The four-week programme, Synergies in non-equilibrium QFT: from heavy ions to the cosmos funded by the Bernoulli Center for Fundamental Studies at EPFL will take place in Lausanne and Les Diablerets from 21 June to 16 July 2027.
About the Programme
Non-equilibrium quantum field theory is central to both heavy-ion physics and primordial cosmology. Despite the vastly different scales involved, the two communities face strikingly similar questions: thermalisation, phase transitions, non-thermal fixed points, turbulence, and the emergence of effective descriptions. They also rely on closely related tools, such as the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism, kinetic theory, classical-statistical methods, and effective field theory, yet these have often developed independently.
The programme aims to bring these communities together, exchange methods and perspectives, and identify problems where progress in one field can drive advances in the other. Symposium weeks combine invited and contributed talks with a deliberately light schedule, leaving ample time for discussion and collaboration.
Programme Structure
Week 1 · 21–25 June · International School
Non-Equilibrium QFT Techniques in Cosmology and Heavy-Ion Physics
A school for about 30 early-career researchers, providing a shared conceptual and technical foundation in real-time and out-of-equilibrium QFT, with applications across both fields.
Confirmed lecturers:
- Jürgen Berges: Non-perturbative dynamics of quantum fields far from equilibrium
- Luca V. Delacretaz: Schwinger-Keldysh effective field theories
- Jacopo Ghiglieri: derivation of kinetic theory from quantum field theory
- Azadeh Maleknejad: cosmological particle production
Week 2 · 28 June – 2 July · Symposium I
Non-Equilibrium Phase Transitions and Critical Dynamics
How can we understand critical dynamics and symmetry breaking away from equilibrium, from near-equilibrium evolution to strongly time-dependent processes in heavy-ion collisions and the early Universe?
Topics: non-equilibrium critical dynamics; spontaneous symmetry breaking and coset constructions; Schwinger-Keldysh effective theories; kinetic theory and transport; bubble nucleation and growth; wall friction and plasma dynamics; non-perturbative methods; reheating and baryogenesis in cosmological phase transitions.
Confirmed speakers so far:
- Mikko Laine (U. Bern)
- Cristina Manuel (CSIC, Catalunya)
- Riccardo Penco (Carnegie Melon U.)
Week 3 · 5–9 July · Symposium II
Far-from-Equilibrium Dynamics and Thermalisation
How do rapidly evolving quantum systems, from the quark-gluon plasma to the post-inflationary Universe, approach equilibrium, fail to thermalise, or develop characteristic far-from-equilibrium dynamics?
Topics: thermalisation and its absence; driven-dissipative systems; particle production and Schwinger-type phenomena; preheating and inflationary dynamics; kinetic and hydrodynamic attractors; non-thermal fixed points; turbulence and cascades; scaling and universality; functional and non-equilibrium renormalisation group.
Confirmed speakers so far:
- Kim Berghaus (KIT Karlsruhe)
- Adrien Florio (Bielefeld)
- Michal Heller (Ghent U.)
- Pavel Kovtun (Southampton U.)
Week 4 · 12–16 July · Research Retreat, Les Diablerets
A smaller retreat for long-term participants with a light formal schedule, designed to develop collaborative projects emerging from the preceding weeks.
Registration and Support
- No registration fee for the school or symposia.
- Registration for the school and for the symposia/retreat is separate. Interest in the retreat can be indicated on the symposium registration form.
- Limited financial support for local accommodation is available for a selected number of school, symposium, and retreat participants. Please request it on the registration form.
- Travel, insurance, and meal costs are borne by participants.
Phishing emails. Some participants may receive fraudulent emails from organisations offering to book flights or accommodation on their behalf. Please do not share personal, financial or payment information in response to unsolicited offers. If you are unsure whether a message is legitimate, please contact the organisers directly before taking any action.