Stefan Fredenhagen
Stefan Fredenhagen’s research deals with mathematical and theoretical questions in quantum field theory, gravity, and string theory, with a special focus on two-dimensional conformal field theories and higher-spin extensions of gravity.
Nils Carqueville
The research of Nils Carqueville aims to understand fundamental questions in quantum field theory, often using algebraic and topological methods.
A particular focus is on topological quantum field theories, where structural aspects of quantum theory may be studied in a simplified, rigorous, and elegant framework. Topological quantum field theories also provide topological invariants in pure mathematics, and they have applications to condensed matter theory and quantum computation.
Harold C. Steinacker
Harold C. Steinacker’s primary research interest is the quantum theory of fundamental interactions including gravity. The main focus is on an approach known as „Matrix Theory“, and in particular the IKKT or IIB matrix model. This can be viewed as a constructive approach to string theory, which avoids the “landscape” problem and its inherent lack of predictivity. The model is extremely simple and leads naturally to a quantum structure of space-time. A central aspect of this program is to develop a suitable notion of quantum geometry, which can serve as a basis to understand gravity in this framework.