UNIVERSITY OF PARMA - PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
Auditorium Centro S.Elisabetta - June 21-23, 2001

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

General Covariance and the "Quantum":
Where Do We Stand?

ORGANIZER: Prof. Massimo Pauri
[massimo.pauri@fis.unipr.it]


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

Programme


June 21, Thursday - Auditorium Centro S.Elisabetta - Campus
9:20  Massimo Pauri
Opening Session - Welcome
9:30  Roberto Torretti
Geometry and Relativity: The 19 th-Century Background
11:30  Coffee Break
11.45  John Norton
From Einstein's Elevator to General Covariance
13.00  Lunch: Campus Cafeteria
15.00  John Norton
"The Great Debate"
17.00  Coffee Break
17.30  Jeremy Butterfield
The Hole Argument: A Metaphysical Perspective
18.30  Roberto Torretti
Oral Summary of the Day
20.30  Dinner: Trattoria ``Antichi Sapori" (Gaione, Parma)

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

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


 
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
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 20th, you may call me by phone at the Physics Department [Massimo Pauri: +39-0521-905219]. 
ACCOMODATIONS
Participants will lodge at Residenza S.Ilario, Borgo Bosazza, 13: [phone: +39-0521-220711; FAX: +39-0521-220720; e-mail: 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: +39-0521-281101) from June 20 (arrival) to June 22 (departure); and at the Hotel Stendhal, via Bodoni 3 (phone: +39-0521-208057; FAX: +39-0521-285655), 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 eastern 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 14.000/18.000 Italian Lire, depending on the traffic. Ask a receipt to the Taxi driver and keep it. 
LUNCHES AND DINNERS
Lunches and dinners are provided for the listed participants only. You will get tickets for lunches and dinners during the first Thursday Coffee break. On Thursday and Friday lunches will be available at the Campus Cafeteria. 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.
COMPUTER FACILITIES
At the Physics Department, Room 3S11, a computer will be at disposal of the participants [ask me for the room key, username and password for the connection].


 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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 43100 - 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) Account number.
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