2017 SUMMER
PROGRAM
* denotes the organizer
responsible for participant diversity
May 28 – September
17
Individual Research
Physicists are encouraged
to apply as individual researchers to work
on their own projects at the Aspen Center
for Physics for up to five weeks at any
time during the summer. We provide a
serene atmosphere to complete work. The
individual researcher may also choose to
attend any workshop meetings or chat with
other scientists in residence in addition
to working on his or her own research.
Click here for more
information.
May 28
– September 17
Working Group
Working groups of between two and six
physicists are encouraged. Click here for more
information.
May 28 - June 18
After Inflation
Organizers:
Peter Adshead,
University of Illinois
Mustafa Amin, Rice
University
Scott Watson*, Syracuse
University
There is a gap in our
understanding of the period between the
end of inflation and the production of the
light elements. While the inflationary
paradigm provides a consistent, calculable
framework for understanding the origin of
structure in our universe, we do not
understand the details of how inflation
ends and how we arrive at a universe with
thermalized SM (and beyond SM) components.
The detailed mechanisms for generating
stable relics, such as dark matter, or
generating the observed matter/antimatter
asymmetry continue to elude us. The aim of
the proposed workshop is to bring together
experts in inflation and reheating,
non-perturbative field dynamics and high
energy particle physics phenomenology, as
well as observers interested in exploring
and constraining this rich period in our
cosmic history.
May 28
- June 18
Quantum Gravity and
New Moonshines
Organizers:
Alejandra Castro,
University of Amsterdam
Miranda Cheng,
University of Amsterdam
Anne Taormina, Durham
University, UK
Katrin Wendland,
Universitat Freiburg
In very recent
years, the subject of Moonshine has made
unexpected appearances in various corners
of string theory, and most remarkably in
the physics of black holes and lower
dimensional gravity. This is leading to an
avalanche of ``New Moonshine
Conjectures'', which raises a multitude of
open problems, and in our opinion the time
is ripe to tackle them. Answers to these
questions will deepen our understanding of
conformal field theory, the string theory
landscape, black holes and other aspects
of quantum gravity.
This workshop is focused on these new
developments in quantum gravity and its
intricate connections with number theory,
geometry and group theory. We believe that
new approaches in both physics and
mathematics can be developed by bringing
together members of these seemingly
unrelated communities.
June
4 - June 25
Information in
Quantum Field Theory
Organizers:
Anatoly Dymarsky*,
University of Kentucky
Daniel Harlow, Princeton
University
Thomas Hartman , Cornell
University
Sean Hartnoll, Stanford
University
Quantum
information theory is playing an
increasingly important role in our
understanding of fundamental properties of
quantum field theory and quantum gravity.
When combined with the local nature of
interactions, information theory often
leads to surprising and nontrivial
results. The holographic correspondence
further extends the reach of information
theory to the realm of quantum gravity.
This workshop will focus on applications
of information theory to field theoretic
systems, encompassing a wide range of
topics fundamental to high energy theory,
gravitational physics, and condensed
matter. Among the areas of particular
interest are:
+ Subregions in gauge theory and quantum
gravity
+ Bounds on thermalization, transport,
energy, and chaos in quantum field
theories
+ Non-integrable conformal field theories
in 1+1 dimensions
Our goal is to bring together a diverse
community of researchers working in these
and adjacent areas to foster a field-wide
discussion of the role of information
theory in quantum field theory.
June
11 - July 2
The Packing of
Continua
Organizers:
Gregory Grason*,
University of Massachusetts
Eleni Katifori,
University of Pennsylvania
L. Mahadevan, Harvard
University
Jennifer Schwarz, Syracuse
University
Packing
problems have been at the core physical
descriptions of matter dating back to at
least the time of Kepler. This workshop
will bring together researchers from
diverse fields working to understand
packing of filaments and sheets in
three-dimensional space. In comparison to
problems of packing compact and rigid
elements, the consequences of the more
subtle interplay between shape and
separation of continuously deformable,
extended objects on their space-filling
arrangements and collective behaviors at
high density are far less understood. And
this, despite the diverse applications of
filament and sheet packing problems to
current challenges in biology and
materials science, from the fractal
packing of condensed chromosomes to the
design of 2D metamaterials. The scope of
the workshop will cover recent advances in
characterizing, understanding and
optimizing multi-filament/sheet
assemblies, as well as frontier questions
stemming from new observations and
emerging challenges in biological and
synthetic matter.
June
18 - July 9
Neutron Stars:
Linking Nuclear Physics of the
Interior to Electromagnetic
Observations and Gravitational
Radiation
Organizers:
Gordon Baym*,
University of Illinois
Tetsuo Hatsuda, RIKEN
Kostas Kokkotas,
Tuebingen University
Feryal Ozel, University
of Arizona
Neutron star
physics is at a very fertile moment, with
remarkable and ongoing progress from both
observational and theoretical directions.
The importance of understanding their
behavior and structure has been underlined
by the recent direct detection of
gravitational radiation, since neutron
stars mergers with black holes or neutron
stars will be principal sources of future
observations of gravitational waves.
