Research Seminars @ Illinois

Tailored for undergraduate researchers, this calendar is a curated list of research seminars at the University of Illinois. Explore the diverse world of research and expand your knowledge through engaging sessions designed to inspire and enlighten.

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Mathematical and Theoretical Physics Seminar: Zhencheng Wang (UIUC), "Axion wormholes and the gravitational path integral"

Feb 26, 2026   1:00 - 2:00 pm  
Loomis 464
Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor
Department of Physics
Speaker
Zhencheng Wang
Contact
Thierry Ramais
E-Mail
ramais@illinois.edu
Views
6
Originating Calendar
Physics - Mathematical and Theoretical Physics Seminar

Abstract: In AdS/CFT, the existence of spacetime wormholes poses a factorization puzzle for multi-boundary partition functions. In this talk, I will discuss whether Euclidean axion wormholes contribute to this puzzle by studying their relevance in the Lorentzian gravitational path integral, defined by integrating over all real Lorentz-signature spacetimes. We specifically study the integral over the wormhole throat area, and find that such wormholes are subdominant to a UV-sensitive endpoint in 2+1 dimensions, but they dominate the path integral in 1+1 dimensional JT gravity. This talk is based on 2601.02507 and 2601.09932. 

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