STEPHON ALEXANDER

Title: Einstein Cartan Gravity and Fermionic Torsion with Applications

Abstract: TBA

ROBERT BRANDENBERGER

Title: Towards a Quantum Theory of Spacetime and Early Universe Cosmology

Abstract: I will argue that in order to understand the very early universe we cannot use effective field theory methods. We require a nonperturbative approach to a quantum theory of space, time and matter. I will discuss an approach to emergent metric spacetime and early universe cosmology which is obtained by starting with the BFSS matrix model.

GHAZAL GESHNIZJANI

Title: How much null-energy-condition breaking can the Universe endure?

Abstract: Quantum fields can notoriously violate the null energy condition (NEC). In a cosmological context, NEC violation can lead to, e.g., dark energy at late times with an equation-of-state parameter smaller than -1 and non-singular bounces at early times. However, it is expected that there should still be a limit in semiclasssical gravity to how much “negative energy” can accumulate over time and in space as a result of quantum effects. In the course of formulating quantum-motivated energy conditions, the smeared null energy condition has emerged as a recent proposal. This condition conjectures the existence of a semilocal bound on negative energy along null geodesics, which is expected to hold in semiclassical gravity. In this work, we show how the smeared null energy condition translates into theoretical constraints on NEC-violating cosmologies. Specifically, we derive the implied bounds on dark energy equation-of-state parameters and an inequality between the duration of a bouncing phase and the growth rate of the Hubble parameter at the bounce. In the case of dark energy, we identify the parameter space over which the smeared null energy condition is consistent with the recent constraints from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument.

NIKOLA GODINOVIC

Title: Introduction to Astroparticle Physics

Abstract: Astroparticle physics sits at the crossroads of particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, probing the most violent and energetic processes in the universe—where energy densities reach values that could never be reproduced in any laboratory. This lecture introduces the three cosmic messengers that carry information from these extreme environments: cosmic rays, neutrinos, and very-high-energy gamma rays. It covers what the cosmic-ray spectrum and its puzzling features reveal, how particles are accelerated to energies far beyond those of the LHC, and how giant observatories such as the Pierre Auger Observatory, IceCube, and the new Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory detect these elusive signals. The discussion then turns to how neutrinos and gamma rays help identify the cosmic accelerators behind it all, and how the recent birth of multimessenger astronomy—combining light, neutrinos, and gravitational waves—is opening a genuinely new window on the Universe.

ABHIRAM KIDAMBI

Title: The arithmetic incarnation of quantum field theories

Abstract: In this lecture, I will focus on two particular kinds of questions pertaining to quantum field theories 

1. What kind of numbers does nature prefer? i.e. ignoring physical dimensions, what do these the numerical values of numbers calculated/measured in physics tell us?

2. How much physics can arithmetic alone quantify?

Answering these questions in an abstract setting leads us to a profound set of questions and programs in mathematics. 

I will address these questions in the setting of two general classes of quantum field theories.

In the first setting we start with perturbative quantum field theory, we represent scattering processes via graphs and assign to each graph an algorithm which produces integrals whose values, when regularized, seem featureless but are in fact highly symmetric and controlled transcendental numbers governed by constrained differential equations. Understanding these symmetries from a formal perspective is motivated in part by modern foundations of scattering amplitudes, and at the same time is a problem on the forefront of arithmetic geometry and transcendental number theory.  In the first part of the talk, I will explain the idea of these special class of transcendental numbers and their symmetries, why they naturally arise in quantum field theory, and how arithmetic geometry and particle physics play off each other. 

In the second part, I will look at quantum field theories whose amplitudes simplify arithmetically, which is interpreted as additional symmetries which constrain the quantum field theories. This arithmetic simplification allows one to construct the simplest classes of two dimensional quantum field theories which appear in string theory and condensed matter physics, known as rational conformal quantum field theories.  I will explain how such quantum field theories can be used to generalize concepts in mathematics, and vice-versa the arithmetic geometry behind them allows us to construct more such quantum field theories.

I will end with open questions (both big picture and immediate) and interesting directions. 

TOM MELIA

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

TOM MELIA

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

BLAZENKA MELIC

Title: Flavour physics in a triangle

Abstract: In this lecture, we delve into the fascinating world of quark flavour physics. Central to this field is the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix, which describes the mixing and transitions between different quark flavours under the weak interaction. This lecture will take you on a journey through the complex landscape of quark flavors, exploring how these fundamental particles transform and mix in ways that challenge our understanding of the universe. By decoding the CKM matrix, we will uncover the underlying principles governing quark transitions, delve into the enigma of CP violation, and examine how these phenomena might hint at physics beyond the Standard Model.

