Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (Rovelli) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—May 3, 1956
• Where—Verona, Italy
• Education—B.S., M.S. University of Bologna; Ph.D., University of Padova
• Awards—(see below)
• Currently—lives in Marseille, France


Carlo Rovelli is an Italian theoretical physicist and writer who has worked in Italy and the USA, and currently works in France. His work is mainly in the field of quantum gravity, where he is among the founders of the loop quantum gravity theory. He has also worked in the history and philosophy of science.

Academia
In 1981, Rovelli graduated with a BS and MS in Physics from the University of Bologna, and in 1986 he obtained his PhD at the University of Padova, Italy. Rovelli refused military service, which was compulsory in Italy at the time, and was therefore briefly detained in 1987.

He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Rome, Trieste, and at Yale University. Rovelli was on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh from 1990 to 2000 where, although now in France, he continues to hold the post of Affilated Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.

Currently, Rovelli works in the Centre de Physique Theorique at Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France. He is the first president of the Samy Maroun Center for Quantam Physics founded in 2014.

Loop quantum gravity
In 1988, Carlo Rovelli, Lee Smolin, and Abhay Ashtekar introduced a theory of quantum gravity called loop quantum gravity. In 1995, Rovelli and Smolin obtained a basis of states of quantum gravity, labelled by Penrose's spin networks, and using this basis they were able to show that the theory predicts that area and volume are quantized. This result indicates the existence of a discrete structure of space at very small scale.

In 1997, Rovelli and Michael Reisenberger introduced a "sum over surfaces" formulation of theory, which has since evolved into the currently covariant "spinfoam" version of loop quantum gravity. In 2008, in collaboration with Jonathan Engle and Roberto Pereira, he introduced the spin foam vertex amplitude which is the basis of the current definition of the loop quantum gravity covariant dynamics. The loop theory is today considered a candidate for a quantum theory of gravity. It finds applications in quantum cosmology, spinfoam cosmology, and quantum black hole physics.

Physics without time
In his 2004 book Quantum Gravity, Rovelli developed a formulation of classical and quantum mechanics that does not make explicit reference to the notion of time. The timeless formalism is needed to describe the world in the regimes where the quantum properties of the gravitational field cannot be disregarded. This is because the quantum fluctuation of spacetime itself make the notion of time unsuitable for writing physical laws in the conventional form of evolution laws in time.

This position has led him to face the following problem: if time is not part of the fundamental theory of the world, then how does time emerge? In 1993, in collaboration with Alain Connes, Rovelli has proposed a solution to this problem called the thermal time hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, time emerges only in a thermodynamic or statistical context. If this is correct, the flow of time is an illusion, one deriving from the incompleteness of knowledge.

Relational quantum mechanics
In 1994, Rovelli introduced the relational interpretation of quantum mechanics, based on the idea that the quantum state of a system must always be interpreted relative to another physical system (like the "velocity of an object" is always relative to another object, in classical mechanics). The idea has been developed and analyzed in particular by Bas van Fraassen and by Michel Bitbol. Among other important consequences, it provides a solution of the EPR paradox that does not violate locality.

History and philosophy of science
Rovelli has written a book on the Greek philosopher Anaximander, published in France, Italy, US, and Brazil. The book analyses the main aspects of scientific thinking and articulates Rovelli's views on science. Anaximander is presented in the book as a main initiator of scientific thinking.

For Rovelli, science is a continuous process of exploring novel possible views of the world; this happens via a "learned rebellion," which always builds and relies on previous knowledge but at the same time continuously questions aspects of this received knowledge. The foundation of science, therefore, is not certainty but the very opposite, a radical uncertainty about our own knowledge, or equivalently, an acute awareness of the extent of our ignorance.

Religious views
In his book on Anaximander, Rovelli argues that the conflict between science and religion is ultimately unsolvable, because (most) religions demand acceptance of some absolute truths, while scientific thinking is based on constant questioning of any truth. Thus, for Rovelli the source of the conflict is the acceptance of ignorance as the basis of science versus religion's claims that it is the repository of certainty.

Popular writings
2006 - What Is Time, What Is Space? (Di Renzo, Editore)
2011 - The First Scientist: Anaximander and His Legacy
2014 - A Journey into Loop Quantum Gravity and the History of the Main Underlying Ideas
2015 - Seven Brief Lessons of Physics

Recognition
1995 - Int'l. Xanthopoulos Award, Int'l. Society for General Relativity and Gravitation
2009 - First Prize, FQXi Contest—The Nature of Time
2013 - Second Prize, FQXi Contest—The Relation Between Physics and Information
Senior member, Institut Universitaire de France
Member, Academie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences
Honorary member, Accademia di Scienze Arti e Lettere di Verona
Honorary Professor, Beijing Normal University (China
(Author bio adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 3/20/2016.)