The XIV School of Physics Roberto A. Salmeron (EFRAS-14) will take place from September 8 to 12, 2025, at the International Center for Physics of the University of Brasília, with the theme: "Modern Topics in Mathematical Physics". The school will consist of mini-courses, plenary lectures, student oral presentations, and poster sessions.
About | Schedule | Venue | Committee | Applications | Financial support | History | Contact |
About
- Mini-course 1: Algebraic Field Theory
Professor: João Carlos Alves Barata (USP) - Mini-course 2: Introduction to black hole Thermodynamics
Professor: Pietro Benetti Genolini (Université de Genève) - Mini-course 3: Knots and Quantum Mechanics
Professor: Dmitry Melnikov (IIP-UFRN) - Mini-course 4: Introduction to Integrable Models
Professor: José Francisco Gomes (IFT-UNESP) - Plenary Lecture 1: Localization On Supergravity
Professor: James Sparks (Univ. Oxford) - Plenary Lecture 2: Quantum Information
Professor: Marcelo Terra Cunha (UNICAMP)
Tentative Schedule
Mon. 8/9 | Tue. 9/9 | Wed. 10/9 | Thur. 11/9 | Fri. 12/9 | |
9:00 - 10:00 | Opening | Student talks | Posters | 9:00 - 10:30 Minicourse 4 | |
10:00 - 10:30 | Coffee-break | 10:30 - 11:00 Coffee-break | |||
10:30 - 12:00 | Minicourse 1 | Minicourse 1 | Minicourse 1 | Minicourse 2 | 11:00 - 12:30 Minicourse 2 |
12:00 - 14:00 | Lunch | 12:30 - 14:30 Lunch | |||
14:00 - 15:30 | Minicourse 2 | Minicourse 2 | Minicourse 3 | Minicourse 4 | 14:30 - 15:30 Student talks |
15:30 - 16:00 | Coffee-break | ||||
16:00 - 17:30 | Minicourse 3 | Minicourse 3 | Minicourse 4 | Plenary Lecture 1 | Plenary Lecture 2 |
- Student oral presentations and posters can be presented in Portuguese or English.
- Some mini-courses and lectures will be presented in English.
Description of mini-courses
Mini-course 1: Algebraic Field Theory
Professor: João Carlos Alves Barata (USP)
- (in preparation)
Mini-course 2 (in English): Introduction to black hole Thermodynamics
Professor: Pietro Benetti Genolini (Université de Genève)
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This course provides a concise and biased introduction to black hole thermodynamics. It covers the laws of black hole mechanics, Hawking radiation, Euclidean quantum gravity methods, and AdS black holes.
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Prerequisites: first notions on GR, possibly including the definition of AdS space, and general features of the Schwarzschild solution, knowing that black holes can be charged and rotating.
Mini-course 3 (in English): Knots and Quantum Mechanics
Professor: Dmitry Melnikov (IIP-UFRN)
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This course provides a basic introduction to knot theory and topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). The lecturer will demonstrate how to compute fundamental topological invariants and discuss their connections to observables in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. This interplay offers a valuable framework for exploring foundational concepts in quantum mechanics, such as quantum entanglement. It will be illustrated how quantum entanglement can be encoded in the topology of emergent spaces and the lecturer will present a few applications, including the classification of entanglement types and the development of basic quantum algorithms.
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Prerequisites: this set of lectures is aimed at graduate students and advanced undergraduate students, familiar with the basic concepts of quantum mechanics and linear algebra. Basic familiarity with group theory and representation of groups, as well as the notion of path integral is useful, but not strictly necessary.
