报告摘要
Come and learn:
What is quantum gravity & why is it interesting?
What is a gauge theory? How can a geometrical theory like classical general relativity be viewed as a gauge theory?
What is loop quantum gravity? What is space-time foam?
Are time machines possible?
What about causality?
What about topology?
Conclusions: So what?

报告人简介:
Paul was born in New York. He received his B.A. in 1979 from Harvard and his Ph.D. in physics in 1986 from Cornell University. He worked as an experimental low temperature physicist at AT&T Bell Labs and Rutgers University until 2000. He then pursued other interests. But he found that physics is like the sea, “once it casts its spell, it holds one in its net of wonders forever.” (Jacques Cousteau, a forefather of modern oceanography). In his spare time he studied quantum field theory and gravitational physics for fun. He has lived in 6 countries and visited more than 80. Although Paul has visited China over a dozen times, he cannot yet count China as one of the countries he has lived in; however China is one of his favorite places to be.