Events

Model-Based Explication and Quantum Singularity Resolution.

Abstract: There are, at present, no singularity theorems (or resolution theorems) valid for the full domain of quantum gravity. Moreover, lack of empirical data means that a limited range of constraints in model building are available. Finally, limited analytically tractability means most existent treatments are focused on the quantization of finite dimensional truncations of classical cosmological or black hole models — and, even then, often require numerical approaches for exploration of the solutions. These worries notwithstanding, one can certainly ask, and in some cases answer,  physically interesting questions regarding the resolution or not of singularities within this restricted context. The approach is a form of model-based reasoning in which idealized models mediate our understanding of the properties of full, physically representational, theory. In this talk I will consider the idea of model-based explication in the context of refining the concept of singularity resolution, drawing upon my own past work on big bang singularity resolution in quantum cosmology and my current work on black hole singularity resolution.

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Bio: I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Bristol. My current research is principally within physics and the philosophy of physics. My main research focus is the problem of time in classical and quantum theories of gravity. Further topics of current interest include dynamical approaches to symmetry, black hole physics, analogue gravity, quantum cosmology, the arrow of time in quantum theory, the foundations of general relativity, and quantum chemistry. I have written two books: Analogue Quantum Simulation (Springer, 2022) is a monograph on the epistemology of analogue quantum simulation written with Dominik Hangleiter and Jacques Carolan; and Time Regained Volume 1: Symmetry and Evolution in Classical Mechanics (OUP 2023) is the first volume of project on the problem of time with Sean Gryb.

Monday, April 7, 2025 11:00 AM