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Preparatory material:
2) recent book of Steve Simon: "Topological Quantum" on topological quantum computation
3) books of Louis Kauffman on knots, such as "Knots and Physics"
Mini-course 4: Introduction to Integrable Models
Professor: José Francisco Gomes (IFT-UNESP)
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Lecture 1: Lie Algebras and Symmetry
a) SU(2) and angular momentum as a prototype of general finite-dimensional Lie algebras
b) SU(3) and its applications to particle physics (quark model)
c) Overview of general finite-dimensional Lie algebrasLecture 2: Infinite-Dimensional Algebras and Conformal Invariance
a) Current algebras, Kac–Moody algebras, and the Virasoro algebra
b) Conformal invariance: correlation functions, critical exponents, and representations of the Virasoro algebraLecture 3: Integrable Models
a) Introduction to integrable models: construction and classification
b) Construction of soliton solutions -
Prerequisites: A basic familiarity with angular momentum theory and the operator formalism of quantum mechanics is assumed.
Venue
The event will be held in the Auditorium of the International Center of Physics (CIF), located on the Darcy Ribeiro Campus of the University of Brasília, as shown in the images below.
Organizing Committee
- Aleksandr Pinzul (UnB)
- Alexandre Dodonov (UnB)
- Arsen Melikyan (UnB)
- Carolina Matté Gregory (UnB)
Responsible for the support by Sociedade Brasileira de Física (SBF): Demétrio Antônio Da Silva Filho (UnB) - secretary of SBF at Distrito Federal.
Applications
The applications are open until August 24, 2025, via the registration form at the website:
Registration types:
- Attendee without presentation;
- Poster presentation (subject to approval by the organizers);
- Oral presentation (4 slots available, subject to approval by the organizers). If the oral presentation is not approved, the Organizing Committee may automatically recommend a poster presentation under the same title. The decision will be communicated by email.
Due to the limited number of positions, early application is strongly encouraged.
Financial support
- The organizers will provide lodging at the UnB transit apartment (free of charge for up to 6 nights) for selected participants from outside DF. Priority will be given first to participants with oral presentations, followed by those presenting posters. For more information about the transit apartments, visit: https://imoveisunb.unb.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17&Itemid=787
- A limited financial support will be offered to selected participants from outside DF. Priority will be given first to participants with oral presentations, followed by those presenting posters.
- The financial support and the number of transit apartments is limited, so please apply early!
History
The School of Physics Roberto A. Salmeron (EFRAS) is a national-level school dedicated to the complementary training of undergraduate and graduate students, which in each edition seeks to enhance its internationalization. Its program includes mini-courses on current topics in Physics, lectures, panel discussions, and presentations of submitted works in the form of oral presentations and posters, providing an appropriate environment for student training as well as interaction with Brazilian and international professors and students. The school is promoted by the International Center of Physics and the Institute of Physics at UnB and has been held continuously since 2012.
The name EFRAS is a tribute to one of the founding professors of the Institute of Physics at the University of Brasília (IF-UnB) - Prof. Roberto A. Salmeron (São Paulo, June 16, 1922 – Paris, June 17, 2020), who was a prominent physicist in the field of elementary particles, having worked not only at IF-UnB but also at CNRS (France), where he retired.
EFRAS has been held annually since 2012 and usually focuses on a major theme at each event, as described below:
- Mecânica Quântica - fundamentos e aplicações (2012)
- Interações Fundamentais (2013)
- Fenômenos críticos e Transições de Fase (2014)
- Novas fronteiras em Ciência dos Materiais (2015)
- Avanços na interação radiação-matéria: Temperatura, dissipação e emaranhamento (2016)
- Ensino de Física (2017)
- New Trends in Quantum Field Theory (2018)
- Aprendizagem de Máquina na Física e Ciências Exatas (2019)
- Quantum Mechanics: foundations and new trends (2020)
- Gravity: new trends and perspectives (2021)
- Física e seu Ensino (2022)
- Jornada Científica e Acadêmica da Física, em comemoração aos 50 anos de graduação em Física na UnB (2023)
- Mãos na massa em Tecnologias Quânticas e Inteligência Artificial (2024)
Contact
- Aleksandr Pinzul: apinzul (at) unb.br
- Alexandre Dodonov: adodonov (at) unb.br
- Arsen Melikyan: amelik (at) unb.br
- Carolina Gregory: carolina.gregory (at) unb.br