IAS Physics Group Meeting
TQFT Gravity, Sum over Topologies, and Mass Formula
Abstract: I will discuss a simple model of topological gravity defined by a 3d TQFT summed over all geometries. I will explain how this sum is formulated so that the holographically dual boundary ensemble admits a probabilistic interpretation. This construction naturally leads to a mass formula: the weighted sum over topological boundary conditions is given by the 3d TQFT averaged over all closed 3-manifolds.
Date & Time
October 01, 2025 | 11:00am – 12:15pm
Location
Bloomberg Lecture Hall (IAS)Speakers
Anatoly Dymarsky, Sabbatical Member, IAS; University of Kentucky