Special Theoretical Particle Physics Seminar: The unreasonable effectiveness of classical simulations in cosmology

by Prof. Mark Hertzberg (Tufts University)

Monday 3 Jun 2019, 10:00 → 11:00 Asia/Shanghai

Tsung-Dao Lee library/Fourth Floor-402 - 402# Meeting Room (Tsung-Dao Lee Library)

Abstract:

In this talk I discuss several phenomena in cosmology wherein quantum behaviour appears to play an important role. This includes (i) axion dark matter, since there is macroscopic spreading of the wave-function, (ii) post-inflationary era, since modes begin at low occupancy, and (iii) scalar field tunneling, since it is usually thought to be forbidden classically. I then discuss how classical simulations can reproduce the quantum behavior by ensemble averaging, and mention applications and limitations.

Brief CV:

Mark Hertzberg is a theoretical physicist whose research focusses on cosmology, particle physics, and astrophysics. He obtained his undergraduate and masters degree at University of Sydney, and then completed a PhD at MIT. He completed post-docs at Stanford University and MIT, and is now a professor at Tufts University. He has worked on models of cosmological inflation, axion dark matter, effective field theory, baryogenesis, cosmological aspects of string theory, and gravitation, among other topics.