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School of Physical and Chemical Sciences

Toy models of gravity

Research Group: Centre for Theoretical Physics
Length of Study in Years: 4

Project Description

In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that gravity and quantum physics are not incompatible; rather, they are intimately connected. The emergence of spacetime is believed to be related to the quantum entanglement of degrees of freedom in a 'holographic dual' quantum system. However, the nature of this emergence is not fully understood, and controlled models for emergent gravity would be immensely valuable. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to build toy models of quantum gravity. This project will involve studying existing models, such as AdS/CFT, the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev model, Jackiw–Teitelboim gravity, matrix models, and important tools in the theory of integrability (e.g. the quantum spectral curve). The ultimate aim of the project is to identify a (possibly discrete) quantum gravity model and find its corresponding holographic dual description.

SPCS Academics: Dr David Vegh