JHU/IPMU Workshop 2026: Quantum Field Theory, Particle Physics and Cosmology

11 May 2026, 09:00 → 15 May 2026, 18:00 Asia/Tokyo

Lecture Hall (Kavli IPMU)

The 2026 JHU/IPMU workshop aims to bring together researchers working on the latest developments in quantum field theory and its applications in high-energy physics and cosmology. It will provide a platform for discussions on both fundamental aspects of field theory and its phenomenological implications in particle physics, gravity, and beyond. Topics covered include new - functional and numerical -  approaches to field theory and relativity, CMB observables, effective field theory, semiclassical approaches, and quantum gravity. 

A key objective of the workshop is to foster collaboration between theorists and phenomenologists, encouraging interdisciplinary approaches to open problems in the field. To encourage this there will be a relaxed schedule to the workshop with only three invited speaker talks per day, leaving plenty of time for discussions over coffee, lunch and the IPMU 'tea-time'. While the emphasis is theoretical, we plan to hold one or two overview experimental talks.  

Information for visitors: https://www.ipmu.jp/en/visitors

 

Invited speakers:

 

Cyril Creque-Sarbinowski

 

Kara Farnsworth

 

Yannis Georis

 

Álvaro Pastor Gutiérrez

 

Brian Henning

 

Aurora Ireland

 

Fiona Kirk

 

Eugene Lim

 

Yuta Michimura

 

Marta Monelli

 

Jiaxin Qiao

 

Stefan Stelzl

 

Matthew Walters 

 

Luca Vecchi

 

 

... 

 

 

Monday 11 May

09:50 → 10:00 Safety/Evacuation briefing

10:00 → 11:00 Cyril Creque-Sarbinowski

TBA

11:00 → 11:30 Coffee

11:30 → 12:30 Kara Farnsworth

Hamiltonian truncation and effective field theory

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:00 Jiaxin Qiao

TBA

15:00 → 16:00 IPMU Tea Time (3F)

Tuesday 12 May

10:00 → 11:00 Eugene Lim

Can Inflation actually inflate?

11:00 → 11:05 Group Photo

11:05 → 11:30 Coffee

11:30 → 12:30 Brian Henning

Worldline Instanton EFT

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:00 Aurora Ireland

(When) Do Inflationary Perturbations Classicalize?

15:00 → 16:00 IPMU Tea Time (3F)

Wednesday 13 May

10:00 → 11:00 Yuta Michimura

Probing the quantum nature of gravity with optomechanical systems

11:00 → 11:30 Coffee

11:30 → 12:30 Fiona Kirk

TAB

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

15:00 → 17:00 Blackboard Poster Session and IPMU Tea Time (3F)

Thursday 14 May

10:00 → 11:00 Álvaro Pastor Gutiérrez

Colour confinement without symmetry breaking in chiral gauge theories

11:00 → 11:30 Coffee

11:30 → 12:30 Yannis Georis

QED corrections to Neff in the SM"

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:00 Marta Monelli

15:00 → 16:00 IPMU Tea Time (3F)

Friday 15 May

10:00 → 11:00 Stefan Stelzl

11:00 → 11:30 Coffee

11:30 → 12:30 Matthew Walters

Positivity Bounds on Energy Correlators

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:00 Luca Vecchi

15:00 → 16:00 IPMU Tea Time (3F)