- 3110/31/2021
Swampland Program
Please visit the Swampland Initiative for current events.
The Harvard Swampland Initiative is an immersive program aiming to bring together leading experts with the goal of exploring the boundaries of the quantum gravity landscape. Through workshops, seminars, and collaborative research, participants collectively navigate the Swampland, advancing our comprehension of the fundamental principles of quantum gravity.
During the 2021-2022 academic year, the CMSA hosted a program on the so-called “Swampland.”
The Swampland program aims to determine which low-energy effective field theories are consistent with nonperturbative quantum gravity considerations. Not everything is possible in String Theory, and finding out what is and what is not strongly constrains the low energy physics. These constraints are naturally interesting for particle physics and cosmology, which has led to a great deal of activity in the field in the last few years.
The Swampland is intrinsically interdisciplinary, with ramifications in string compactifications, holography, black hole physics, cosmology, particle physics, and even mathematics.
This program will include an extensive group of visitors and a slate of seminars. Additionally, the CMSA will host a school oriented toward graduate students.
Seminars
Swampland Seminar Series & Group Meetings
Program Visitors
- Pieter Bomans, Princeton, 10/30/21 – 11/02/21
- Irene Valenzuela, Instituto de Física Teórica, 02/14/22 – 02/21/22
- Mariana Grana, CEA/Saclay, 03/21/22 – 03/25/22
- Hector Parra De Freitas, IPHT Saclay, 03/21/22 – 04/01/22
- Timo Weigand, 03/21/22 – 03/28/22
- Gary Shiu, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 04/03/22 – 04/10/22
- Thomas van Riet, Leuven University, 04/03/22 – 04/09/22
- Lars Aalsma, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 04/11/22 – 04/15/22
- Sergio Cecotti, 05/08/22 – 05/21/22
- Tom Rudelius, 05/09/22 – 05/13/22
https://sites.harvard.edu/swampland-initiative/
Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott: Michael Freedman
On October 4th and October 5th, 2021, Harvard CMSA hosted the annual Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott. This year’s speaker was Michael Freedman (Microsoft). The lectures took place on Zoom.This will be the third annual lecture series held in honor of Raoul Bott.
Lecture 1
October 4th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: The Universe from a single Particle Abstract: I will explore a toy model for our universe in which spontaneous symmetry breaking – acting on the level of operators (not states) – can produce the interacting physics we see about us from the simpler, single particle, quantum mechanics we study as undergraduates. Based on joint work with Modj Shokrian Zini, see arXiv:2011.05917 and arXiv:2108.12709.
Lecture 2
October 5th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: Controlled Mather Thurston Theorems. Abstract: The “c-principle” is a cousin of Gromov’s h-principle in which cobordism rather than homotopy is required to (canonically) solve a problem. We show that in certain well-known c-principle contexts only the mildest cobordisms, semi-s-cobordisms, are required. In physical applications, the extra topology (a perfect fundamental group) these cobordisms introduce could easily be hidden in the UV. This leads to a proposal to recast gauge theories such as EM and the standard model in terms of flat connections rather than curvature. See arXiv:2006.00374
- 3110/31/2021
Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott: Michael Freedman
On October 4th and October 5th, 2021, Harvard CMSA hosted the annual Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott. This year’s speaker was Michael Freedman (Microsoft). The lectures took place on Zoom.This will be the third annual lecture series held in honor of Raoul Bott.
Lecture 1
October 4th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: The Universe from a single Particle Abstract: I will explore a toy model for our universe in which spontaneous symmetry breaking – acting on the level of operators (not states) – can produce the interacting physics we see about us from the simpler, single particle, quantum mechanics we study as undergraduates. Based on joint work with Modj Shokrian Zini, see arXiv:2011.05917 and arXiv:2108.12709.
