Talks

I will review relativistic quantum theory that is based on Wigner\'s unitary representations of the Poincare group, Dirac\'s forms of dynamics, and Newton-Wigner\'s definition of the position operator. Formulas will be derived that transform particle observables between different inertial reference frames. In the absence of interactions, these formulas coincide with Lorentz transformations from special relativity. However, when interaction is turned on, some deviations appear. The relationship of this result to the Currie-Jordan-Sudarshan \'no-interaction\' theorem will be mentioned, and the status of Lorentz transformations within quantum and classical theories of interacting particles will be discussed.

This talk presents some recent results in renormalizable noncommutative quantum field theory. After introducing the renormalization group approach in the commutative setting I will procede to its generalization to the simplest noncommutative model, $phi_4^{star 4}$ on the Moyal space. The well known phenomenon of ultraviolet/infrared mixing is cured by adding a harmonic potential term to the free action. Under the new renormalization group, adapted to the noncommutative geometry, this model turns out to be renormalizable to all orders in perturbation theory. Moreover it is {f asymptotically safe} at all orders in perturbation theory. The consequences of this results are discussed.

What does a fractional quantum Hall liquid and Kitaev\'s proposals for topological quantum computation have in common? It turns out that they are physical systems that exhibit degenerate ground states with properties seemingly different than ordinary (Landau-type) vacua, such as the ground states of a Heisenberg magnet. For example, those (topologically quantum ordered)states cannot be characterized by (local) order parameters such as magnetization. How does one characterize this new order? I will present a unifying framework which will allow us to engineer physical systems displaying topological quantum order. What are the physical properties of these new orders? How robust are they to temperature effects? What are they useful for? Topologically quantum ordered states of matter seem to be ideal physical systems to store and manipulate quantum information since they are believed to be robust against decoherence with an environment, and thus appropriate for building a quantum computer and quantum memories. I will discuss the role of temperature in the protection of quantum information. Have we finally found a technological application for quantum Hall liquids?

The theory of Quantum Mechanics requires \'completeness\', that is, we need to know the complete set of physically allowed states before we can reliably compute quantum mechanical amplitudes. Among these possible states are microscopic black holes, since they are valid solutions to Einstein\'s equations for the gravitational force. However, a quantum description of black holes requires a drastic revision of our notions of space and time, in particular if we were to accept the interpretation of their microstates as given by superstring theories. The logical foundations of our physical world view are touched upon here. A natural sounding solution of our problems here could come from a re-interpretation of what quantum mechanics really is. The first thing to dispose of should be all references to \'magic\' and \'mystery\' when dealing with quantum mechanics or string theory.

Wigner-Dirac relativistic quantum theory is applied to decay laws of an unstable particle in different reference frames. It is shown that decay slows down from the point of view of the moving observer, as expected. However, small deviations from Einstein\'s time dilation formula are also found. The origin of these deviations is discussed, as well as possibilities for their experimental detection.

At first sight, the ERG does not sit well with gauge theories: a naive implementation of the momentum cutoff central to the ERG breaks gauge invariance. However, things are not as they seem. Not only is it possible to construct a gauge invariant cutoff, but it is possible to construct manifestly gauge invariant ERGs. I will discuss the formulation, what has been achieved to date, and what can reasonably be hoped for in the future.

In the recent past, rapid scientific and technological developments have had tremendous impact on human society. Notably, the personal computer, internet and mobile telephones changed the world and shrank our planet. These developments are vastly different from the forecasts by science fiction authors who promised us space travel and intelligent humanoid robots. Could real scientists have done a better job in forecasting the future? What can we say about the future now?

Many science fiction fantasies will never materialize. Some will, but only over time spans of millions of years rather than a couple of centuries. Nature's laws are very strict and forbidding but also show gaps that might promise fantastic possibilities for a scientific future, even within our lifetime.

Gerard T' Hooft was born in 1946, and raised in the Netherlands. He studied theoretical physics at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, completing his thesis work in 1972, under the supervision of Martin Veltman. For two years he continued his research at the European particle physics laboratory CERN, Geneva. After lectureships at Utrecht and in the USA (Harvard, Stanford), he was appointed full professor at Utrecht University in 1976. Among his many honours, he and Veltman were awarded the The Nobel Prize in physics 1999, ""For elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions in physics"", which refers to their joint work in 1972. More recently, T' Hooft became a member of Perimeter Institute’s highly esteemed Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).

His research brought important new insights showing how to use quantized fields to describe sub-atomic particles, such as renormalization, magnetic monopoles, quark confinement and the physical effects of instantons. Later he turned his interest to the quantum aspects of gravitation and black holes. Dr. T' Hooft also supports educational outreach activities and considers the communication of fundamental science to the public as one of his most important duties.

We study the effective field theory of inflation, i.e. the most general theory describing the fluctuations around a quasi de Sitter background, in the case of single field models. The scalar mode can be eaten by the metric by going to unitary gauge. In this gauge, the most general theory is built with the lowest dimension operators invariant under spatial diffeomorphisms, like g^{00} and K_{mu nu}, the extrinsic curvature of constant time surfaces. This approach allows us to characterize all the possible high energy corrections to simple slow-roll inflation, whose sizes are constrained by experiments. Also, it describes in a common language all single field models, including those with a small speed of sound and Ghost Inflation, and it makes explicit the implications of having a quasi de Sitter background. The non-linear realization of time diffeomorphisms forces correlation among different observables, like a reduced speed of sound and an enhanced level of non-Gaussianity.