Translating quantum gravity for the massless

Speaker

Dr. James Sully

Abstract

Quantum gravity is sometimes derided as a pursuit of purely theoretical interest. But recent developments in our understanding of black holes suggest that effects from quantum gravity might one day be testable by gravitational wave measurements. To prepare ourselves, we must first understand what quantum gravity really means. Thankfully, we are pre-armed with a deep principle about gravity—that spacetime is really a hologram—and a powerful model for making this idea precise: gauge/gravity duality.  I will explain what these concepts mean and how to translate gravitational physics to a more familiar language to reveal insights about the fabric of spacetime.​