Renate Loll's proposal for a NWO-ENW M grant has been selected for funding.

Project: From quantum foam to a curved universe
Using state-of-the-art lattice methods based on causal dynamical triangulations, this research project aims to relate the behaviour of nonperturbative quantum fluctuations of spacetime at the Planck scale to properties of the early universe. The project includes a PhD position, as well as resources for a workshop and international exchanges. 

Prof Dr Renate Loll (RU)
A long-standing dream of theoretical physics is to explain the origins of spacetime and gravity from first principles and describe how our universe emerged from a primordial quantum “spacetime foam”. To realize this dream we will investigate correlation functions of curvature, which capture the behaviour of spacetime fluctuations and can connect the quantum micro-world to the macroscopic physics of the early universe. Using world-leading technical expertise and a new concept of quantum curvature, our key goal is to show that pure quantum spacetime can be the ultimate source of both gravitational interactions and structure formation in the universe. 

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