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Quantum Gravity in the Sky: Observables of String Theory Black Holes. KU Leuven

Bert Vercnocke
Theoretical Physics

Recent advances in quantum gravity challenge the classical viewpoint that black hole horizons shroud their inner structure. However, there is no consensus on the scale of possible quantum corrections to classical General Relativity. This undermines the scientific potential to probe quantum gravity of current large observational programs. With this project, I will develop quantum gravity models of black holes and their astrophysical ...

Large-scale numerical simulations of kinetic accretion onto supermassive black holes KU Leuven

Fabio Bacchini
Plasma-astrophysics
Black holes are ubiquitously present in our Universe, particularly at the center of virtually all galaxies. Galactic black holes are so massive that they heavily influence the evolution of their host galaxy; the effect of their enormous gravity on their surroundings allows us to observe them, as recently proved by the famous 'black-hole pictures' that have reached billions of people around the world. Despite these scientific successes, ...

Sabbatical Nikolay Bobev: Exact holography, string theory, and black holes KU Leuven

Nikolay Bobev
Theoretical Physics

In the past several years there have been rapid advances in our understanding of black hole physics in string theory driven by new developments in quantum field theory and the AdS/CFT (or holographic) correspondence. A central role in these developments is played by new calculational techniques both on the quantum field theory and the gravitational sides of the correspondence. My research group has contributed important and foundational ...

The black holes of democracy. Digging up the traumatic memories of civil war and dictatorship in Spain (1936-1975). Ghent University

Gita Deneckere
Department of History, Department of Modern history

In this metahistorical project, we examine the meanings given to the memories of the Spanish Civil War and dictatorship, and we evaluate the influence of the recent ‘memory boom’ on the democratisation process in Spain. We therefore investigate in what way massgrave exhumations and the organisations for the recuperation of Civil War memory and dictatorship have an impact on the historical and political consciousness of the ‘post-memory ...

Electromagnetic radiation signatures from turbulent reconnection in black hole accretion flows KU Leuven

Fabio Bacchini
Plasma-astrophysics
The extreme environment close to supermassive black holes creates an exquisite cosmic laboratory where strong gravity, plasma-physical effects, particle acceleration, and radiation all leave their mark. With polarimetric measurements by instruments such as the Event Horizon Telescope and GRAVITY, we are approaching an era of high-precision black hole astrophysics, where the state-of-the-art modeling efforts are challenged. The ...

Black Hole Microstates and Modular Symmetry in Quantum Field Theory. KU Leuven

Nikolay Bobev
Theoretical Physics
Quantum field theory has successfully accounted for most of the fundamental laws of nature that govern various interactions of fundamental particles. It is not a complete theory of everything, however, in that the oldest known fundamental force of nature, gravity, cannot be described in terms of quantum field theory. Furthermore, it has an important technical issue that most interacting quantum field theories are highly involved so that it is ...

Black hole description of equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties of the quark-gluon plasma Ghent University

Henri Verschelde
Department of Physics and astronomy

The quark-gluon plasma can be described holographically involving a black hole in 5 dimensions which behaves as a membrane with hydrodynamic properties. The purpose of this research proposal is to deduce this fluid membrane ab initio from a dual string model. We will investigate the AdS5/CFT model and how two component quantum liquids are realized on the stretched horizon.

On magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in relativistic plasmas KU Leuven

Rony Keppens
Geometry, Plasma-astrophysics

The research in this thesis is centered around the study of black holes and stars. The objects of study typically have extremely strong electromagnetic fields governing their macroscopic dynamics. They often expel highly energetic outflows as a distinctive feature. Explosive flares, resulting from the release of magnetic energy in the form of relativistic particles are an important example of such outflows. Both ...

Solvable models of quantum gravity and holography Ghent University

Thomas Mertens
Department of Physics and astronomy

The black hole information paradox raised by Hawking in the '70s and other related problems in the quantization of gravity have remained unanswered for quite some time. The difficulties regarding the non-renormalizability of the Einstein-Hilbert action can be averted by working in lower dimensions. By formulating this theory in the context of holography, we are guided by the major breakthroughs in that field throughout the years. In this ...