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PLV: Plenary Talks

PLV III

PLV III: Plenary Talk

Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 08:30–09:30, ZHG011

The Quantum Roots of the Cosmos — •Gianfranco Bertone — University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1098 XH, Netherlands

Quantum physics has far-reaching consequences beyond the microscopic: physicists tackling the greatest puzzles in cosmology - dark matter, dark energy and the Big Bang - routinely draw on their quantum field theory toolkit for answers. Gravitational-wave astronomy offers a new frontier to unlock these mysteries and forge a connection between the micro- and macrocosmos. As an example, I show how future interferometers will allow us to probe the matter surrounding black holes, opening up the possibility to discover new quantum fields, and to characterise the fundamental nature of dark matter.

Keywords: quantum field theory; cosmology; dark matter; black holes; gravitational waves