FLAG Bologna

Field Theories of Gravity, Cosmology and Black Holes

Our collaboration focuses on topics where both gravity and quantum physics are relevant, ranging from the investigation of the gravitational interaction at the fundamental level, to the study of black hole physics and cosmological models. Issues of the largest impact are the understanding of black hole formation and Hawking evaporation, and cosmological inflation as the standard paradigm of the early universe, dark energy and dark matter. Beside the well established formalism of quantum field theory (QFT) in curved space-times, which still provides us with a very powerful tool for studying quantum effects in semiclassical gravity, today’s novelty is the possibility to formulate theoretical descriptions for the fully quantum regime of gravity, and in forms which can lead to concrete predictions for astrophysics and cosmology. This is attained by employing advanced quantum field theory methods, like effective actions in the renormalisation group approach to high-energy regimes and string inspired generalized uncertainty principles, along with corpuscular models of specific self-gravitating systems.

LINKS

INFN Bologna theory group page

Seminars

INFN Bologna - CCL

arXiv

INSPIRE

RESEARCH

Effective QFT of Gravity

Asymptotic safety
Virtual and real black hole states in the UV completion of gravity (classicalization)
Rigorous QFT on curved space-time
General f(R) theories of gravity;
QFT on de Sitter and anti-de Sitter spaces

Cosmology

Inflationary scenario and the CMB
Dark energy
Modified gravity models
Child universe formation
Dark matter
Quantum cosmology
String cosmology

Black holes physics

Formation of trapping surfaces and onset of Hawking evaporation in gravitational collapse of astrophysical objects
Persistence of classical singularities in the quantum theory and regular black holes
Microscopic models of black holes as BECs gravitons
Analogue models of Hawking radiation
String phenomenology in astrophysics
Primordial black holes