Sommerfeld Theory Colloquium (ASC)

Latest Episodes:

A Closer Look at Black Holes Jun 10, 2026

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Several new techniques are currently being employed to probe the strong gravitational fi�eld in the vicinity of black holes. Long baselineinterferometry at sub-millimeter wavelengths sets constraints on the silhouette of the black holes in the Galactic center (SgrA*) and M87. Stars which get tidally disrupted as they orbit too close to a single black hole are being discovered at cosmological distances. Electromagnetic counterparts of black hole binaries in galaxy mergers are being identifi�ed, and can be used to calibrate the rate of gravitational wave sources. Most interestingly, the recoil induced by the anisotropic emission of gravitational waves in the �nal plunge of binaries leaves unusual imprints on their host galaxies. Finally, the lecture will describe new constraints on the contribution of primordial black holes to the dark matter.

Higher-Spin Gravity and Higher Spin Black Holes in Three Dimensions Jun 10, 2026

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Three-dimensional Einstein gravity has no local dynamical degree of freedom. Yet, it is far from being trivial when the cosmological constant is negative. (i) It admits black hole solutions. (ii) It easily allows for consistently interacting and tractable higher-spin extensions. (iii) It possesses remarkable asymptotic properties at infi�nity where an infi�nite-dimensional symmetry algebra emerges. These features make three-dimensional gravity a perfect "theoretical laboratory" in which to explore the conceptual issues related to (i), (ii) and (iii) in a simpler context. The talk will not only discuss three-dimensional gravity assuming no previous knowledge on the subject, but will also provide access to recent work where new results on points (i), (ii) and (iii) are developed.

Harmony of Scattering Amplitudes and Form Factors Jun 10, 2026

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In this seminar I will describe some of the hidden structures recently discovered in the scattering amplitudes of elementary particles, such as those measured at the Large Hadron Collider. These structures are responsible for the mysterious simplicity of these quantities, which is completely obscured by a calculation based on textbook techniques such as Feynman diagrams. I will then move on to discuss form factors. These are slightly off-shell quantities and, similarly to amplitudes, are also much simpler than what expected based on conventional approaches. In particular I will focus on form factors of particular (half-BPS) operators in a special theory, known as N=4 super Yang-Mills, and briefly discuss some unexpected connections to scattering amplitudes in phenomenologically relevant theories.

Cascade of phase transitions near Quantum Critical Point Jun 10, 2026

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In the standard picture of a quantum phase transition, a single quantum critical point separates the phases at zero temperature. Here we show that the two-dimensional case is considerably more complex. Instead of the single point separating the antiferromagnet from the normal metal, we have discovered a broad region between these two phases where the magnetic order is destroyed but certain areas of the Fermi surface are closed by a large gap. This gap reflects the formation of a novel quantum state characterized by a superposition of d-wave superconductivity and a quadrupole density wave (QDW), which builds a checkerboard pattern with a period incommensurate with that of the original spin density wave. At moderate temperatures both orders co-exist over comparatively large distances but thermal fluctuations destroy the long-range order. Below a critical temperature the fluctuations are less essential and super- conductivity becomes stable. Applying a magnetic field destroys the superconductivity but establishes QDW. In addition to these phases we obtain also a charge density wave (CDW) arising as a result of interaction of electrons with superconducting fluctuations. This phase is possible when the superconductivity is destroyed by either thermal fluctuations or a magnetic field. The results of our theory can serve as explanation of recent experiments on cuprates performed with the help of STM, NMR, hard and resonant soft X-ray scattering, sound propagation, and other techniques.

Einstein and Quantum Mechanics: It's Not What You Think Jun 10, 2026

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Einstein is well known for his rejection of quantum mechanics in the form it emerged from the work of Heisenberg, Born and Schrodinger in 1926. Much less appreciated are the many seminal contributions he made to quantum theory prior to his �final scientifi�c verdict, that the theory was at best incomplete. In this talk I present an overview of Einsteins many conceptual breakthroughs and place them in historical context. I argue that Einstein, much more than Planck, introduced the concept of quantization of energy in atomic mechanics. Einstein proposed the photon, the fi�rst force-carrying particle discovered for a fundamental interaction, and put forward the notion of wave-particle duality, based on sound statistical arguments 14 years before De Broglies work. He was the fi�rst to recognize the intrinsic randomness in atomic processes, and introduced the notion of transition probabilities, embodied in the A and B coeffi�cients for atomic emission and absorption. He also preceded Born in suggesting the interpretation of wave fi�elds as probability densities for particles, photons, in the case of the electromagnetic �field. Finally, stimulated by Bose, he introduced the notion of indistinguishable particles in the quantum sense and derived the condensed phase of bosons, which is one of the fundamental states of matter at low temperatures. His work on quantum statistics in turn directly stimulated Schrodinger towards his discovery of the wave equation of quantum mechanics. It was only due to his rejection of the �final theory that he is not generally recognized as the most central �figure in this historic achievement of human civilization.

