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GR: Fachverband Gravitation, Relativistische Astrophysik und Kosmologie
GR 13: Quantum Gravity and Quantum Cosmology I
GR 13.3: Talk
Thursday, March 19, 2026, 14:15–14:30, KH 02.012
The perturbative Ricci flow — Robert Harlander1, Yannick Kluth2, Jonas Kohnen1, and •Henry Werthenbach1 — 1TTK, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany — 2Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A7, Canada
One candidate for a quantum theory of gravity is the Asymptotic Safety conjecture, which postulates the existence of a non-trivial fixed point for the gravitational couplings. We investigate the search for such a fixed point within the framework of perturbation theory.
For this, we employ the Ricci flow as the central tool, pursuing a perturbative scheme analogous to the gradient flow formalism in QCD. In QCD, the gradient flow was introduced to bridge the gap between lattice simulations and perturbative calculations, allowing for a definition of a renormalisation scheme that is accessible in both settings. Applied to gravity the gradient flow is known as `Ricci flow`. The core idea is to utilize this framework to compute the beta function of the gravitational coupling by explicitly defining it within the Ricci flow scheme.
In this talk, I will first provide a brief introduction to the gradient flow formalism. I will then present the first steps towards constructing a perturbative implementation of the Ricci flow and the definition of Newton's coupling in this scheme.
Keywords: Gradient flow; Gravity; Asymptotic Safety; Perturbation Theory