Solvable Models of Quantum Gravity

Understanding quantum gravity is one of the most important unsolved problems in high energy theoretical physics. The past six years have seen remarkable progress in this field in terms of exactly solvable holographic lower dimensional models, starting with the SYK model and 2d JT gravity. In this project, we aim to understand this class of solvable models better, with two goals in mind. Firstly, we want to characterize how large this class of solvable models is. Secondly, we want to develop an understanding of their universality and impact for quantum gravitational physics beyond these specific models, with a particular emphasis on their relevance for black hole physics in our universe. In order to achieve this, we will combine techniques from the fields of holography, random matrix theory, and representation theory.