Statistical Physics and Information Theory : New Frontiers Jun 10, 2026

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Since the emergence of information theory in the middle of the 20th century, this new scientific field has been deeply entangled with statistical physics, as attested from the beginning by the use of entropy to quantify information content. The talk will explore the major impact of these transdisciplinary exchanges, with a particular focus on the important new research topic called "compressed sensing". Starting from the observation that interesting signals can be compressed, and thus are sparse in some representation, compressed sensing aims at acquiring data directly in a compressed way, using then computational methods to reconstruct the original signal. It opens the way to faster, less destructive, and more e�ective signal acquisition, with possible applications in many branches of science, from magnetic resonance imaging to astronomy, tomography, or gene interaction network reconstruction. The talk will describe the spectacular progress that can be made using various statistical physics ideas, from spin glass theory to crystal nucleation.

Modeling microbial diversity Jun 10, 2026

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Metagenomics has revealed hundreds to thousands of microbial species coexisting in almost all microbiota. It is increasingly appreciated that microbial communities condition their own environments. To better understand the role of this environmental conditioning in promoting diversity, we physically model the population dynamics of microbes that compete for steadily supplied resources. In a model where cells require multiple nutrients, we find that population dynamics generally leads to the coexistence of different metabolic types, which satisfy an extended competitive exclusion principle. Moreover, we establish that these consortia of metabolic types act as cartels, whereby population dynamics pins down resource concentrations at values for which no other strategy can invade. Strikingly, these cartels also yield maximum biomass, constituting a microbial example of Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” leading to collective optimal usage of resources. Curiously, in a model where only total resource acquisition is considered, diversity can arbitrarily exceed that predicted by the competitive exclusion principle.

Ergodicity, Entanglement and Many-Body Quantum Dynamics in Localization Jun 10, 2026

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Do quantum many-body systems necessarily come to thermal equilibrium after a long enough time evolution? The conventional wisdom has long been that they do and that, in the process, any quantum information encoded in the initial state is lost irretrievably. Thus the dynamics of many-interacting particles becomes effectively classical. But these ingrained notions of thermalization and ergodicity have recently been called into question. In this talk I will discuss how ergodicity can break down in disordered quantum systems through the phenomenon of many-body localization. In contrast to thermalizing fluids, quantum correlations can persist through time evolution of the localized state even at high energy densities. Thus, investigating the many-body localization transition offers a concrete route to address fundamental unsolved questions concerning the boundary between classical and quantum physics in the macroscopic world. I will emphasize the important role that quantum entanglement plays in current attempts to understand this fascinating dynamical phase transition. Finally I will present recent progress in confronting the emerging theoretical understanding of many-body localization with experimental tests using systems of ultra-cold atoms.

Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays: probe of extreme particle physics Jun 10, 2026

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Remarkably, a strong candidate for Dark Matter exists within the Standard Model. Theoretical arguments suggest that QCD forces in the flavor-singlet sector may be strong enough that the H-dibaryon is a deeply-bound, compact state which is absolutely stable with a mass

Lattice QCD in Regensburg Jun 10, 2026

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In Regensburg there exists a large Lattice-QCD group (SFB/TR-55) working in many fields, ranging from the development of energy efficient super-computers to specialized Lattice studies of SU(N) gauge theories with N>3 for matching to AdS/CFT predictions. The bulk of the work is focused on hadron phenomenology [generalized parton distributions (GPDs), distribution amplitudes (DAs), transverse momentum dependent parton distributions (TMDs)] and QCD thermodynamics, especially in a magnetic background field. (Like a chemical potential a B-field affects quark and gluon degrees of freedom differently thus allowing to investigate their connection. In contrast to the chemical potential, however, it is easy to implement on the lattice. The aim of the talk is to give an overview and to possibly identify topics of mutual interest.

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