The Quantum Nature of Spacetime Singularities (Minipgm)
Coordinators: Martin Bojowald, Robert H. Brandenberger, Gary T. Horowitz, Hong Liu
One of the main goals of quantum gravity is to provide a better understanding of physics near the big bang and inside black holes where general relativity breaks down. Recently, there has been considerable progress toward this goal in both of the main approaches to quantum gravity. In string theory, this includes string gas cosmology, tachyon condensation, and holographic descriptions using the AdS/CFT correspondence. In loop quantum gravity, space is fundamentally discrete, and evolution in symmetric cosmological models is nonsingular. This three week miniprogram will combine experts in both areas and on the classical approach to singularities to make further progress on this fundamental problem.