Lecture 2
October 5th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: Controlled Mather Thurston Theorems. Abstract: The “c-principle” is a cousin of Gromov’s h-principle in which cobordism rather than homotopy is required to (canonically) solve a problem. We show that in certain well-known c-principle contexts only the mildest cobordisms, semi-s-cobordisms, are required. In physical applications, the extra topology (a perfect fundamental group) these cobordisms introduce could easily be hidden in the UV. This leads to a proposal to recast gauge theories such as EM and the standard model in terms of flat connections rather than curvature. See arXiv:2006.00374
- 3110/31/2021
Swampland Program
Please visit the Swampland Initiative for current events.
The Harvard Swampland Initiative is an immersive program aiming to bring together leading experts with the goal of exploring the boundaries of the quantum gravity landscape. Through workshops, seminars, and collaborative research, participants collectively navigate the Swampland, advancing our comprehension of the fundamental principles of quantum gravity.
During the 2021-2022 academic year, the CMSA hosted a program on the so-called “Swampland.”
The Swampland program aims to determine which low-energy effective field theories are consistent with nonperturbative quantum gravity considerations. Not everything is possible in String Theory, and finding out what is and what is not strongly constrains the low energy physics. These constraints are naturally interesting for particle physics and cosmology, which has led to a great deal of activity in the field in the last few years.
The Swampland is intrinsically interdisciplinary, with ramifications in string compactifications, holography, black hole physics, cosmology, particle physics, and even mathematics.
This program will include an extensive group of visitors and a slate of seminars. Additionally, the CMSA will host a school oriented toward graduate students.
Seminars
Swampland Seminar Series & Group Meetings
Program Visitors
- Pieter Bomans, Princeton, 10/30/21 – 11/02/21
- Irene Valenzuela, Instituto de Física Teórica, 02/14/22 – 02/21/22
- Mariana Grana, CEA/Saclay, 03/21/22 – 03/25/22
- Hector Parra De Freitas, IPHT Saclay, 03/21/22 – 04/01/22
- Timo Weigand, 03/21/22 – 03/28/22
- Gary Shiu, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 04/03/22 – 04/10/22
- Thomas van Riet, Leuven University, 04/03/22 – 04/09/22
- Lars Aalsma, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 04/11/22 – 04/15/22
- Sergio Cecotti, 05/08/22 – 05/21/22
- Tom Rudelius, 05/09/22 – 05/13/22
https://sites.harvard.edu/swampland-initiative/
Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott: Michael Freedman
On October 4th and October 5th, 2021, Harvard CMSA hosted the annual Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott. This year’s speaker was Michael Freedman (Microsoft). The lectures took place on Zoom.This will be the third annual lecture series held in honor of Raoul Bott.
Lecture 1
October 4th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: The Universe from a single Particle Abstract: I will explore a toy model for our universe in which spontaneous symmetry breaking – acting on the level of operators (not states) – can produce the interacting physics we see about us from the simpler, single particle, quantum mechanics we study as undergraduates. Based on joint work with Modj Shokrian Zini, see arXiv:2011.05917 and arXiv:2108.12709.
Lecture 2
October 5th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: Controlled Mather Thurston Theorems. Abstract: The “c-principle” is a cousin of Gromov’s h-principle in which cobordism rather than homotopy is required to (canonically) solve a problem. We show that in certain well-known c-principle contexts only the mildest cobordisms, semi-s-cobordisms, are required. In physical applications, the extra topology (a perfect fundamental group) these cobordisms introduce could easily be hidden in the UV. This leads to a proposal to recast gauge theories such as EM and the standard model in terms of flat connections rather than curvature. See arXiv:2006.00374
- 3110/31/2021
Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott: Michael Freedman
On October 4th and October 5th, 2021, Harvard CMSA hosted the annual Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott. This year’s speaker was Michael Freedman (Microsoft). The lectures took place on Zoom.This will be the third annual lecture series held in honor of Raoul Bott.
