Zenith Grant Awardee
Dr. Giovanni Amelino-Camelia
University La Sapienza
Project Title
Falsifiable Quantum-Gravity Theories of Not Everything
Project Summary
By solving the "quantum-gravity problem," which is the problem of "reconciling" quantum mechanics with gravity (the last force still to be described in terms of classical mechanics), we would gain the ability to investigate several fascinating physical contexts, including the first instants of the evolution of the Universe. However the study of this problem confronts us with several challenges, including the possibility of a quantum picture of space-time and of a reformulation of quantum mechanics adapted to the relativistic structure of Einstein's description of gravity.
Over the last 20 years some approaches which attempt to provide a full solution to the quantum-gravity problem have made remarkable progress on the conceptual side, but are still unable to make contact with experiments. In this project I will attempt to bring to full maturity my more humble but hopefully less sterile alternative approach to the study of the quantum- gravity problem, which focuses on theories that appear to be good candidates for the description of only some features of the correct quantum gravity, but are sufficiently manageable that we should be able to test them experimentally.
Technical Abstract
In the study of the "quantum-gravity problem" we face several challenges, including the possibility of a nonclassical description of space-time geometry, the need to investigate the interplay between some properties of black holes and the principles of quantum mechanics, and the need to reconcile quantum mechanics, whose standard formulation requires a background space-time, with general-relativistic covariance. Over the last 20 years some approaches which might address all these aspects of the quantum-gravity problem have made remarkable progress on the conceptual side, but the study of these ambitious theories has led to little (or no) insight into the type of experiments that could test them. In this project I will attempt to bring to full maturity my more humble but hopefully less sterile approach to the quantum-gravity problem, which focuses on the analysis of theories that are not intended as solutions of all aspects of the quantum-gravity problem, but can be subject to experimental tests and appear to be good candidates for the description of some features of the correct quantum gravity. Data to be gathered over the next few years should provide valuable indications, and some long-sought theory results appear to be now within reach.
QSpace Latest
PressRelease: Shining a light on the roots of plant “intelligence”
All living organisms emit a low level of light radiation, but the origin and function of these ‘biophotons’ are not yet fully understood. An international team of physicists, funded by the Foundational Questions Institute, FQxI, has proposed a new approach for investigating this phenomenon based on statistical analyses of this emission. Their aim is to test whether biophotons can play a role in the transport of information within and between living organisms, and whether monitoring biophotons could contribute to the development of medical techniques for the early diagnosis of various diseases. Their analyses of the measurements of the faint glow emitted by lentil seeds support models for the emergence of a kind of plant ‘intelligence,’ in which the biophotonic emission carries information and may thus be used by plants as a means to communicate. The team reported this and reviewed the history of biophotons in an article in the journal Applied Sciences in June 2024.