed by the institute, should bring the boarding pass upon registration, and collect an envelope to send the return boarding pass to the institute.

Ground transportation instructions:

From Pousada Zilah to the institute

From the airport to Pousada Zilah

Ibis-Budget Paulista

Links to pdf files of speakers:
Abhay Ashtekar: bibliography, slides I, slides II, homework I, homework II, homework III
Martin Reuter:  arXiv:0708.1317 and M.Niedermaier and M.Reuter, Living Rev. Relativity 9 (2006) 5-173,  homework exercises I,  homework exercises II
John Schwarz: notes on perturbative gravity, homework exercises,  colloquium file
Alejandro Perez: homework exercises, slides, notes on black holes
Erik Verlinde: homework exercises
L. Raul Abramo: homework exercises
Juan Maldacena: homework I, homework II, homework III

Student evaluations of school:

• Student evaluations of school

Photos of school:

• Photos

School Program: Print the PDF version