Lecture 1
October 4th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: The Universe from a single Particle Abstract: I will explore a toy model for our universe in which spontaneous symmetry breaking – acting on the level of operators (not states) – can produce the interacting physics we see about us from the simpler, single particle, quantum mechanics we study as undergraduates. Based on joint work with Modj Shokrian Zini, see arXiv:2011.05917 and arXiv:2108.12709.
Lecture 2
October 5th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: Controlled Mather Thurston Theorems. Abstract: The “c-principle” is a cousin of Gromov’s h-principle in which cobordism rather than homotopy is required to (canonically) solve a problem. We show that in certain well-known c-principle contexts only the mildest cobordisms, semi-s-cobordisms, are required. In physical applications, the extra topology (a perfect fundamental group) these cobordisms introduce could easily be hidden in the UV. This leads to a proposal to recast gauge theories such as EM and the standard model in terms of flat connections rather than curvature. See arXiv:2006.00374
- 3110/31/2021
Swampland Program
Please visit the Swampland Initiative for current events.
The Harvard Swampland Initiative is an immersive program aiming to bring together leading experts with the goal of exploring the boundaries of the quantum gravity landscape. Through workshops, seminars, and collaborative research, participants collectively navigate the Swampland, advancing our comprehension of the fundamental principles of quantum gravity.
During the 2021-2022 academic year, the CMSA hosted a program on the so-called “Swampland.”
The Swampland program aims to determine which low-energy effective field theories are consistent with nonperturbative quantum gravity considerations. Not everything is possible in String Theory, and finding out what is and what is not strongly constrains the low energy physics. These constraints are naturally interesting for particle physics and cosmology, which has led to a great deal of activity in the field in the last few years.
The Swampland is intrinsically interdisciplinary, with ramifications in string compactifications, holography, black hole physics, cosmology, particle physics, and even mathematics.
This program will include an extensive group of visitors and a slate of seminars. Additionally, the CMSA will host a school oriented toward graduate students.
Seminars
Swampland Seminar Series & Group Meetings
Program Visitors
- Pieter Bomans, Princeton, 10/30/21 – 11/02/21
- Irene Valenzuela, Instituto de Física Teórica, 02/14/22 – 02/21/22
- Mariana Grana, CEA/Saclay, 03/21/22 – 03/25/22
- Hector Parra De Freitas, IPHT Saclay, 03/21/22 – 04/01/22
- Timo Weigand, 03/21/22 – 03/28/22
- Gary Shiu, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 04/03/22 – 04/10/22
- Thomas van Riet, Leuven University, 04/03/22 – 04/09/22
- Lars Aalsma, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 04/11/22 – 04/15/22
- Sergio Cecotti, 05/08/22 – 05/21/22
- Tom Rudelius, 05/09/22 – 05/13/22
https://sites.harvard.edu/swampland-initiative/
Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott: Michael Freedman
On October 4th and October 5th, 2021, Harvard CMSA hosted the annual Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott. This year’s speaker was Michael Freedman (Microsoft). The lectures took place on Zoom.This will be the third annual lecture series held in honor of Raoul Bott.
Lecture 1
October 4th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: The Universe from a single Particle Abstract: I will explore a toy model for our universe in which spontaneous symmetry breaking – acting on the level of operators (not states) – can produce the interacting physics we see about us from the simpler, single particle, quantum mechanics we study as undergraduates. Based on joint work with Modj Shokrian Zini, see arXiv:2011.05917 and arXiv:2108.12709.
Lecture 2
October 5th, 11:00am (Boston time)Title: Controlled Mather Thurston Theorems. Abstract: The “c-principle” is a cousin of Gromov’s h-principle in which cobordism rather than homotopy is required to (canonically) solve a problem. We show that in certain well-known c-principle contexts only the mildest cobordisms, semi-s-cobordisms, are required. In physical applications, the extra topology (a perfect fundamental group) these cobordisms introduce could easily be hidden in the UV. This leads to a proposal to recast gauge theories such as EM and the standard model in terms of flat connections rather than curvature. See arXiv:2006.00374