LITP Workshop on Quantum Black Holes

4 Mar 2026, 09:00 → 7 Mar 2026, 18:00 America/Detroit

West Hall 340 (Department of Physics, University of Michigan)

Leopoldo Pando Zayas, Vineeth Krishna Talasila (University of Michigan)

Leinweber Institute for Theoretical Physics (LITP) at the University of Michigan will be organizing a Workshop on Quantum Black Holes from March 4-7, 2026.

Black holes have long been a perfect testing ground for ideas at the intersection of general relativity, quantum field theory, and statistical mechanics. Over the past decade, remarkable progress has refined our understanding of the quantum nature of black holes, including but not limited to:

• Microscopic Understanding of Entropy: Advances in string theory and supersymmetric localization techniques have led to precise counting of microstates for certain black holes, providing a statistical foundation for the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula.

• Quantum Corrections: Effective field theory methods are being used to quantify higher-order quantum corrections to black hole spacetimes, modifying thermodynamic properties and Hawking radiation with calculable effects.

• Information Paradox and Resolution Proposals: Novel approaches involving quantum extremal surfaces, the “island formula,” and replica wormholes are generating major breakthroughs in our understanding of how information might escape from evaporating black holes. The use of techniques for quantum information theory is taking central stage in the modern understanding of black holes. 

• Holography and Bulk Reconstruction: Insights from AdS/CFT and related dualities are enabling reconstruction of bulk spacetime from boundary quantum degrees of freedom, with black holes serving as key test cases.

• Non-Equilibrium Processes: New results on the dynamics of black hole formation, evaporation, and quantum chaos are outlining a more detailed physical picture of black holes as quantum many-body systems.

 

The goal of the workshop is to convene leading experts whose research addresses quantum effects in black hole physics, including entropy calculations, information paradox, quantum gravity corrections, and holographic methods.

 

Confirmed Speakers:

• Kasia Budzik (Harvard University)
• Davide Cassani (INFN Padova)
• Chi-Ming Chang (Tsinghua University)
• Yiming Chen (Stanford University)
• Sunjin Choi (Kavli-IPMU)
• Matthew Heydeman (Harvard University)
• Shota Komatsu (CERN)
• Jonah Kudler-Flam (IAS)
• Ji Hoon Lee (ETH Zurich)
• Sam Van Leuven (University of Witwatersrand)
• Hong Liu (MIT)
• Juan Maldacena (IAS)
• Dario Martelli (University of Turin)
• Emil Martinec (University of Chicago)
• Jun Nian (ICTP-AP)
• Gustavo J Turiaci (University of Washington)
• Christoph Uhlemann (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

LITP Workshop Poster.pdf

Public Talk Flyer.pdf

Wednesday 4 March

1 Welcome Remarks by Prof. James Wells (LITP)

2 Christoph Uhlemann (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) - F(4) Solutions in Complex Type IIB vs IKKT

1 Christoph .mp4

10:25 Coffee Break

3 Gong Show (March 4th)

Order of presentation:

1) Xuchen Cao - Gravitational Algebra with Two Surfaces
2) Seunggyu Kim - Fortuity and relevant deformation
3) Siyul Lee - Fortuity and Information
4) Themistocles Zikopoulos - Conformal Boundaries in Gravity

2 Gong Show.mp4

4 Kasia Budzik (Harvard University) - Finite-N indices from branes and negative branes

Abstract: Finite-N effects in large-N gauge theories, such as trace relations, are expected to be dual to non-perturbative phenomena in string theory, such as Giant Graviton branes. A convenient setting to study these effects are supersymmetric indices of U(N) invariants. I will present a generalization of the Molien-Weyl formula computing generating functions of invariants of supergroups U(N|M), which arise as gauge groups of brane/negative brane systems in string theory. The formula leads to a new expansion relating finite-N and infinite-N indices of U(N) gauge theories. I will comment on its relation to Murthy's Giant Graviton expansion and suggest a physical interpretation in terms of "Koszul dual" branes and negative branes. This talk is based on arXiv:2509.20451 and work in progress with Davide Gaiotto.

