.Mitchell Institute (MIST) Events
Fall 2023
BTZ Black Holes From the Worldsheet
Speaker: Emil Martinec (University of Chicago)
We discuss two aspects of worldsheet string dynamics in the presence of AdS3 (BTZ) black holes. First, we construct AdS3 orbifolds describing conical defect geometries that prepare pure state black holes through Euclidean evolution, and examine aspects of the bulk/boundary correspondence. Second, BTZ black holes can discharge by radiating wound [...]
JADES: Our First Year Capturing Light from the Dawn of Time
Speaker: Kevin Hainline (University of Arizona)Host: Justin Spilker
Following the successful launch in December of 2021 of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the global astronomical community has celebrated the exciting early results from the observatory. In this talk, Kevin Hainline, a member of the science team for the primary camera on board JWST, NIRCam, will discuss how [...]Emergent Space and Time in Holographic Duality
Speaker: Samuel Leutheusser (Princeton University)
In holographic duality, a higher dimensional quantum gravity system emerges from a lower dimensional conformal field theory (CFT) with a large number of degrees of freedom. We propose a formulation of duality for a general causally complete bulk spacetime region, called subalgebra-subregion duality, which provides a framework to describe how [...]
Quasi-periodic Oscillations in Supermassive Black Holes
Speaker: Ashutosh Tripathi (Texas A&M University)Host: Grace Olivier
Quasi-periodic Oscillations (QPOs) have been observed in supermassive black holes across the whole electromagnetic spectrum. The claimed timescales range from a few tens of minutes to days, to weeks, and even a decade. Different models have been proposed to explain these QPOs which are primarily based on the timescales of periodicity. [...]
Status of the BeEST Heavy Neutrino Search Experiment
Speaker: Inwook Kim (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)Host: Doojin Kim
The Beryllium Electron-capture in Superconducting Tunnel junctions (BeEST) experiment aims to detect the signatures of heavy neutrino mass eigenstates by meticulously measuring the recoil energy of the Li-7 daughter nucleus resulting from Be-7 electron capture. Operating a single uperconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector, the BeEST has set world-leading limits on [...]Symmetry, Soft Dynamics and Holography in Asymptotically Flat Spacetimes
Speaker: Daniel Kapec (Harvard University)
Despite our detailed understanding of holography in Anti-de Sitter space, flat space holography remains somewhat mysterious. “Celestial CFT” is one approach to the subject which attempts to recast quantum gravity in (d+2)-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetimes in terms of a d-dimensional Euclidean CFT residing at the conformal boundary. I will discuss [...]Laser-interferometric and optomechanical technologies for astrophysics and Earth science
Speaker: Felipe Guzman (Texas A&M University)Host: Justin Spilker
Coherent light enables length measurements of exquisite sensitivity that lie at the core of fascinating technological advances and engineering applications, as well as observations in fundamental physics, astrophysics, geodesy, and measurement science in general. Novel technologies and measurement principles find application in areas that are paradigm-changing; not only in fundamental [...]
Gravitational Waves from Nnaturalness
Speaker: Mudit Rai (Texas A&M University)Host: Doojin Kim
In this work, we investigate the gravitational wave aspect of the Nnaturalness models. They have been previously well studied in the context of higgs hierarchy problem. We find that Nnaturalness by itself cannot explain the recent observation of stochastic GW background observed recently by NANOGrav. However a large chunk of [...]Generalized Symmetries in String Theory
Speaker: Max Hübner (University of Pennsylvania)
Generalized global symmetries occur in large classes of quantum field theories (QFTs). Whenever a QFT admits a string construction one can ask how structures associated with these symmetries lift and are characterized in the stringy realization of the QFT. For example topological operators realizing these symmetries in many cases admit [...]Into the Dusty Universe with ALMA and JWST
Speaker: Jed McKinney (University of Texas, Austin)Host: Justin Spilker
Most of star-formation over the last 11 Billion years has happened within thick veils of dust, and in turn, dust shapes star-formation inside galaxies. Dust also absorbs and scatters light which can make optical probes of gas conditions difficult to measure, and hides very distant galaxies from even the most [...]Compositeness from eV to TeV
Speaker: Benoît Assi (Fermilab)Host: Doojin Kim
Composite states occur over vast scales and play an important role in various domains of particle physics. In the first part I report on the recent development and application of non-relativistic QCD for the study of hadrons and multi-hadron systems in QCD and beyond. In particular, I will demonstrate how we [...]Transforming Our Understanding of Galaxy Formation with the Power of JWST and ALMA
Speaker: Wren Suess (University of California, Santa Cruz)Host: Justin Spilker
Galaxies are one of the fundamental building blocks of our universe, yet despite a century of study we still don’t understand how these vast cosmic ecosystems formed. The key challenge is that we want to measure physical properties like stellar mass, but all we observe is light. Making the translation [...]