Title： Ensemble averages, factorization, and (half-)wormholes

Speaker：Peng Cheng  University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Time：Oct 4, 2022 14:30-17:30

Online report（Tencent ID: 994-767-941）

Venue：302，Physics Building

Online report（ Zoom ID：842 4935 3366  Password:123456）

Abstract：Ensemble average theories have attracted a lot of attention in the past few years since they are shown to be, at least as some effective descriptions, inevitable to reproduce holographic results from bulk gravitational path integrals. On the other hand, ensemble average theories come with other puzzles, among which the factorization puzzle is probably the most notable one. I will briefly introduce different proposals to resolve the factorization puzzle, such as the alpha-state proposal and the half-wormhole proposal, and then discuss some of our recent exercises and findings in both directions.

Brief Bio：Dr. Cheng Peng graduated from the Yuanpei College of Peking University and got his Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor under the supervision of Prof. Henriette Elvang. He then worked at ETH Zurich and Brown University as a postdoc fellow. After a year at UC Davis as a visiting scientist, he joined the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Sciences (KITS) at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) in September 2020. His research interest lies in quantum field theory, gravity, and the interplay between them. Recently he's been focusing on higher-spin theories and ensemble average theories.