The colloquium is scheduled for today, Wednesday, 12 June 2024 - from 17:00 to 18:00 in Aula Magna, SISSA.

Abstract : “I will explain the basic idea of black hole thermodynamics as originally developed in the 1970's, and then I will explain some of what is new in a contemporary perspective”

Short bio : Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist known for his
seminal contributions to string theory, topological quantum field
theory, and various areas of mathematics.
Soon after receiving his PhD from Princeton University, Witten became
a junior fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows. He then held an
appointment at Princeton University, before moving to the Institute
for Advanced Study (Princeton) in 1987, where he has remained ever
since.
Witten has shaped topics such as string theory, quantum gravity,
supersymmetric quantum field theories, and other areas of mathematical
physics. His work has also significantly impacted pure mathematics.
In 1990 he became the first physicist to be awarded a Fields medal for
his mathematical insights in physics, in particular for his proof of
the positive energy theorem in general relativity, and for his
interpretation of the Jones invariants of knots as Feynman integrals.
Besides the Fields medal, he also received the Dirac medal, the
Lorentz medal, the Breakthrough Prize, and many more. He also appeared
in the list of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2004.