Statistical inference aims to fit observed data into a model that explains the data and is able to make predictions. However, as we are repeatedly told, ‘correlation does not imply causation’, therefore robust prediction and reasoning about underlying processes governing the data distribution cannot be done by relying on observed statistical dependences alone. Causal reasoning aims to formalise the setting under which causal, rather than merely statistical, relationships can be inferred from observed data, thereby making the learned model more indicative of the true underlying process. In the last decade, the field of causal inference has gained immense popularity in the statistics and machine learning communities to develop and utilise this framework on the one hand, and in application domains such as economics, genetics and climate to use causal algorithms to practical problems of interest on the other hand. In this talk, I will lay the foundations of causal inference, explain the various approaches to do causal inference that have emerged in the recent years, and close the talk with examples of application of the causality framework to climate science.
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In this talk, I'll explore the potential of using white dwarfs as cosmic laboratories to investigate hidden interactions beyond the Standard Model. My focus will be on the cooling process of white dwarfs, specifically through neutrino emission, and investigate the impact of a dark photon in a three-portal model on the neutrino emission during white dwarf cooling.

The referent will give a broad overview of current core-collapse supernova theory and highlight important challenges for the future. Currently, numerical simulations produce successful explosion, but this is only the first required step in order to understand the role of core-collapse supernovae in the wider astrophysical and cosmological picture. He will discuss the underlying uncertainties in the input physics, such as neutrino transport and stellar evolution. The refernent will also summarize the current predictions for the gravitational waves and neutrino signals expected from core-collapse supernovae.

The ion trap chip is considered to be the heart of quantum computing based on trapped ions. An ideal case is to have available a devices with all sub-components that are necessary for the operation in a small package. First approaches to fabricated integrated miniaturized ion traps are followed by different groups worldwide. Latest directions are to combine multiple registers, that are connected to each other, to use micro optical components such as micro lenses or even photonic integrated circuits for coupling laser radiation to the ions, to integrate photo detectors (e.g. single photon avalanche diodes) close to or within the ion trap chip. The integration of electronic components (e.g. digital/analog-converters) to provide the electric potentials for the trap electrodes is a further goal that becomes an enabler for integrated ion traps with a higher number of registers. This talk will show how wafer level micro technologies contribute to the above described target. It starts with the vision of an integrated ion trap. Wafer level technologies for fabricating of the different layers are discussed. It covers different material deposition procedures and etching. A next section is about optical sub-components and their manufacturing procedures. Furthermore, a broad variety of assembly technologies and of ways for electric signal routing and connecting is shown with examples.

Accessing the physical sector in models of quantum gravity is on the one hand a challenge, but on the other hand also an important step to be able to analyse and test such models. One way to complete the quantisation programme in loop quantum gravity is to choose dynamical reference systems so-called matter or geometric clocks for which Dirac observables can be constructed in the framework of the relational formalism. The quantisation step then consists in finding representations for the corresponding algebra of Dirac observables that allow one to quantise the dynamics as well. In this way, one obtains an observer-dependent quantum field theory. We will give a brief overview of the existing models and discuss their similarities and differences. Finally, we will discuss examples for investigating some physical properties of models formulated with a particular choice of clocks in cosmology and open quantum systems in which gravitationally induced decoherence is present.