INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP. General Covariance and the Quantum : WhereDoWeStand?

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1 UNIVERSITY OF PARMA - PHYSICS DEPARTMENT Auditorium Centro S.Elisabetta June 21-23, 2001 INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP General Covariance and the Quantum : WhereDoWeStand? ORGANIZER: Prof. Massimo Pauri [massimo.pauri@fis.unipr.it]

2 Participants Dr. Jeremy Butterfield Prof. John Norton Prof. Josep Pons Prof. Michael Reisenberger Prof. Carlo Rovelli Prof. Donald Salisbury Prof. Roberto Torretti Dr. Michele Vallisneri Prof. Bruno Carazza Dr. Elena Castellani Prof. Ignazio Ciufolini Dr. Roberto De Pietri Prof. Mauro Dorato Dr. Luca Lusanna, Prof. Massimo Pauri All Souls College and Philosophy Faculty, University of Oxford. Chair, Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Staff Member of the Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh. Departament d Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria, Universitat de Barcelona. Centre de Physique Théorique, CNRS, Luminy, Marseille; on leave from Instituto de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Montevideo. Centre de Physique Théorique, CNRS, Luminy, Marseille; on leave from Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh. Chair, Austin College and Department of Physics, Sherman, Texas. Professor Emeritus, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Puerto Rico. Theoretical Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Physics Department, University of Parma. Auditor, Department of Philosophy, University of Florence. Physics Department, University of Lecce. Physics Department, University of Parma. Department of Philosophy, University of Rome-3. Research Director, National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Section of Florence. Physics Department, University of Parma.

3 Programme June 21, Thursday - Auditorium Centro S.Elisabetta - Campus 9:20 Opening Session - Welcome Massimo Pauri Marco Fontana, Director of the Physics Department 9:30 Roberto Torretti Geometry and Relativity: The 19 th -Century Background 11:30 Coffee Break John Norton From Einstein s Elevator to General Covariance Lunch: Campus Cafeteria John Norton The Great Debate Coffee Break Jeremy Butterfield The Hole Argument: A Metaphysical Perspective Roberto Torretti Oral Summary of the Day Dinner: Trattoria Antichi Sapori (Gaione, Parma)

4 June 22, Friday - Auditorium Centro S.Elisabetta - Campus 9.30 Massimo Pauri Ephemeral Point-Events: Is There a Last Residue of Spatiotemporal Objectivity? Michele Vallisneri Ephemeral Ephemerides: From General Covariance to Relativistic Geodesy and Astronomy Coffee break Luca Lusanna Inertial Forces and General Covariance in Special Relativity: The Simplest Model Where to Learn how to Quantize General Covariance Lunch: Campus Cafeteria Ignazio Ciufolini Observables in General Relativity and Measurement of the Gravitomagnetic Field Josep Pons Diffeomorphism Invariance in Tangent Space and in Phase Space Coffee break Donald Salisbury Finite Diffeomorphism and General Invariants Carlo Rovelli Oral Summary of the Day Dinner: Trattoria Antichi Sapori (Gaione, Parma)

5 June 23, Saturday - Auditorium Centro S.Elisabetta - Campus 9.30 Carlo Rovelli Observables in Classical and Quantum Gravity: The W Functions (1) Coffee Break Carlo Rovelli Observables in Classical and Quantum Gravity: The W Functions (2) Michael Reisenberger The Spinfoam Covariant Approach to the Quantum Mechanics of Spacetime Cold lunch: Centro S.Elisabetta Round Table on Quantum Gravity - General Discussion Coffee break Jeremy Butterfield Oral Summary of the Day and Workshop Closure Dinner and Farewell: Trattoria Antichi Sapori (Gaione, Parma)