Direct observation of 2.0 solar mass stars
and ongoing determinations of masses and
radii are constraining the composition of
neutron star interiors; the NICER
experiment, soon to be delivered to the
International Space Station, will provide
a wealth of new data. At the same time, an
emerging understanding in quantum
chromodynamics (QCD) of how nuclear matter
turns into deconfined quark matter at high
baryon densities, has led to advances in
understanding the equation of state of the
matter under the extreme conditions in
neutron star interiors, work complementary
to studies of dense matter at
ultrarelativistic heavy ion collision
experiments at RHIC in Brookhaven and the
LHC at CERN. The aim of this workshop is
to bring together researchers from the
various disciplines involved in these
advances -- including observers of pulsars
and compact X-ray sources, nuclear and QCD
physicists studying dense matter, and
gravitational wave physicists – to
further advance understanding of neutron
star interiors both microscopically and as
constrained by observations.
June
25 - July 23
Correlations and
Entanglement in and out of
Equilibrium: From Cold Atoms to
Electrons
Organizers:
Randall Hulet,Rice
University
Meera Parish*, Monash
University
David Pekker,
University of Pittsburgh
Joerg Schmiedmayer,
Vienna University of Technology
Remarkable
developments of the last few years have
changed how we understand and study
quantum many-body systems, especially out
of equilibrium. This progress is a result
of work done in several different
communities, including quantum field
theory, cosmology, condensed matter
physics, atomic physics, quantum
information theory, and recently even
string theory through the window of
holography. The workshop aims to bring
together leading theoretical and
experimental experts from across different
subfields of this endeavor with the aim to
stimulate a stronger collaboration among
groups that have quite different
perspectives on the problem. The ultimate
goal is to consolidate and deepen the
understanding of new concepts in
correlated quantum matter in- and
out-of-equilibrium. The workshop will
identify new research directions directed
towards answering fundamental questions
that previously eluded systematic
treatment: (1) How do correlations
build-up as one goes from the few- to the
many-particle regime? (2) What are the
basic mechanisms that govern
thermalization in a closed quantum system,
and what are their possible modes of
failure? (3) What is the nature of the
transition from a non-ergodic (e.g.
many-body localized) quantum-state to an
ergodic fluid? (4) What new phenomena
emerge when we combine strong interactions
with non-trivial topological band
structures? (5) What new states of matter,
with no equilibrium counterpart, are
established in driven systems?
July
9 - August 6
Astrophysics of
Gravitational Radiation Sources and
Multimessenger Astronomy in the Era of
LIGO Detections
Organizers:
Manuela Campanelli, Rochester
Institute of Technology
Vassiliki Kalogera*,
Northwestern University
Julian Krolik, Johns
Hopkins University
Fred Rasio,
Northwestern University
Steinn Sigurdsson,
Pennsylvania State University
For centuries, astronomy
has been restricted to observations of
photons, for most of that time restricted
further to the visible band. With the
advent of both gravitational wave and
neutrino observations of astrophysical
sources, we have at last truly entered the
epoch of multi-messenger astronomy. This
workshop will explore the implications of
this advance for the study of the objects
that are the focus of this new discipline:
black holes, both stellar-mass and
supermassive, and neutron stars. We aim to
bring together physicists and
astrophysicists, experimentalists,
observers, theorists, and computational
astrophysicists in order to discover new
ways for each approach to complement the
others.
Among the specific topics to be discussed
are:
- Merging black hole binaries, their
gravitational radiation signatures, and
tests of general relativity
- Prospects for improved source
localization in both gravitational wave
and neutrino events
- Formation and evolution of the LIGO
source population, merging binaries
containing stellar-mass black holes or
neutron stars
- Gravitational wave, electromagnetic, and
neutrino transients from merger events
involving stellar-mass black holes and
neutron stars
- Formation and evolution of black hole
binaries up the mass-scale, from
intermediate mass to supermassive
- Multi-messenger signals from black hole
binaries of all masses: photons,
neutrinos, direct and indirect (e.g.
pulsar timing) detection of gravitational
waves
July
23 - August 27
Reaching New
Summits: The LHC at Full Strength
Organizers:
Radja Boughezal,
Argonne National Laboratory
Mariangela Lisanti
Princeton University
Patrick Meade,, Stony
Brook University
Michele Papucci*,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Matt Schwartz, Harvard
University
The LHC has already
provided us with the monumental discovery
of a Higgs-like boson, but has thus far
left us with more open questions than
answers. After reaching its design energy
of 13 TeV last year, by summer 2017 it
will have accumulated more integrated
luminosity than in Run I. With this
increased amount of data it will be
possible to search for deviations from
Standard Model (SM) predictions with more
precision than possible in Run I. The
properties of the Higgs will be studied in
more detail, and new production channels
will be accessible for the first time.
This could provide clues about the
underlying nature of electroweak symmetry
breaking, which remains a primary
motivator for theories of new physics. In
addition, many new processes will be
probed in detail for the first time,
providing new windows onto BSM physics.
