Searching for Quantum Gravity in the Sky

Bad Honnef Physics School

16 Feb - 21 Feb 2025

Where:

Physikzentrum Bad Honnef

Scientific organizers:

Dr. Christian Pfeifer, ZARM Bremen • Prof. Dr. Giulia Gubitosi, U Napoli/IT • Prof. Dr. Tomislav Terzić, U Rijeka/HR • Prof. Dr. Jose Manuel Carmona, U Zaragoza/ES

The goal of this physics school is to offer master and Ph.D. students from the field of experimental and theoretical physics as well as mathematics and philosophy, a coherent introduction to the subject of quantum gravity phenomenology from both theoretical and experimental perspectives. The participants should be interested in, or already work on, the search for quantum gravity from the theoretical or experimental side, and be motivated to learn from both sides to be able to get a more complete overview over the research field.

Quantum gravity phenomenology as rather new field of research represents a highly interesting bridge between fundamental theories of quantum gravity and observations.

The participants will receive a training in the language of theoretical phenomenology of quantum gravity and how to predict signatures that can be observed. They will learn how observatories collect data and how this data can be used to consistently test theoretical predictions. This education equips the participants with the skills to bridge the gap between theory and experiment in quantum gravity phenomenology research in the future.

To demonstrate and teach how theory and experiment in quantum gravity phenomenology can work together effectively, this school focuses on two selected and intensively discussed topics in the literature, for which this works particularly well. These topics are: modified particle propagation through the cosmos and modified relativistic interactions in the cosmos. The subjects will be covered in four lectures.

These four in-depth main lectures of the school are accompanied by a general overview and an outlook on future perspectives in quantum gravity phenomenology. The school will begin with an introductory talk on the history and future of quantum gravity phenomenology in general, and conclude with a final outlook lecture on the search for quantum gravity in laboratory experiments.