SHINJI MUKOHYAMA

Title: Gravity and cosmology beyond general relativity

Abstract: General relativity, together with quantum theory, forms the foundation of modern physics. However, it is widely believed that a theory extending beyond general relativity will be necessary to resolve several open problems. Moreover, gravity has not been directly tested at distances shorter than one micron or at cosmological scales. Modifications of general relativity at such short or long distances remain consistent with existing observations and experiments. Consequently, there is increasing interest in theories of gravity beyond general relativity from both theoretical and experimental perspectives. Furthermore, potential signatures of such extended theories may manifest in strong gravitational regimes on astrophysical scales, such as in the vicinity of black holes. This lecture provides an introduction to gravity and cosmology beyond general relativity.

KORALJKA MUZIC

Title: Exploring the limits of star formation

Abstract: Stars are the basic building blocks of the visible Universe, and they come in a variety of sizes and colors. But the most important property, the one that determines how they look and shapes their destiny, is their mass. And that mass is not randomly distributed - when a group of stars is born, their masses follow a fundamental distribution called the initial mass function. In this lecture, I will offer an observational perspective on the basics of star formation, with a particular focus on the low-mass end of the mass distribution. We will explore low-mass stars, brown dwarfs, and mysterious free-floating planetary-mass objects, which may be the lowest-mass products of star formation or giant planets ejected from their natal systems.

ATSUSHI NARUKO

Title: Separate Universe, δN, and Beyond 

Abstract: How much can we learn about an inhomogeneous universe from homogeneous

background solutions? The separate-universe approach provides a way to study the nonlinear evolution of cosmological perturbations on large scales using local homogeneous background dynamics.

In this lecture, I will introduce the spatial gradient expansion underlying this approach and explain how the δN formalism relates spatial curvature perturbations to differences in the local expansion history.
 I will then discuss several extensions of this framework and recent developments.

YARON OZ

Title: TBA 

Abstract: TBA

KALLIOPI PETRAKI

Title: Unitarity as a compass in the non-relativistic universe 

Abstract: Unitarity is one of the most fundamental principles of quantum theory. Historically, it has been employed to argue for the existence of then-unknown physics, such as the electroweak interactions, or to circumscribe the range of validity of effective theories parametrizing physics beyond the Standard Model. These applications, however, mostly concern the high-energy, relativistic regime. Yet most of the matter in the Universe today is non-relativistic and governed by still-unknown physics. In this lecture, I will discuss how unitarity can be fruitfully employed in the non-relativistic regime to better understand the plausible dynamics of dark matter. I will focus in particular on long-range interactions and non-perturbative phenomena such as bound-state formation, and on their implications for dark matter production in the early Universe and for self-interactions within halos that shape galactic dynamics.

Public lecture: TADAYUKI TAKAHASHI

Title: Seeing the Invisible Universe — and Bringing It Back to Human Life

 - From Cancer Imaging and Radiation Mapping to Ancient Artifact Analysis -

ZVONIMIR VLAH

Title: Theory and Data Frontier in Contemporary Galaxy Clustering Science

Abstract: I will provide an overview of the theory and data frontiers in galaxy clustering, focusing on analytical approaches to modelling the large-scale structure of the universe. I will describe how perturbation theory, formulated within an effective field theory framework, connects structure formation to observable clustering statistics. With surveys such as DESI, Euclid, and SPHEREx setting new demands on theoretical precision, I will discuss recent developments, current challenges, and future directions in the field. I will also present recent results from applying these methods to observational data, highlighting how advances in theory enable us to extract robust cosmological information from galaxy surveys.

MASAHIDE YAMAGUCHI

Title: Two Cosmic Accelerations: Inflation and Dark Energy—What We Know, What We Don’t, and What’s Next

Abstract: I will discuss the two epochs of accelerated cosmic expansion—primordial inflation and today’s acceleration, often attributed to dark energy. I will highlight what is well established from observations, what remains uncertain, and the key assumptions behind the standard theoretical picture. This talk will conclude with a discussion of research directions that, I believe, could plausibly drive major progress in the field.

JUN'ICHI YOKOYAMA

Title: Inflation 012N: A pedagogical lecture

Abstract: Inflationary cosmology provides a remarkably successful framework for  describing the very early Universe and for explaining the origin of the  primordial fluctuations that later developed into the large-scale  structure we observe today. In this lecture, I will first review the  basic idea of cosmic inflation and discuss representative inflationary  models, including their theoretical motivations and observational  predictions. I will then explain how quantum fluctuations of scalar and  tensor fields are generated during inflation and how they are translated  into primordial curvature perturbations.

Going beyond the power spectrum, I will discuss higher-order fluctuations and non-Gaussianity, which provide additional information 

about the dynamics and interactions of the inflationary era. Particular attention will be paid to the role of symmetries and consistency 

relations in constraining primordial correlation functions.

In the final part of the lecture, I will turn to recent developments  concerning quantum loop corrections during inflation. I will discuss how  such corrections are related to the underlying symmetries of  cosmological perturbations, why their behavior can differ significantly  between slow-roll and non-attractor phases such as ultra-slow-roll  inflation, and what these results may imply for the robustness of inflationary predictions and for scenarios involving enhanced small-scale fluctuations. 

GIULIA ZANDERIGHI

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA