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SUMMARY:Quantum Conformal Gravity - Philip Mannheim (Connecticut)
DTSTART:20180607T120000Z
DTEND:20180607T130000Z
UID:TALK105112@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr. Carl Turner
DESCRIPTION:Conformal symmetry is a natural symmetry in physics since it i
 s the full symmetry of the light cone. If all particles are to get their m
 asses by symmetry breaking then conformal symmetry is the symmetry of the 
 unbroken Lagrangian. Like Yang-Mills theories conformal symmetry has a loc
 al extension\, namely conformal gravity\, a pure metric-based candidate al
 ternative to the non-conformal invariant standard Newton-Einstein theory o
 f gravity. With its dimensionless coupling constant quantum conformal grav
 ity is power counting renormalizable. Since its equations of motion are fo
 urth-order derivative equations conformal gravity has long been thought to
  possess unacceptable ghost states of negative norm that would violate uni
 tarity. However on constructing the quantum Hilbert space Bender and Mannh
 eim found that this not to be the case. Conformal gravity is thus offered 
 as a completely consistent and unitary quantum theory of gravity\, one tha
 t requires neither the extra dimensions nor the supersymmetry of string th
 eory. As formulated via local conformal invariance there is no intrinsic c
 lassical gravity\, with gravity instead being intrinsically quantum-mechan
 ical\, with the observed classical gravity being output rather than input.
  The contribution of the graviton loops of conformal gravity enables confo
 rmal gravity to solve the cosmological constant problem. Like Yang-Mills t
 he potential of conformal gravity contains both a Newtonian term and a lin
 ear potential. Together with a quadratic potential that the theory also co
 ntains conformal gravity is able to explain the systematics of galactic ro
 tation curves  without any need for galactic dark matter. Since all mass i
 s to be dynamical there cannot be a fundamental double-well Higgs potentia
 l in the theory. Instead\, the Higgs boson is generated dynamically\, with
  the hierarchy problem then being solved.\n
LOCATION:Potter Room (first floor\, Pav. B)
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