Japan-UK Workshop on Quantum Gravity

Asia/Tokyo
8F Lecture theatre (RIKEN Kobe Integrated Innovation Building (理化学研究所の神戸キャンパスの融合連携イノベーション推進棟))

8F Lecture theatre

RIKEN Kobe Integrated Innovation Building (理化学研究所の神戸キャンパスの融合連携イノベーション推進棟)

Kobe Campus, RIKEN 6-7-1 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047 Japan
Daniele Dorigoni, Tobias Hansen, Masazumi Honda, Pratik Nandy (RIKEN iTHEMS)
Description

The universe at extremely early times is expected to be described by some theory of quantum gravity, although we still do not know precisely what quantum gravity actually is.

In modern approaches to quantum gravity, the path integral point of view provides a fundamental framework towards answering this pressing question. However, an evaluation or even just a precise definition of the path-integral for a full-fledged quantum gravity is one of the most important open problems in modern theoretical physics. 

With the "Japan-UK Workshop on Quantum Gravity" we want to bring together experts working on different aspects of the gravitational path-integral, such as

  • Gravitational Scattering Amplitudes;
  • Complex Geometries and Exact WKB;
  • Quantum Cosmology;
  • Exact Methods and Resurgence Analysis;

with the long-term goal of providing innovative ways of tackling modern problems in quantum gravity.

This workshop serves as the kick-off meeting for the Royal Society International Collaboration Award Grant "Re-PaInt: A Resurgence Path-Integral approach to quantum gravity" shared between Masazumi Honda at Riken iTHEMS and Daniele Dorigoni at Durham University, and aimed at fostering and developing an international partnership between the two institutes, as well as the greater Japan and UK theoretical physics communities working on quantum gravity, broadly intended.

Poster Image Credit: Alessia Dorigoni


Confirmed Speakers:

  • Nick Dorey (Cambridge U.)
  • Alessandro Georgoudis (Queen Mary U.)
  • Tobias Hansen (Durham U.)
  • Simeon Hellerman (IPMU)
  • Paul Heslop (Durham U.)
  • Simon Ekhammar (King's College)
  • Okuto Morikawa (Riken)
  • Rishi Mouland (Imperial College)
  • Yu Nakayama (Rykkio)
  • Ryo Namba (iTHEMS)

  • Kazumi Okuyama (Shinshu U.)

  • Simon Ross (Durham U.)
  • David Skinner (Cambridge U.)
  • Yuya Tanizaki (YITP)

  • Masahito Yamazaki (IPMU)

Registration:

Registration is open to anyone (not just participants from Japan or UK).

There will be a poster session and we encourage students and young postdocs to present a poster.

The registration deadline is August 15, 2025.


Organisers:

  • Daniele Dorigoni (Durham University);
  • Tobias Hansen (Durham University);
  • Masazumi Honda (Riken, iTHEMS);
  • Pratik Nandy (Riken, iTHEMS).

Venue:

RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences, Kobe Campus


Acknowledgements:

We would be grateful if you could acknowledge this workshop in a paper which is initiated or conducted during this workshop. Here are the samples of acknowledgments:

  • The authors thank the Royal Society under the International Collaboration Award Grant \R2\242058 and the RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program where this work was initiated [completed] during the "Japan-UK Workshop on Quantum Gravity".
  • The authors thank the Royal Society under the International Collaboration Award Grant \R2\242058 and the RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program. Discussions during the "Japan-UK Workshop on Quantum Gravity" were useful in completing this work.

Supporting Organisations:

This workshop is supported by the Royal Society International Collaboration Award Grant \R2\242058 "Re-PaInt: A Resurgence Path-Integral approach to quantum gravity".

    • 09:00 09:30
      Welcome 30m
    • 09:30 10:30
      Recent developments in double-scaled SYK 1h

      SYK model is an interesting toy model of holographic duality. In particular, the so-called double-scaled SYK (DSSYK), which is defined by taking a large N limit with the number p of the p-body interaction scaled as p=N^(1/2), has attracted a lot of attention recently since DSSYK is exactly solvable thanks to the underlying quantum group symmetry. In this talk, I will briefly review the recent developments in DSSYK.

      Speaker: Kazumi Okuyama
    • 10:30 11:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 11:00 12:00
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Masahito Yamazaki
    • 12:00 14:30
      Lunch Break 2h 30m
    • 14:30 15:30
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Paul Heslop
    • 15:30 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 17:00
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Nick Dorey
    • 09:30 10:30
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Okuto Morikawa
    • 10:30 11:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 11:00 12:00
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Tobias Hansen (Durham University)
    • 12:00 14:30
      Lunch Break 2h 30m
    • 14:30 17:00
      Free Discussion / Excursion 2h 30m
    • 09:30 10:30
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Rishi Mouland
    • 10:30 11:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 11:00 12:00
      Yang-Mills/QCD on R2xT2, adiabatic continuity, and eta' potential 1h

      We show that 4d Yang-Mills/QCD can be semi-classically solved on R2xT2 with nontrivial 't Hooft flux. In this setup, 4d instanton splits into N center-vortex fractional instantons, and its dilute gas describes qualitative features of 4d confinement vacua via the adiabatic continuity. When we apply this technique to QCD with fundamental quarks, we can learn about the global structure of the eta' potential.

      Speaker: Yuya Tanizaki
    • 12:00 14:30
      Lunch Break 2h 30m
    • 14:30 15:30
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: David Skinner
    • 15:30 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 17:00
      TBA 1h
    • 17:00 18:30
      Poster Session
    • 18:30 20:30
      Banquet
    • 09:30 10:30
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Simon Ekhammar
    • 10:30 11:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 11:00 12:00
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Simeon Hellerman
    • 12:00 14:30
      Lunch Break 2h 30m
    • 14:30 15:30
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Alessandro Georgoudis
    • 15:30 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 17:00
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Ryo Namba
    • 09:30 10:30
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Yu Nakayama
    • 10:30 11:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 11:00 12:00
      TBA 1h
      Speaker: Simon Ross
    • 12:00 12:15
      Concluding Remarks 15m
    • 12:15 17:00
      Free discussion