Low dimensional dualities Matrix models, two-dimensional quantum gravity & black holes

This thesis focuses on low dimensional dualities as tractable models to explore two-dimensional de Sitter space and black holes. The first two chapters review, discuss and explore the framework for a novel attempt to create a connection between de Sitter space and the conjectured duality between matrix models and two-dimensional quantum gravity. The hope is that this could pave a path toward understanding the so far unknown microscopic picture of our Universe. In the last chapter we address fundamental problems about the microscopic picture of black holes through a low dimensional duality dubbed the near-AdS₂/near-CFT₁ correspondence.