SIGRAV GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CONTEMPORARY RELATIVITY AND GRAVITATIONAL PHYISCS
The Schools are directed to PH.D. students and young Post-Docs in Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics who are interested in widening their knowledge in the fields of Physical Cosmology, Relativistic Astrophysics, General Relativity, Experimental Gravity and the Modern Quantum Theories of Gravitation. The Schools wish to introduce students to current problems, highlighting their importance and potential scientific impact. Lecturers will report on theoretical, observational and experimental aspects of the research, reviewing latest achievements in the field.
IX edition
Analogue Gravity
Villa Olmo, Como, Italy, 16-21 May 2011
PROGRAM
Our knowledge of the world that surrounds us is characterized by a strong division into sectors, and Physics is no exception. Yet, remarkably, this knowledge is also streaked by “fils rouges” that connect apparently unrelated phenomena. This allows us to understand and study the physics of one area using “analogue” systems that are connected by a unifying physical concept. Analogue gravity is the study of certain aspects of gravitational interactions, most notably Hawking radiation emitted from black holes, as predicted more than 35 years ago by S. Hawking. Since the first studies initiated by W. Unruh in the early eighties, black hole and horizon analogues have been identified in a number of systems ranging from flowing fluids to flowing dielectrics. The field has made great progress in the past years and the first experimental results are now maturing. The school will give a general overview of the field of Analogue Gravity, of its main and most recent achievements and will propose new challenges and open questions that are looking for answers.
Courses
• Survey of analogue space-times (4 hours)
Matt Visser, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
• Black holes and Hawking radiation (4 hours)
Theodore Jacobson, University of Maryland, USA
• Fundamental quantum effects in the laboratory? (3 hours)
Ralf Schützhold, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany
• Dumb holes – what are they, how do they work (3 hours)
William Unruh, University of British Colombia, Canada
• Analogue gravity, Hawking radiation and black hole lasers in Bose-Einstein condensates (3 hours)
Renaud Parentani, Université Paris-Sud 11, France
• Analogue gravity models in dielectrics (3 hours)
Ulf Leonhardt, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK
Special lectures
• Astrophysical black holes: evidence of an horizon? (2 hours)
Monica Colpi, Università di Milano Bicocca, Italy
• Water wave analogues of black holes (2 hours)
Germain Rousseaux, CNRS, Université de Nice, France
• Topology, thermodynamics and dynamics of quantum vacuum in effective theory (2 hours)
Grigori Volovik, Aalto University School of Science and Technology, Finland
• Quantum correlations of density fluctuations: from the radius of stars to the analogue Hawking radiation (2 hours)
Iacopo Carusotto, Università di Trento, Italy
• Photon emission by refractive index perturbations in dielectrics (2 hours)
Daniele Faccio, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
• Lorentz breaking EFT and observational tests (2 hours)
Stefano Liberati, SISSA, Trieste, Italy
• Hawking’s thermal hypothesis verified in an analogue gravity system (1 hour)
Silke Weinfurtner, SISSA, Trieste, Italy
Scientific and Organizing Committee: Francesco Belgiorno (Polytechnic of Milan), Sergio Luigi Cacciatori (Insubria, Como), Daniele Faccio (Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh), Vittorio Gorini (Insubria, Como), Stefano Liberati (SISSA, Trieste), Ugo Moschella (Insubria, Como)
SIGRAV Council: Massimo Bassan (Rome Tor Vergata), Roberto Cianci (Genoa), Monica Colpi (Milan Bicocca), Mauro Francaviglia (Turin), Adalberto Giazotto (Pisa), Luca Lusanna (Florence), Sabino Matarrese (Padua), Augusto Sagnotti (SNS, Pisa), Gaetano Vilasi (Salerno)
There will be room for short communications by the participants. Those who want to submit a communication proposal should send a short abstract to grschool[AT]centrovolta.it Proponents will be informed about acceptance of their contribution in due time.
REGISTRATION
Participants will be accommodated in hotels near Villa Olmo and will be requested to pay an inclusive fee of EURO 700 covering accommodation (in rooms to be shared with other participants), breakfast and lunch for the duration of the school. Alternatively, participants may arrange for their own accommodation and are requested to pay only the registration fee of EURO 320, also covering lunch (the school secretary provides assistance for hotel reservation through the accommodation form available at http://www.centrovolta.it/sigrav2011/ ). Accommodation is not guaranteed after April 8th 2011.
Some support to cover local expenses may be available; those who need support should mention it in their registration and send a short curriculum vitae and a summary of current research (maximum two pages A4). Please note that no support to cover travel expenses will be available.
Registration forms are available on the web page http://www.centrovolta.it/sigrav2011/ or at grschool[AT]centrovolta.it
For information also contact directly the Organizing Secretariat at Centro A.Volta:
grschool[AT]centrovolta.it or mariagiovanna.falasconi[AT]centrovolta.it,
tel. +39 031 579814,
fax +39 031 573395
Further information about the School (course abstracts, schedule of lectures, etc.) is also available at the web page http://www.centrovolta.it/sigrav2011/
SPONSORS
SIGRAV (Italian Society for Gravitational Physics).
INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics).
University of Insubria.
Department of Physics and Mathematics of the University of Insubria at Como.
SISSA, Trieste.