Holographic Duality

Modern theoretical physics faces the challenge of combining two fundamentally different concepts: the geometric description of space-time and matter in terms of Einstein's theory of General Relativity on one side, and the microscopic description of fundamental interactions governed by Quantum Field Theory on the other side. Despite solid experimental evidence in favour of both descriptions, a unification of these theories, i.e. a quantisation of the gravitational field or the formulation of a theory of Quantum Gravity is still an open issue.

A promising starting point for such a unification is the so-called Holographic Principle, which postulates certain equivalences between quantum and gravitational theories. One particular example of such an equivalence is the celebrated AdS/CFT Correspondence, which is a duality between (asymptotically) Anti-de-Sitter space-times and conformal field theories. The name "Holography" refers to the fact that a d-dimensional field theory can be formulated equivalently as a (d+1)-dimensional gravitational theory. This means that both descriptions of the system contain the same information.

Understanding the mechanisms behind holographic dualities promises insights into the fundamental principles of our universe, in particular the formulation of Quantum Gravity. Additionally, in recent years this research area has developed a variety of valuable tools for the study of strongly coupled quantum field theories, which are of relevance for particle and condensed matter theory.

The research group Holographic Duality investigates fundamental questions of Quantum Gravity, like the process of black-hole evaporation, which famously leads to the information-loss paradox. Furthermore, we study strongly coupled quantum field theories using suitable limits from String Theory and Supergravity, with a focus on the phase diagram and non-equilibrium dynamics of such systems. These investigations happen both in a purely analytic and a numerical manner.