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DTSTART:20240310T070000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T120000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202419
CREATED:20250128T192122Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250203T191001Z
UID:10003687-1739185200-1739188800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:On 5d conformal matter
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Mario De Marco (UL Brussels) \nTitle: On 5d conformal matter \nAbstract: SCFTs with 8 supercharges lie at the sweet spot of the classification program of susy scale-invariant theories: with this amount of susy\, the classification is in principle achievable\, despite being non-trivial. In this talk\, I will present the geometric approach to the classification of 5d SCFTs\, based on geometric engineering on non-compact Calabi-Yau manifolds. The strategy is to imagine a 5d SCFT as a non-Lagrangian generalization of a quiver\, and to build this generalised quiver by gauging together indecomposable blocks\, called  “5d conformal matter theories”. In this talk\, I will start with a recap of the geometric construction of [2311.04984]. I will then present some forthcoming results\, concerning the (p\,q) web realization of 5d conformal matter theories\, their reduction to 4d\, their magnetic quiver\, and the discovery of exotic “trifundamental” and “quadrifundamental” 5d indecomposable blocks (with flavor group at least SO(4k+2)^3 or SO(4k)^4). \nIn collaboration with M. Del Zotto\, M. Graffeo\, J. Grimminger\, and A. Sangiovanni. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_21025/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-2.10.25-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T173000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202419
CREATED:20240903T195201Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250130T165640Z
UID:10003438-1739205000-1739208600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:AI in math and theoretical physics: Status and prospects
DESCRIPTION:Colloquium \nSpeaker: Michael Douglas\, Harvard CMSA \nTitle: AI in math and theoretical physics: status and prospects \nAbstract: AI is making great progress and has the potential to change how we work in unprecedented ways. In this talk I will survey a few recent works which illustrate the state of the art\, some from my own research\, some developed at the CMSA’s recent program on Mathematics and Machine Learning. I will then report on current developments in AI and speculate on how they will affect our work in the next few years. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/colloquium-21025/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Colloquium-2.10.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250211T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250211T181500
DTSTAMP:20260604T202419
CREATED:20250124T152335Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250204T212412Z
UID:10003654-1739290500-1739297700@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Discussion of Integrating quantum groups over surfaces
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Ben Gammage\, Harvard University \nTitle: Discussion of Integrating quantum groups over surfaces \nhttps://arxiv.org/abs/1501.04652
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_21125/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-2.11.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241104T145634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T154821Z
UID:10003534-1739361600-1739365200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Q&A Seminar: Javier Gomez-Serrano
DESCRIPTION:CMSA Q&A Seminar \nSpeaker: Javier Gomez-Serrano\, Brown University \nTopic: Please tell us about the Millennium prize problem for Navier-Stokes and segue from that into ML?
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsaqa_21225/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:CMSA Q&A Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Q-A-Seminar-2.12.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T150000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250123T194306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T212617Z
UID:10003661-1739368800-1739372400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Discovering Data Structures: Nearest Neighbor Search and Beyond
DESCRIPTION:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Omar Salemohamed\, Mila \nTitle: Discovering Data Structures: Nearest Neighbor Search and Beyond \nAbstract: As neural networks learn increasingly sophisticated tasks—from image recognition to mastering the game of Go—we ask: can deep learning discover data structures entirely from scratch? We introduce a general framework for data structure discovery\, which adapts to the underlying data distribution and provides fine-grained control over query and space complexity. For nearest neighbor (NN) search\, our model (re)discovers classic algorithms like binary search in one dimension and learns structures reminiscent of k-d trees and locality-sensitive hashing in higher dimensions. Additionally\, the model learns useful representations of high-dimensional data such as images and exploits them to design effective data structures. Beyond NN search\, we believe the framework could be a powerful tool for data structure discovery for other problems and adapt our framework to the problem of estimating frequencies over a data stream. To encourage future work in this direction\, we conclude with a discussion on some of the opportunities and remaining challenges of learning data structures end-to-end.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_21225/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-NTM-Seminar-2.12.2025.docx-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250214T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250214T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241211T171913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T162218Z
UID:10003640-1739534400-1739538000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Jack polynomials and enumeration of non-orientable maps
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Houcine Ben Dali\, Harvard CMSA \nTitle: Jack polynomials and enumeration of non-orientable maps \nAbstract: A map is a graph embedded on a surface\, which may be orientable or not. The representation theory of the symmetric group can be used to write the generating series of maps on orientable surfaces using Schur symmetric functions. \nSeveral conjectures suggest that Jack polynomials—a one-parameter deformation of Schur functions—are related to the enumeration of non-orientable maps counted with a “non-orientability” weight. In this talk\, I will discuss some of these conjectures and present recent progress in this direction.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-21425/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Member-Seminar-2.14.25-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250218T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250218T181500
