Getting into Loop Quantum Gravity: What You Need to Know

[Son Goku]

Could somebody here tell me how somebody gets into Loop Quantum Gravity.

I've seen that the CASM and Glasgow and a lot of other universities have String Theory courses, but I've never seen a LQG module.

Is it simply a matter of applying to some group after your Ph.D.?

Just curious because I've the basic jist of how to go into any area but LQG.

 

[marcus]

Could somebody here tell me how somebody gets into Loop Quantum Gravity.

I've seen that the CASM and Glasgow and a lot of other universities have String Theory courses, but I've never seen a LQG module.

Is it simply a matter of applying to some group after your Ph.D.?

Just curious because I've the basic jist of how to go into any area but LQG.

I take a wild guess and suppose that your mentioning CASM actually refers to Cambridge DAMTP (I think CASM is an acronym for the Math Tripos exam). As you seem to mention Cambridge and Glasgow could you perhaps be located in the UK?

this would be a good place to be---the problem might be a little more difficult for someone in the USA.

Cambridge has Daniele Oriti and James Ryan, who have just posted this on arxiv. to the best of my ability to judge, this is highclass work
http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0506067

here is a list of Oriti's papers, a lot are Spin Foams (an offshoot or a type of LQG)
http://arxiv.org/find/gr-qc/1/au:+Oriti_D/0/1/0/all/0/1

I went to the Loops 05 site
http://loops05.aei.mpg.de/
and counted up the Cambridge people and the Nottingham people.
there were 5 from Cambridge (Dore, Karadi, Oriti, Ryan, Tlas)

there were 6 from Nottingham (Barrett, Johnson, Kottanattu, Krasnov, Naish-Guzman)

who goes to Loops 05 is a good indicator of who is doing Loop and other QG, and what universities they are coming from is a pointer to where the action is.
Ruth Williams at Cambridge does the kind of Regge stuff that Lolls CDT came out of. I think she was Oriti's PhD advisor. But she is not coming to the conference.

Do you plan definitely on being in the UK? For example, don't they speak English in Holland too? Canada has some good universities.

If you can cross the channel then there are a lot of other possibilities.

If you are already in UK now, and are interested in LQG, then consider flying to Berlin for the October 10-14 Loops conference in Potsdam. Meet some people.

read the list of participants and see if any of them come from a Uni near you.

http://loops05.aei.mpg.de/index_files/Participants.html

Right now I think that Utrecht in Holland and Marseille in France are the best places to be. Dutch people I've met are nice. but if you enroll in any British university you can probably visit in Utrecht or Marseille when you are ready, and get someone to advise or suggest a problem. You arent totally tied down to one place.

Give us some more info. Write me PM if you prefer.

 

[Terry Giblin]

Could somebody here tell me how somebody gets into Loop Quantum Gravity.

I've seen that the CASM and Glasgow and a lot of other universities have String Theory courses, but I've never seen a LQG module.

Is it simply a matter of applying to some group after your Ph.D.?

Just curious because I've the basic jist of how to go into any area but LQG.

You do understand, don't you, that most of us have no idea what "Loops 05" is?
__________________
"Euclid alone has looked on beauty bare"

If you find out please let me know. - I've been trying for months.

I'm the poor lost guy sleeping on the park bench outside loops 05, preparing and waiting until Thursday 13th 7:00 PM, hoping for a chance to give a poster presentation.

If anyone is interested, after the conference party - I'm having my own small 40th Birthday celebrations as well...if I manage to tunneling my way through the stoning crowds...

Regards

Terry Giblin

"I don't suffer from insanity - I enjoy every minute of it" Not

 

[marcus]

Could somebody here tell me how somebody gets into Loop Quantum Gravity.
...

You do a solid undergrad physics degree and you apply for masters/PhD program somewhere that has a couple of people doing quantum gravity research. They coach you, show you what you must learn, and put you in touch with other people in other places. Once you start networking with LQG researchers and looking for collaborators, you are not limited geographically.

I will list some places not in order of how good, but just randomly

In the U.S.
Dartmouth (Massachusetts) has Gaurav Khanna, Seth Connors (Dan Cartin as kind of adjunct)

LSU (Louisiana) has Jorge Pullin and Andy Okolow

Penn State has a bunch (best in US if you can get in)
===========

In Canada
Waterloo has the Perimeter Institute people (Smolin, Freidel, Dittrich et al)
UWO (Western Ontario) has Christensen, Willis, Cherrington
New Brunswick has Viqar Husain (not exactly LQG but related)
===========

In UK
Nottingham has Kirill Krasnov and others
Cambridge has Daniele Oriti, James Ryan and others
London Imperial has one or more QG eminences (e.g. Isham, not specif. LQG)
===========

In France
Marseille has Carlo Rovelli, Leonardo Modesto and others too many to name
Lyon may have Laurent Freidel part-time
===========

In Holland
Utrecht (a world leader, if you can get in)
===========

In Germany
U Berlin has connections with the AEI-Potsdam
Mainz has Martin Reuter (not LQG exactly but cutting-edge QG)
Aachen might do, especially because of good connections to other places
===========

There are strong LQG programs in India and Latin America, but I assume you are asking where to go in NorthAmerica/Europe.

That is at least a sampling. There are some omissions. Only a few places are so big in LQG that they have anything like a PROGRAM or CURRICULUM for prospective researchers. If you are good enough to get into Penn State or Utrecht graduate program then maybe they have some sequence of courses for you. But I think more likely entry is based on PERSONAL GUIDANCE. for example if you are near Dartmouth Massachusetts, go and visit Gaurav Khanna and see if you like each other. To me, he seems nice, young, and smart. If you find him simpatico then he could get you into LQC research in a very efficient way. He does highperformance computing as well as quantum gravity. Look at his website.
http://www.umassd.edu/engineering/physics/people/gkhanna/phy_khanna.cfm

and a recent paper
http://www.arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0509081

If you are not near Dartmouth geographically, maybe you are near some other LQG place. I advise you to go talk to some person actually doing research in the field. LQG is a small community and your entry and success will depend (if you choose that direction) on personal contact, guidance, and collaboration, so you should know someone in the field you like and can communicate with.