Black holes may not be the featureless, information-destroying objects they seem—they could be the most chaotic quantum systems in the universe, and a new approach to quantum gravity aims to prove it. This research tackles a fundamental gap in physics: how to reconcile Einstein’s general relativity, which describes gravity and black holes as smooth spacetime, with quantum mechanics, which governs the microscopic world. The problem is that black holes appear to swallow information, violating quantum theory’s rule that information cannot be lost. Using a framework called holography—which treats a black hole as a projection of a simpler, non-gravitational quantum system—the researcher will develop a unified theory of how black holes thermalise, dissipate energy, and generate chaos. The goal is to show that black hole interiors can be fully described by the quantum behaviour of their dual systems, preserving information and obeying quantum constraints. This is fundamental science with no immediate practical application. However, similar work on quantum information and holography has already influenced the design of quantum computers and error-correcting codes. A deeper understanding of quantum gravity could, in the long term, reshape how we think about spacetime, cosmology, and the ultimate limits of computation.
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A new paradigm is emerging for black holes in quantum gravity. It is inspired by the general framework of gauge/gravity duality ('holography'), which allows for a consistent definition of quantum gravity in terms of dual non-gravitational quantum many-body systems. More concretely, the new paradigm will be rooted in an acceleration of developments in recent years due to: (i) the incorporation of quantum information theoretic concepts and methods into the way we use the holographic duality, and (ii) the discovery of new models of the duality which are unprecedentedly simple to study but nevertheless exhibit the key features of interest in quantum gravity. Armed with these powerful new tools, a consistent theory of quantum black holes is now within reach. Central objectives of my proposal are: (*) Develop a comprehensive and unifying theory of thermalization, dissipation, chaos, and randomness in quantum black holes and their dual many-body systems. (*) Determine the fate of fundamental quantum field theory constraints (unitarity, analyticity, thermality constraints,...) under the duality map and in quantum gravity. (*) Find a detailed model of black hole interiors in terms of degrees of freedom in the dual system. Work packages include investigations of quantum chaos in conformal and in disordered systems, the role of ensemble averages in quantum gravity, and an effective description of fluctuating black holes in the context of hydrodynamics. My methodology is tailored to synergize the unique combination of expertise in gravity, quantum field theory, and non-equilibrium dynamics that I have established: I will use a symmetry-based approach and effective field theory methods to make crucial aspects of the duality manifest in a unifying, general, and computationally efficient fashion. My approach is designed to identify universal aspects of quantum gravity and will thus lead to new insights that are generalizable beyond the context of the duality and even in cosmology.
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