CAP Lecture Tour: Gravity and Quantum Mechanics

Event Date:
2026-03-24T12:30:00
2026-03-24T14:00:00
Event Location:
HENN 318
Speaker:
Prof. Manu Paranjape, Université de Montréal
Related Upcoming Events:
Other Talks
Intended Audience:
Undergraduate
Local Contact:

All students are welcome to this event!

Contact: Douglas Scott (dscott@phas.ubc.ca)

Event Information:

2026 CAP Lecture Tour
This year, the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Lecture Tour is officially scheduled at SFU on Wed March 25th, 2026. We are fortunate to have CAP Lecture Tour Prof. Manu Paranjape, Université de Montréal speak with us as well this Tuesday, March 24th on UBC-V campus! 

The CAP Lecture Tour, targeted towards undergraduate physics students, follows a selection process based on input from undergraduate students from CAP member departments: several physicists from across the country are chosen to present their lecture to at least one host institution within each of the six CAP regions, and up to four other satellite institutions.

Welcome Manu to UBC!

Abstract: 

We take the audience on a tour of some aspects of gravitational physics and quantum mechanics, from very real, experimentally accessible situations to rather speculative and fantastical astrophysical applications. We start with classical gravitation interacting with a quantum mechanical system and transition to quantum gravity interacting with quantum systems. The theory of quantum gravity is not yet considered complete; however, an effective theory of quantum gravity has been well- understood since the 1970s. We address the question of whether the graviton, the putative quantum of the gravitational field, would in fact be observable. 


Bio:

Manu Paranjape is off Indian origin, was born in Liverpool, UK, and grew up in Edmonton Alberta. He received his BSc (1978) and MSc (1979, supervisor Y. Takahashi) both from the University of Alberta, and PhD (1984, supervisor J. Goldstone) from MIT. He completed a Postdoc at UBC followed by one at ETH, Zurich. He became Professor from 1986 at the Département de physique, Université de Montréal, Montréal. His research interests are general theoretical physics, with an emphasis on quantum field theory, solitons, gravity and quantum mechanics. 

 

Learn More:

Add to Calendar 2026-03-24T12:30:00 2026-03-24T14:00:00 CAP Lecture Tour: Gravity and Quantum Mechanics Event Information: 2026 CAP Lecture TourThis year, the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Lecture Tour is officially scheduled at SFU on Wed March 25th, 2026. We are fortunate to have CAP Lecture Tour Prof. Manu Paranjape, Université de Montréal speak with us as well this Tuesday, March 24th on UBC-V campus!  The CAP Lecture Tour, targeted towards undergraduate physics students, follows a selection process based on input from undergraduate students from CAP member departments: several physicists from across the country are chosen to present their lecture to at least one host institution within each of the six CAP regions, and up to four other satellite institutions. Welcome Manu to UBC! Abstract:  We take the audience on a tour of some aspects of gravitational physics and quantum mechanics, from very real, experimentally accessible situations to rather speculative and fantastical astrophysical applications. We start with classical gravitation interacting with a quantum mechanical system and transition to quantum gravity interacting with quantum systems. The theory of quantum gravity is not yet considered complete; however, an effective theory of quantum gravity has been well- understood since the 1970s. We address the question of whether the graviton, the putative quantum of the gravitational field, would in fact be observable.  Bio: Manu Paranjape is off Indian origin, was born in Liverpool, UK, and grew up in Edmonton Alberta. He received his BSc (1978) and MSc (1979, supervisor Y. Takahashi) both from the University of Alberta, and PhD (1984, supervisor J. Goldstone) from MIT. He completed a Postdoc at UBC followed by one at ETH, Zurich. He became Professor from 1986 at the Département de physique, Université de Montréal, Montréal. His research interests are general theoretical physics, with an emphasis on quantum field theory, solitons, gravity and quantum mechanics.    Learn More: CAP Lecture Tour: Canadian Association of Physicists 2026 CAP Lecture Tour See Manu's faculty page at the Université de Montréal: Manu PARANJAPE - Département de physique - Université de Montréal and short bio: Manu PARANJAPE - La recherche - Université de Montréal Event Location: HENN 318