Lecture – 'Loop Quantum Gravity: Philosophical and Empirical Implications'
The UA Philosophy Department will present a special lecture in the philosophy of science, featuring by special invitation, Professor Carlo Rovelli from the University of the Mediterranean in Marseille, France.
Abstract:
Loop quantum gravity is currently the best developed attempt to understand the quantum properties of space and time. I will present its main ideas in simple terms, discuss its implications for the philosophy of space and time, and illustrate some current efforts to connect it to observations. Among these is the prediction that small black holes can quantum tunnel into white holes, and form a possible component of dark matter.
Speaker:
Rovelli, a theoretical physicist, was born in Italy in 1956 and has worked in Italy, the U.S., and France. His main contributions are the foundation and the development of loop quantum gravity, the introduction of the "Relational Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics," and an extensive analysis of the physics of time. He is known to the large public for global best sellers such as "Seven Brief Lessons in Physics" and "The Order of Time." In 2019, he was included by Foreign Policy magazine in the list of the 100 most influential global thinkers in the world.