High Energy Theory Seminar: Normalization of Instantons in Minimal String Theory

Chitraang Murdia (University of Pennsylvania)

We match instanton contributions between minimal string theory and its dual matrix integral. The main technical insight is to use string field theory to analyze and cure the divergences in the cylinder diagram in…

Condensed Matter Seminar: Granular and Active: Findings and behavior in many fire-ant systems

Alberto Fernandez-Nieves (U Barcelona)

Experiments with fire-ant columns reveal similarities and differences with granular columns. For granular columns, we will show that narrowing the column diameter can result in novel…

High Energy Theory Seminar: Emergent N=4 supersymmetry from N=1

Monica Kang (University of Pennsylvania)

I will construct 4d N=1,2 SCFTs with identical central charges a=c (without a large N limit) via the diagonal gauging of collections of non-Lagrangian Argyres–Douglas and conformal matter theories. Utilizing a…

Colloquium: Nonlinear topological photonics

Bo Zhen (University of Pennsylvania)

Topological photonics is a rapidly developing field, often drawing inspirations from the recent successes in electronic systems. Yet there are a few major differences between photons and electrons, leading to…

High Energy Theory Seminar: Double Scaled SYK and de Sitter Holography

Herman L. Verlinde (Princeton University)

In this talk I will describe a new and precise holographic dictionary between the SYK model in the double scaling limit and 2D de Sitter gravity.

What’s inside a black hole? Probing the interior of black holes with gravitational waves

Ramy Brustein (Ben Gurion U. of Negev)

I will present general arguments, based on fundamental physics principles, as to why we should expect a significant, horizon scale, departure from semiclassical gravity inside astrophysical black holes. Then, I will…

Astrophysics Seminar: Interstellar Interlopers and Dark Comets

Darryl Seligman (Cornell University)

In recent years, two entirely new classes of planetesimals have been discovered in the solar system: interstellar interlopers and dark comets.  These still-enigmatic objects are challenging our understanding of the…

Condensed Matter Seminar: Magnetic Chirality

Sang-Wook Cheong (Rutgers University)

High Energy Seminar: Nonlinear Black Hole Ringdown

Macarena Lagos (Columbia University)

Gravitational waves (GWs) offer a unique observational window into the nature of gravity. In particular, the remnant black hole formed after the merger of two compact objects emits GWs with a…

Elon Musk Public Lecture: "The Many Worlds of Quantum Mechanics"

Sean Carroll (Johns Hopkins University)

One of the great intellectual achievements of the twentieth century was the theory of quantum mechanics, according to which observational results can only be predicted probabilistically rather than with…