HEP department seminar by Timothy Budd

Monday 13 Jun 2022, 12:30 → 13:30 Europe/Amsterdam

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://radbouduniversity.zoom.us/j/828394 (Zoom)

TITLE:  Gravity without coordinates? - some mathematics

Abstract: The metric formulation of general relativity has a huge gauge symmetry group: the same spacetime geometry can be described by many different metrics associated to different choices of coordinates on spacetime. Since the physics is in the geometry and not in the coordinates, it is beneficial, especially en route to quantum gravity, to be able to work on "Moduli spaces" of geometries, i.e. the spaces of metrics modulo changes of coordinates. In general these are very complicated mathematical objects to analyze or calculate with, but I will highlight some mathematical advances in lower-dimensional geometry, that follow the "bijective approach" of encoding all information about a geometry in simpler objects (like trees). Along the way I will mention some ongoing activities in my group aiming to extend this to settings more relevant to gravity.

HEP seminar Timothy Budd 06-2022.pdf