3 Kasia.mp4

12:30 Lunch Break (self-organized)

5 Jonah Kudler-Flam (IAS) - Large fluctuations in the large-N limit

Abstract: It has recently been argued that AdS/CFT states describing closed universes fail to admit a conventional large-N limit due to large fluctuations. Motivated by this, I re-examine the double-cone wormhole, a well-understood saddle contributing to the spectral form factor. The spectral form factor has similar fluctuations in the late-time regime where the double cone controls the semiclassical answer, obstructing a large-N limit. I then analyze correlations between theories at different values of N in general one-cut matrix models and in higher-dimensional AdS/CFT examples, and assess when an average over N in the CFT can (and cannot) reproduce the semiclassical double-cone contribution.

4 Jonah.mp4

15:15 Coffee Break

6 Ji Hoon Lee (ETH Zurich) - Polar states in AdS3 holography

5 Ji Hoon Lee.mp4

Thursday 5 March

7 Juan Maldacena (IAS) - Near extremal black holes and D-branes

Abstract: We consider the low energy dynamics of a near extremal black hole interacting with massless fields. We work in the approximation where we consider JT gravity plus a two dimensional conformal field that has transparent boundary condition at the boundary of AdS_2 and extends into a flat space with no gravity.

We discuss the extreme low energy regime where we can neglect the Schwarzian action and the dynamics of the boundary gravitational degree of freedom is induced from the the CFT. We discuss the free energy and correlation functions.

1 Juan.mp4

10:15 Coffee Break

8 Gong Show

Order of presentation:

1) Justin Berman - Holographic Modular Flow in the
Semiclassical Limit
2) Evan Deddo - Quantized Giant Gravitons as the "Periodic Table" of Supersymmetric States
3) Puxin Lin - Thermodynamics of de Sitter black holes from an observer perspective
4) Liza Rozenberg - Topological recursion in 3d gravity
5) Xiaoyi Shi - Can black holes preserve N > 4 supersymmetry?

2 Gong Show.mp4

Slides

• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Berman_Justin.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Deddo_Evan.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Lin_Puxin.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Rozenberg_Liza.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Shi_Xiaoyi.pdf

9 Joaquin Turiaci (University of Washington) - Wormholes and anomalies: 3d gravity and fermionic CFT

3 Joaquin.mp4

12:30 Lunch Break (self-organized)

10 Davide Cassani (INFN Padova) - Saddles of the 5d gravitational index with different topologies

Abstract: Five-dimensional supergravity presents a wealth of asymptotically flat supersymmetric solutions involving horizons with sphere, ring, or lens space topologies, as well as "bubbling" two-cycles. The talk will discuss how these solutions are related to saddles of the gravitational index.

4 Davide.mp4

15:15 Coffee Break

11 Dario Martelli (Turin University) - Extremization and Localization for Supersymmetric Black Holes

Abstract: I will discuss how the entropy of supersymmetric black holes and related gravitational configurations emerges from the extremization of suitable functionals computable via equivariant localization.

5 Dario.mp4

12 Public Talk by Juan Maldacena: The meaning of spacetime - Black holes, wormholes and quantum entanglement

Friday 6 March

13 Hong Liu (MIT) - Holographic Origin of Wormholes

1 Hong.mp4

10:15 Coffee Break

14 Gong Show

Order of presentation:

1) Nico Cooper - Holographic Equidistribution
2) Sabarenath Jayaprakash - On the four derivative completion of $5d$ $\mathcal{N} = 2$ supergravity coupled to vector multiplets
3) Diandian Wang - A random ensemble of BCFTs
4) Jingchao Zhang - A Universality Theorem for the Quantum Thermodynamics of Near-Extremal Black Holes

