
Dr Mike Blake
BA, MMath, PhD
Current positions
Associate Professor in Theoretical Physics
School of Mathematics
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
I am a mathematical physicist working at the intersection of high energy theory, gravity and quantum physics. The main goal of my research is to use quantum field theory and string theory techniques to gain new insights into quantum many-body dynamics. Much of my research makes use of holography, which provides a class of strongly coupled quantum field theories that have a dual description in terms of the physics of black holes in anti-de Sitter space. In the last few years my research has focused on scrambling and many-body chaos in holographic systems and in quantum field theory, and in particular on the connection between many-body chaos and hydrodynamics. I also retain a strong interest in developing fundamental bounds on the propagation of chaos, entanglement and quantum information in many-body systems.
I am not planning to take a new PhD student for Autumn/Fall 2027.
I do not currently have any postdoctoral openings in my research group.
Full details of my publications can be found at any of the websites listed below:
My research group is currently supported by United Kingdom Research and Innovation through the UK Goverment's Horizon Europe Scheme, EP/Y00468X, ` Strongly Interacting Quantum Dynamics'.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
8092 Divya Patel studentship
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of MathematicsDates
01/09/2023 to 31/08/2028
Strongly interacting quantum dynamics
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of MathematicsDates
01/09/2023 to 31/08/2028
Strongly interacting quantum dynamics
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of MathematicsDates
01/09/2023 to 31/08/2028
Thesis supervisions
Publications
Selected publications
19/10/2018A quantum hydrodynamical description for scrambling and many-body chaos
Journal of High Energy Physics
Many-body chaos and energy dynamics in holography
Journal of High Energy Physics
Universal Charge Diffusion and the Butterfly Effect in Holographic Theories
Physical Review Letters
Thermal diffusivity and chaos in metals without quasiparticles
Physical Review D
Recent publications
01/07/2026Dissipative hydrodynamic actions and horizon symmetries in gravity
Dissipative hydrodynamic actions and horizon symmetries in gravity
Horizon symmetries of exact hydrodynamic actions
Horizon symmetries of exact hydrodynamic actions
Fast Scrambling in Classically Simulable Quantum Circuits
Physical Review A
Islands, Double Holography, and the Entanglement Membrane
Islands, Double Holography, and the Entanglement Membrane
Chaos and pole-skipping in a simply spinning plasma
Journal of High Energy Physics
