Gravi-weak unification at ILQGS (online talk by Marciano)

marcus

The main topic at present is Alexander's 26 Feb talk on Gravity and Electroweak Unification. When the audio is posted, the link will be appearing at:
http://relativity.phys.lsu.edu/ilqgs/ Here are the slides:
http://relativity.phys.lsu.edu/ilqgs...nder022613.pdf

Whether or not this particular Gravity and EW unification ultimately proves correct, I expect this work to play an important part in the emergence of a new research field. For the time being, I'll call it LQGM (loop quantum geometry-and-matter).

I think of LQG as being a practice run or rehearsal for this field---which developed the appropriate concepts, mathematical tools, and an understanding of how to use them.

It's worth noting that every scientific field is based on a body of observed behavior which it attempts to explain. Pure LQG without adjoining matter has little in the way of observed behavior to explain. It concerns the microscopic structure of empty space, which is not revealed in a large body of observed phenomena.

Rather I think LQG is a special sector of what I am calling LQGM---what you get when you add matter to the picture, and carry over to it the concepts and mathematical tools prepared so far in this specialized area, for use in the general theory.

This is why I regard the Alexander and Marciano talks as laying out an essential step in the development of this general area of research.

We are talking about background independent quantization of the Ashetekar-Plebanski formulation of classical geometry (GR) which we now see is capable of naturally including matter.

Blackforest

Any way: thank you very much for your answer and for the try to help me. I have seen the Alexander's work post 52. It is complicated () but interesting for the pedagogy. Perhaps I shall try to develop my own basic BF theory (as a toy model); it is just a question of time and of energy ...

marcus

Here's the list of invited speakers at Loops 2013
http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/conferences/loops-13
If their results are confirmed and this unification proposal is well received then I guess we'd expect either Alexander or Marciano's name to appear on the Loops conference speakers list. So that's something to keep an eye on.

I expect the audio of Alexander's 26 February talk to be posted tomorrow--I'm curious to see how it is received.

marcus

Stephon Alexander's talk (Gravity Electroweak Unification) went well.
http://relativity.phys.lsu.edu/ilqgs/
Both the slides PDF and the audio are online.
I couldn't identify one of the people who asked a question. He came in at around minute 39:00. He said his name but so rapidly I didn't catch it. Does anyone know who that is?

atyy

Wow, never knew Alexander was a Rubio fan (7:47)!