However, the increase in center-of-mass
energy in Run II has led us into the
"Sudakov Zone", in which the combination
of QCD and electroweak corrections must be
studied in detail in order to enable
discoveries in the high-mass tails of the
distributions. Furthermore, the order of
magnitude luminosity increase at the LHC
will not be matched again until the next
decade and makes summer 2017 the most
crucial time in the near future to respect
on the implications for BSM physics,
especially if new discrepancies with the
SM necessitating a BSM physics
explantation will build up before then.
This workshop aims at gathering experts
from different communities of particle
theory needed to decipher what the LHC
provides and to study the implications for
theoretical models: experts in model
building, theorists skilled in SM
phenomenology and precision calculations,
as well as key experimentalists are needed
to make progress in interpreting LHC
results and planning for future searches.
August
6 - August 27
Quantum Criticality
in Metallic Systems
Organizers:
Sudip Chakravarty,
University of California, Los Angeles
Andrey Chubukov*,
University of Minnesota
Piers Coleman, Rutgers
University
Peter Woelfle, Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology
In recent
years there has been resurgence of
interest in the problem of quantum
criticality of metals, which fundamentally
challenges our understanding of electronic
behavior at the quantum level. A
confluence of new developments on the
experimental front, driven by new
experimental techniques and the discovery
of new materials appears to pose more
questions than answers. This workshop will
address the outstanding problems of
quantum-critical behavior in systems with
Fermi surfaces and in systems with
low-energy excitations around particular
points in momentum space, such as graphene
and Weyl semi-metals. Materials of
interest include heavy fermion metals,
cuprates, iron based superconductors and
other strongly correlated systems. In
these systems the Landau Fermi liquid
paradigm breaks down at criticality and
there is no natural small parameter for a
conventional perturbative expansion. A
number of non-perturbative schemes have
been proposed, such as the 1/N expansion,
dimensional regularization,
self-consistent strong coupling treatment.
The workshop will offer a forum for
assessments of the current state of the
art in the understanding of
quantum-critical and non-Fermi liquid
behavior in metals, identifying the
outstanding unsolved problems, and the
most promising directions for new
theoretical research in this field.
August
20 - September 17
Active Living
Matter
Organizers:
Chase Broedersz,
Princeton University
Nikta Fakhri, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
Fred MacKintosh*, Vrije
Universiteit Amsterdam
Joshua Shaevitz, Princeton
University
The aim of
this workshop is to bring together a group
of physicists, engineers, and biologists
to discuss the physics of biological and
soft matter systems far from equilibrium.
Our primary goal is to identify the key
experimental and theoretical challenges to
uncovering the principles of collective
non-equilibrium dynamics in biological
systems, from the intracellular to the
organism scale. The major themes of the
workshop will include:
1. Active mechanics and dynamics in cells
and collections of cells
2. Statistical mechanics of sensing,
inference, and adaptation
3. Active matter
August
27 - September 17
Developing New
Tools for Dark Matter Searches
Organizers:
Dmitry Budker, Johannes
Gutenberg University Mainz
Yonatan Kahn, Princeton
University
Maxim Pospelov, University
of Victoria
Kathryn Zurek*,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The goal of this workshop
is to bring together theorists and
experimentalists from across a broad
spectrum of disciplines to generate new
ideas and directions in dark matter
detection. This includes experts both in
devices capable of measuring the minute
energy depositions often typical of
lighter-than-WIMP dark matter, as well as
those working on more traditional New
Physics probes such as beam dump
experiments. We also plan to address new
ways of looking for the ultra-light dark
matter using precision AMO tools (for
example, clocks, magnetometry, and
gravitational wave interferometers). It is
an open-ended journey, where
unconventional ideas, diverse expertise
and imagination are required!
August
27 - September 17
Vorticity in the
Universe: From Superfluids to Weather
and Climate, to the Universe
Organizers:
James Cho Queen Mary,
University of London
John Marston*, Brown
University
Heloise Meheut,
Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur
Peter B. Weichman, BAE
Systems
Vorticity is
encountered in nearly all areas of science
– and on an astonishing range of scales.
It is encountered in Bose-Einstein
condensates, biofluids and biolocomotions,
boundary layers, fusion reactors,
planetary atmospheres, oceans and
climates, stellar and galactic flows, as
well as the early Universe. Yet, the
viewpoints, analysis tools, and
applications of vorticity in all of these
areas are rarely compared and contrasted
among the different communities. A more
global perspective and generalized
‘vorticity thinking’ can be of
tremendous mutual benefit: such thinking
has already revolutionized understanding
in many aspects of modern atmosphere and
ocean dynamics and is starting to make
significant inroads in plasma physics and
astrophysics. In view of this, this
workshop will bring together leading
researchers of vorticity from different
areas of physics. The aim is to provide an
opportunity to: i) share the latest
research findings and tools in a focused
way, ii) stimulate innovative ideas and
collaborations, and iii) set new research
directions.
aspenphys.org/physicists/summer/program/workinggroups.html
