Experimental Search QG (Perimeter Oct. 2012)

[marcus]

Sometimes folks at forum venture the opinion that Quantum Geometry (=gravity) effects cannot be seen except at prohibitively high energies, leading them to conclude that QG research cannot reasonably expect guidance from experiment and observation.

Generally speaking I think this is mistaken. I see a lot of phenomenological work which however mostly has to do with observational astronomy---what we can see and tell about the early universe: the Cosmic Microwave Background and evidence of an inflationary era or bounce. Nevertheless some researchers are more focused on the experimental side of the equation. Next month (October 2012) there will be a conference emphasizing that.

http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/en/Events/Experimental_Search_for_QG/Experimental_Search_for_Quantum_Gravity%3A_the_hard_facts/ [Broken]

Since it is being held at Perimeter we can expect to be able to watch some of the presentations as online video, and it may teach us something. So this thread is about preparing for that. I will list the participants---most will be known to regulars at this forum and that will give an idea of the range of topics.

There is also a kind of "mission statement" worth studying, I think, on the conference home page.

 

[marcus]

Here's an excerpt from the index page:
==quote==
Quantum Gravity tries to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the quantum nature of spacetime. To make progress in this area it is mandatory to establish a contact to observations and experiments and to learn what the "hard facts" on quantum gravity are, that nature provides us with.

Quantum Gravity is a field where several approaches, based on different principles and assumptions, develop in parallel. At present it is not clear whether and how some of the approaches are compatible, and might share common properties. This meeting will draw on a diverse set of physicists who come to make proposals for quantum gravity phenomenology from a broad range of perspectives, including path-integral-inspired as well as canonical, and discrete as well as continuum-based approaches, providing a platform to exchange ideas with researchers working on theoretical and experimental aspects of different proposals.

This will be the third in a series of meetings, the first of which was held at PI (2007), the second at NORDITA (2010).

This meeting looks to the future and has two primary goals: 1) to assess the status of different proposals for QG phenomenology in the light of recent experimental results from Fermi, Auger, LHC etc. and 2) to discuss and stimulate new ideas and proposals, coming from a diverse set of viewpoints about quantum spacetime.
==endquote==

Most of the participants have investigated several approaches to QG and can't be associated with anyone branch of theory. Classifying these researchers does not really work, but I've tried FWIW to do that. I've highlighted RED those whose QG interest has been mainly Asymptotic Safety, the RG approach to quantum gravity.
I've highlighted BLUE those whose interest I think has been primarily LQG and closely related (spin foam, simplicial, GFT).
Those highlighted in MAGENTA have published in QG theory and/or phenomenology of various sorts--in most cases they've published LQG-related papers and collaborated with LQG people but I see their interests as substantially broader.


Participants
Niayesh Afshordi, Perimeter Institute
Stephon Alexander, Haverford College and Pennsylvania State University
Giovanni Amelino-Camelia, University of Rome
Ivan Arraut, Osaka University
James Bardeen, University of Washington, Seattle
Hugo Beauchemin,Tufts University
Dario Benedetti, Albert Einstein Institute
Dionigi Benincasa, Imperial College, London
Eugenio Bianchi, Perimeter Institute
Julien Bolmont, Pierre and Marie Curie University
Alfio Bonanno, INAF Catania Astrophysical Observatory
Robert Brandenberger, McGill University
Avery Broderick, Perimeter Institute
Xavier Calmet, University of Sussex
Saurya Das, University of Lethbridge
Antonio Di Domenico, University of Rome
Bianca Dittrich, Perimeter Institute
Astrid Eichhorn, Perimeter Institute
Tobias Fritz, Perimeter Institute
Florian Girelli, University of Waterloo
Domenico Giulini, Institute for Theoretical Physics
Jonathan Granot, University of Hertfordshire
Sabine Hossenfelder, NORDITA
Drew Jamieson, University of Guelph
John Kelley, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jurek Kowalski-Glikman, Institute for Theoretical Physics
Stefano Liberati, SISSA
Daniel Litim, University of Sussex
Seth Major, Hamilton College
Joao Magueijo, Imperial College, London
David Mattingly, University of New Hampshire
John Moffat, Perimeter Institute
Holger Mueller, University of California, Berkeley
Robert Nemiroff, Michigan Technological University
Daniele Oriti, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics
James Overduin, Towson University
Roberto Percacci, SISSA
Martin Reuter, University of Mainz
Markus Risse, University of Siegen
Alejandro Satz, University of Maryland
Lorenzo Sindoni, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics
Lee Smolin, Perimeter Institute
Fabrizio Sorba, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Daniel Sudarsky, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Nicolas Yunes, University of Montana
Jonathan Ziprick, Perimeter Institute