Einstein's equations: good for more than just gravity! |
| TYPE | Colloquium |
| Speaker: | Professor Laurence Yaffe |
| Affiliation: | University of Washington |
| Date: | 27.05.2013 |
| Time: | 14:30 |
| Location: | Lidow Rosen Auditorium (323) |
| Abstract: | Quantum field theories describing certain strongly interacting or strongly correlated systems have exact alternative descriptions as gravitational theories in higher dimensions. This allows problems involving non-equilibrium behavior to be recast as gravitational initial value problems. By solving Einstein's equations, numerically, one may study far-from-equilibrium dynamics. Questions involving thermalization, isotropization, and hydrodynamics become related to the evolution and relaxation of gravitational horizons. Results obtained on several problems involving highly anisotropic plasmas, colliding shock waves, and turbulent fluids will be shown. |