Carlo Rovelli

AI Staff

Italian Quantum Physicist Carlo Rovelli currently holds the title of Director of the quantum gravity team at the Centre de Physique Théorique at Aix-Marseille University in Provence, France. Previously, Rovelli was a professor at Pittsburgh University, and held fellowships at Syracuse University and Yale University. Rovelli completed his BS and MS in physics at the University of Bologna in 1981, and his PhD at the University of Padova in 1986.

Rovelli is a prominent figure in quantum and theoretical physics. In particular, he is recognized as a co-founder of the loop quantum gravity theory, along with Lee Smolin and Abhay Ashtekar. In its most distilled version, this theory argues that space itself (not just matter) trends toward what we recognize as an atomic structure. Building on the concept of spin networks, this approach argues that even at a very small level, space and volume are quantized and structured in a discrete way: a series of finite loops. While quantum gravity remains a very theoretical field full of debate, loop quantum gravity theory is a leading view in the conversation.

Notable works from Rovelli include Quantum Gravity, Covariant Loop Quantum Gravity: An Elementary Introduction to Quantum Gravity and Spinfoam Theory, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, and Reality Is Not What It Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity.

For his work, Rovelli has received a variety of awards and honors, including an International Xanthopoulos Award, membership with the International Academy of Philosophy of Science, and membership with the Institut Universitaire de France.

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