6 PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS ARRIVALS At Malpensa Airport: take the bus to the Milan railway Central Station: DO NOT TAKE THE TRAIN! The bus leaves every 15 minutes in front of the Arrivals. Bus tickets are available at the Office Malpensa 2000 (inside the Arrivals - exchange office in the neighbourhoods). The Bus will take about 40/60 minutes to reach the Milan railway Central Station where you will get the train to Parma (direction: Bologna, Roma). At the Office Malpensa 2000 it should also be possible to buy a two-way train ticket Milan-Parma, otherwise you must buy it at the Milan Central Station. At Bologna Airport: take the bus to the Bologna railway Station. Buy there a two-way ticket to Parma (direction Milano). Don t forget to obliterate the tickets in the yellow machines before boarding the train. At Parma railway Station: take a Taxi to the Residenza S.Ilario, Borgo Bosazza 13, ask a receipt to the Taxi driver and keep it. You may have to wait a little before being able to catch a cab in front of the Station. In case of necessity, on Wednesday June 20 th, you may call me by phone at the Physics Department [Massimo Pauri: ]. ACCOMODATIONS Participants will lodge at Residenza S.Ilario, Borgo Bosazza, 13: [phone: ; FAX: ; s.ilario(at)fondazione.ceur.it]. Take note that the Residenza S.Ilario closes at 10 p.m.. In case of unexpected delays, please inform the Reception as soon as possible. According to previous agreements, the following participants will be accomodated at their own expenses: Dr.Elena Castellani, Prof. Ignazio Ciufolini. Their rooms have been booked at the Hotel Savoy, strada XX Settembre, 3 (phone: ) from June 20 (arrival) to June 22 (departure); and at the Hotel Stendhal, via Bodoni 3 (phone: ; FAX: ), from June 21 (arrival) to June 22 (departure), respectively. TRANSFERS Ordinary transfers to the Campus area are provided by the bus n.7, which leaves (direction University Campus) from Via Imbriani (besides, of course, from the railway station). The bus stop is located at the northern side of the street near via d Azeglio, about 120 meters from the Residenza S.Ilario. The bus will take about 15/20 minutes to reach its final stop, in sight of the Centro S.Elisabetta. Tickets are available in tobacco shops or at any newstand. Morning transfers: I suggest that participants call (8.30 a.m. at the latest) for the appropriate number of Taxis (max 3 people in a ordinary Taxi, 4 people in a Taxi famigliare, to be requested explicitly), and ask the Taxi driver to bring them directly in front of the Centro S.Elisabetta within the area of the University Campus. The cost of the transfer will be about / Italian Lire, depending on the traffic. Ask a receipt to the Taxi driver and keep it.

7 PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS - continued LUNCHES AND DINNERS Lunches and dinners are provided for the listed participants only. You will get tickets for lunches during the Coffee breaks of the morning sessions. On Saturday, a cold lunch will be available inside the Centro S.Elisabetta building. All dinners will take place at the Trattoria Antichi Sapori in Gaione, a small rural center near the Campus Area. PROJECTION FACILITIES AND RECORDINGS The following facilities will be available at the Auditorium of the Centro S.Elisabetta: 1) blackboard with chalk; 2) Overhead projector; 3) Computer projector; 4) audio recording; 5) Video recording. ADDITIONAL NOTES For inexplicable bureaucratic reasons, I will not be able to refund your breakfast expenses. I suggest to keep the bar receipts anyway: we will see... Don t forget to keep all tickets and receipts, INCLUDING BOARDING PASSES. Before leaving Parma, please remember to give me the one-way boarding passes and all tickets and receipts got in Italy. Finally, at the end of your trips, you are kindly (but strongly...) invited to air mail to me as soon as possile all air, bus and train tickets together with the remaining boarding passes. Please, mail to: Prof. Massimo Pauri, Dipartimento di Fisica, Parco Area Scienze 7/A, PARMA ITALY. Finally, in view of possible delayed refunds, let me know in due time the following data: 1) Full home address; 2) Social Security number; 3) Name of your Bank, its full address and routing number; 4)Accountnumber. NO SMOKING inside the Centro S.Elisabetta Building! The organization and the structure of the Workshop are intended to be quite informal. I don t have a single Secretary at my disposal for the whole Meeting, so I apologize for any inconvenience that might happen. I thank you very much in advance for your kind cooperation! Massimo Pauri