Monday 7^th November, 2011 - 4,00 P.M.

Università "La Sapienza" Roma - Aula Conversi (Physics Dept., Old Building - 1st Floor)

Title: The quantum-to-classical transition of primordial cosmological perturbations

Abstract: There is a widespread belief that the classical small inhomogeneities which gave rise to all structures in the Universe through gravitational instability originated from primordial quantum cosmological fluctuations. However, this transition from quantum to classical fluctuations is plagued with important conceptual issues, most of them related to the application of standard quantum theory to the Universe as a whole. In this talk, we show how these issues can be easily overcome in the framework of the de Broglie-Bohm quantum theory. This theory is an alternative to standard quantum theory that provides an objective description of physical reality, where rather ambiguous notions of measurement or observer play no fundamental role, and which can hence be applied to the Universe as a whole. In addition, it allows for a simple and unambiguous characterization of the classical limit.

Wednesday 16^th November, 2011 - 3,00 P.M.

Università "La Sapienza" Roma - Sala Direzione INFN (Physics Dept., Old Building - 2nd Floor)

Title: Missing pieces in the co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes

Abstract: The vast amount of data available in multiwavelength survey fields is progressively shedding light on how supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies evolve together. Both star formation and black hole growth are now traced up to very high redshifts, z ~ 6 and above, at least for the brightest systems. A self-consistent scenario is emerging in which galaxy interactions play a significant, but perhaps not dominant, role in triggering all the observed activity. The cosmic history of fainter sources (low-luminosity, very distant or obscured) is far less clear. Faint objects dominate the cosmic inventory, and are therefore fundamental to understand SMBH/galaxy co-evolution. This seminar will focus on two of the main missing pieces in the evolution of accreting SMBHs (i.e. Active Galactic Nuclei, AGN): heavily obscured AGN, and high redshift AGN. I will briefly review the major findings of popular multiwavelength surveys, both deep and wide, and present recent results obtained in the GOODS-South field.