2 Gong Show.mp4

Slides

• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Cooper_Nico.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Jayaprakash_Sabarenath.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Wang_Diandian.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Zhang_Jingchao.pdf

15 Chi-Ming Chang (Tsinghua University) - Fortuity and Quantum Corrections to Q-cohomology

Abstract: In this talk, I will first give an introduction to fortuity: the fortuity property, the monotone/fortuitous classification of BPS states, and the bulk dual of these states. Next, I will talk about a non-renormalization conjecture that the Q-cohomology receives no quantum corrections, and a counter example to this conjecture. Finally, I will discuss a way of computing the quantum correction by the point-splitting regularization of operators and the OPE of operators.

3 Chi-Ming.mp4

Slides.pdf

12:30 Lunch Break (self-organized)

16 Sam Van Leuven (University of Witwatersrand) - Superconformal indices in closed form and BPS spectroscopy

4 Sam.mp4

17 Yiming Chen (Stanford University) - Fortuity and Bootstrap in Supersymmetric Matrix Quantum Mechanics

Abstract: It has recently been proposed that supersymmetric black hole microstates exhibit “fortuity”: their very existence depends sensitively on the finite, precise values of N, the number of degrees of freedom in the dual theory. In the first half of the talk, I will discuss a simple matrix quantum mechanical model with a single adjoint fermion, that is exactly solvable yet contains a large number of fortuitous states. In the second half of the talk, by utilizing this model as a benchmark, I will describe an ongoing attempt in using the large N matrix bootstrap technique to learn about fortuitous or monotone states in matrix systems.

5 Yiming.mp4

16:30 Coffee Break

18 Sunjin Choi (Kavli IPMU) - Fortuity and hairy black holes in AdS

Abstract: I will discuss a construction of supersymmetric hairy black holes in AdS5, motivated by an analysis of fortuitous states in N=4 SYM. Based on this construction, I will propose a microcanonical phase diagram in AdS5, exhibiting qualitative agreement with the numerically computed superconformal index. This perspective provides new insight into the structure of black hole microstates.

6 Sunjin.mp4

18:15 Reception

Saturday 7 March

19 Emil Martinec (University of Chicago) - Brane stars and black holes

Title: Brane stars and black holes

Abstract: An effective action approach to supergravity solutions sourced by slightly separated fundamental strings and NS5-branes reveals a wealth of information about the structure and formation of BPS and near-BPS black holes, through the study of ultracompact BPS bound states of these brane constituents. The BPS solutions determine a near-BPS effective action that yields chaotic dynamics and a Schwarzian-like collective mode.

1 Emil.mp4

10:15 Coffee Break

20 Gong Show

Order of presentation:

1) Bahaa Elshimy - Towards a Bulk Dual of Toda Theory through $O(N)$ Vector Models
2) Michael Imseis - Marginal Operators from Celestial Diamonds
3) Dikshant Rathore - Symmetries and Deformations of the Symmetric Product Orbifold
4) Arielle Schutz - Scalar fields in the presence of an evaporating
black hole
4) Zhencheng Wang - Reflection positivity and Hilbert space factorization in quantum gravity

2 Gong Show.mp4

Slides

• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Arielle_Schutz.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Bahaa_Elshimy.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Dikshant_Rathore.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Michael_Imseis.pdf
• Gong_Show_slides_62530_Zhencheng_Wang.pdf

21 Matthew Heydeman (Harvard University) - Towards a Microscopic Model of Near BPS Black Holes

3 Matt.mp4

12:30 Lunch Break (self-organized)

22 Anna Biggs (Princeton University) - A melonic quantum mechanical model without disorder

4 Anna.mp4

Slides Anna Biggs.pdf

15:15 Coffee Break

23 Shota Komatsu (CERN) - No Shift, Sherlock

5 Shota.mp4

Slides Shota Komatsu.pdf