Advanced Summer School in Quantum Field Theory and Quantum Gravity

→ Europe/Zurich
Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques de Cargèse

Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques de Cargèse

20130 Cargèse, France
Description

This Summer School will take place at the Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques de Cargèse in Corsica, France. It is aimed at advanced doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and junior researchers working in the field of high energy theory. It is the 2026 edition in a biennial series of Advanced Summer Schools in High Energy Theoretical Physics, which have been held traditionally in Cargèse or Les Houches. Recent developments in string theory, quantum gravity and quantum field theory will be reviewed in pedagogical fashion, along with emerging relations to quantum information, quantum many body systems,  cosmology, etc.

 

Lecturers:

  • Micha Berkooz, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot :
    "Quantum Chaos and Quantum Gravity in the Double Scaled SYK model"
  • Scott Collier, Syracuse University, USA:
     “3d gravity, averaged holography, and Virasoro TQFT”
  • Zohar Komargodski, Simons Center of Geometry and Physics, Stony Brook,  USA:
    “Defects in Quantum Field Theory and Many Body Systems: RG flows, Generalized Symmetries, and Exotic Dynamics"
  • Hong Liu, Massachussets Institute of Technology, Boston,  USA :
    "Wormholes and closed universes in AdS/CFT"
  • Guilherme Pimentel, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy:
    "Theory of cosmological fluctuations"
  • Ashoke Sen, ICTS-TIFR,  Bangalore, India: "Why supergravity needs string theory"
  • Joaquin Turiaci, University of Washington, Seattle, USA:
    "Quantum effects in near-extremal black holes"
  • Irene Valenzuela, CERN Geneva and Universitad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain: "Aspects of the Swampland Distance Conjecture"
  • Sasha Zhiboedov, CERN Geneva: "Introduction to conformal collider physics"

 

Organizing Committee:

  • J. de Boer, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands                    
  • M. Guica, CERN and EPFL, Switzerland  and IPhT, CEA/Saclay, France                 
  • B. Pioline, LPTHE, Sorbonne Université, France                    
  • J. Sonner, University of Geneva, Switzerland                      
  • P. Tourkine, LAPTH, Annecy, France
  • B. van Rees, Ecole Polytechnique, France                                      
  • E. Verlinde, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Administrative Organizer: Elena Gianolio, CERN

Applications:

The school can accommodate approximately 65 selected participants. PhD students and first-year postdocs should arrange for a letter of recommendation from their advisor to be sent to Cargese2026.references@cern.ch by March 20 (please ask them to indicate your name in the email subject). Registration is now closed. 

Participants are expected to cover their own travel expenses. The registration fee is 650 Euros, covering accommodation on shared room basis, lunches and coffee breaks (single room accommodation is possible for additional 150 Euro fee). Funding is available on specific request (in the registration form).

Students are expected to attend the school for its full duration. The arrival date is Monday June 22,  while the departure date is Saturday July 4th, except for special arrangements.

 

           

Participants
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Introduction to conformal collider physics (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Alexander Zhiboedov (CERN)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      Aspects of the Swampland Distance Conjecture (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Irene Valenzuela Agui (CERN)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch Break 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 → 18:15
      Gong Show 2h 15m
    • 18:15 → 19:15
      Welcome drink 1h
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Theory of cosmological fluctuations (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Guilherme Pimentel (Scuola Normale Superiore)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      Aspects of the Swampland Distance Conjecture (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Irene Valenzuela Agui (CERN)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 → 17:25
      Wormholes and closed universes in AdS/CFT (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Hong Liu (Massachussets Institute of Technology, Boston, USA)
    • 17:30 → 19:00
      Discussion
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Theory of cosmological fluctuations (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Guilherme Pimentel (Scuola Normale Superiore)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      Introduction to conformal collider physics (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Alexander Zhiboedov (CERN)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 → 17:25
      Wormholes and closed universes in AdS/CFT (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Hong Liu (Massachussets Institute of Technology, Boston, USA)
    • 17:30 → 18:30
      Discussion
    • 19:00 → 20:30
      Presentation Grand Public 1h 30m
      Speaker: Piotr Tourkine (LAPTH, Annecy, France)
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Introduction to conformal collider physics (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Alexander Zhiboedov (CERN)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      Aspects of the Swampland Distance Conjecture (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Irene Valenzuela Agui (CERN)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 → 17:25
      Theory of cosmological fluctuations (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Guilherme Pimentel (Scuola Normale Superiore)
    • 17:30 → 18:30
      Discussion
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Why supergravity needs string theory (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Ashoke Sen (ICTS-TIFR, Bangalore, India)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      Wormholes and closed universes in AdS/CFT (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Hong Liu (Massachussets Institute of Technology, Boston, USA)
    • 16:00 → 19:00
      Excursion 3h
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Quantum effects in near-extremal black holes (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Gustavo Joaquin Turiaci (University of Washington, Seattle, USA)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      Why supergravity needs string theory (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Ashoke Sen (ICTS-TIFR, Bangalore, India)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 → 17:25
      Quantum Chaos and Quantum Gravity in the Double Scaled SYK model (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Micha Berkooz (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
    • 17:30 → 18:30
      Wisdom Tree
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Why supergravity needs string theory (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Ashoke Sen (ICTS-TIFR, Bangalore, India)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      3d gravity, averaged holography, and Virasoro TQFT (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Scott Collier (Syracuse University, USA)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 → 17:25
      Defects in Quantum Field Theory and Many Body Systems: RG flows, Generalized Symmetries, and Exotic Dynamics (1) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Zohar Komargodski (Simons Center of Geometry and Physics, Stony Brook, USA)
    • 17:30 → 18:30
      Discussion
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Quantum Chaos and Quantum Gravity in the Double Scaled SYK model (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Micha Berkooz (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      Quantum effects in near-extremal black holes (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Gustavo Joaquin Turiaci (University of Washington, Seattle, USA)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 → 17:25
      Defects in Quantum Field Theory and Many Body Systems: RG flows, Generalized Symmetries, and Exotic Dynamics (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Zohar Komargodski (Simons Center of Geometry and Physics, Stony Brook, USA)
    • 17:30 → 18:30
      Discussion
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Quantum Chaos and Quantum Gravity in the Double Scaled SYK model (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Micha Berkooz (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      3d gravity, averaged holography, and Virasoro TQFT (2) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Scott Collier (Syracuse University, USA)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:00 → 17:25
      Defects in Quantum Field Theory and Many Body Systems: RG flows, Generalized Symmetries, and Exotic Dynamics (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Zohar Komargodski (Simons Center of Geometry and Physics, Stony Brook, USA)
    • 17:30 → 18:30
      Discussion
    • 09:00 → 10:25
      Quantum effects in near-extremal black holes (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Gustavo Joaquin Turiaci (University of Washington, Seattle, USA)
    • 10:25 → 10:50
      Coffee Break 25m
    • 10:50 → 12:15
      3d gravity, averaged holography, and Virasoro TQFT (3) 1h 25m
      Speaker: Scott Collier (Syracuse University, USA)
    • 12:15 → 15:30
      Lunch 3h 15m
    • 15:30 → 16:00
      Coffee Break 30m