Simon Kuhn

My research interests lie in the field of possible extensions of Einsteinian gravity, based on the numerous theoretical and experimental problems we face in astrophysics and cosmology: How can we explain non-renormalizability of gravity, the cosmological constant problem, the CMB spectrum, singularities, dark matter, ...? Are we overlooking some theoretical or experimental aspects of general relativity, or do we need to replace it by a more general framework?

I believe the amount of experimental tension in GR makes it necessary to probe the theory space beyond the Einstein-Hilbert action, which I hope to do in numerous ways throughout my studies. My current interests are in particular alternative formulations of GR, namely the teleparallel and non-metric approaches to spacetime geometry, as well as effective higher order field theories like Galileon or k-essence fields. I also enjoy phenomenological applications of these ideas to cosmology and gravitational waves, e.g. computing CMB power spectra or the speed of propagating gravitational waves.

Another interest of mine is black hole physics, for example the resolution of the singularities and inner horizons, or black hole thermodynamics, e.g. computing the Hawking temperature and Bekenstein entropy for various gravitational models.