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250124T152555Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T174514Z
UID:10003670-1739895300-1739902500@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Algebras of "symmetries" in QFT and applications to solitons (1)
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Dan Freed\, Harvard CMSA and Math \nTitle:  Algebras of “symmetries” in QFT and applications to solitons (1) \nhttps://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08883
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_21825/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-2.18.2025.1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250219T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250219T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241125T204133Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T172019Z
UID:10003623-1739966400-1739970000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Q&A Seminar: Phillip Matchett Wood
DESCRIPTION:CMSA Q&A Seminar \nSpeaker: Phillip Matchett Wood\, Harvard University \nTopic: Info session on the CMSA/Mathematics Summer REU Program (Research Experience for Undergraduates) \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsaqa_21925/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:CMSA Q&A Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Q-A-Seminar-2.19.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250224T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250224T160000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250128T192220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250220T192557Z
UID:10003689-1740409200-1740412800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Toward constructing a large-scale quantum computer based on TQFT
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Liyuan Chen ( Harvard) \nTitle: Toward constructing a large-scale quantum computer based on TQFT \nAbstract: Topological quantum computation\, motivated by topological quantum field theory (TQFT)\, offers a promising path toward fault-tolerant universal quantum computation. However\, the practical realization of such a system remains challenging due to the difficulty of finding suitable topological materials. In this work\, we provide a comprehensive blueprint for constructing a fault-tolerant universal quantum computer based on the quantum double model $\mathcal{D}(S_3)$\, a specific non-Abelian topological order. We implement logical computations using quantum circuits on qubits and qutrits\, including a single non-Clifford gate\, compatible with near-term quantum devices. This work bridges the gap between abstract mathematical frameworks and noise-resilient quantum computation on near-term devices. Our proposal offers a promising path to realize a non-Abelian anyon-based large scale quantum computer.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_22425/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1740079272812-56d7a2d6-da58-4464-8ade-b9b1856de79025_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250225T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250225T181500
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250124T152655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T174635Z
UID:10003671-1740500100-1740507300@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Algebras of "symmetries" in QFT and applications to solitons (2)
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Dan Freed\, Harvard CMSA and Math \nTitle:  Algebras of “symmetries” in QFT and applications to solitons (2) \nhttps://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08883
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_22525/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-2.25.2025.2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250226T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250226T150000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250124T154400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250623T124501Z
UID:10003663-1740578400-1740582000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Datasets for Math: From AIMO Competitions to Math Copilots for Research
DESCRIPTION:  \nNew Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Simon Frieder\, Oxford \nTitle: Datasets for Math: From AIMO Competitions to Math Copilots for Research \nAbstract: This talk begins with a brief exposition of the AI Mathematical Olympiad (AIMO) on Kaggle\, now in its second iteration\, outlining datasets and models available to contestants. Taking a broader perspective\, I then examine 1) the overarching issues the current datasets suffer from—such as binary evaluation or constrained sets of use cases— and 2) the trajectory they set for competition-style mathematical problem-solving\, which is different from mathematical research practice. I argue for a fundamental shift in dataset structure and composition\, both for training and evaluation\, and introduce the idea of mapping mathematical workflows to data\, a key example underscoring the need for this shift. I touch upon new thinking LLMs and their role in redefining LLM math evaluation\, highlighting their implications for dataset design. Finally\, I propose general improvements to the current state of mathematical datasets\, including mathematical adaptations of dataset documentation (e.g.\, datasheets). \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_22625/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1740494700974-e6086db9-08ab-4681-9ecd-580092fe27b62025-1_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241211T172401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T155302Z
UID:10003641-1740744000-1740747600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The Combinatorics of the Amplituhedron – Tiles\, Tilings\, and Cluster Algebras
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Matteo Parisi \nTitle: The Combinatorics of the Amplituhedron – Tiles\, Tilings\, and Cluster Algebras \nAbstract: The amplituhedron is the image of the positive Grassmannian—the region of the Grassmannian where all Plücker coordinates are nonnegative—under a totally positive linear map. It is a far-reaching generalization of cyclic polytopes and hyperplane arrangements\, and the positive Grassmannian itself. The “volume” of the amplituhedron encodes probabilities of particle interactions in the quantum field theory N=4 super Yang-Mills\, and calculating this volume involves decomposing (or tiling) the amplituhedron into smaller pieces (or tiles) and summing their volumes. This talk will delve into the rich combinatorics of these tiles and tilings\, presenting recent results on some of the central conjectures in this area\, including the magic number\, BCFW tiling\, and cluster adjacency conjectures.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-22825/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1740498728693-b34629b4-eb9a-47b2-9782-46abe1568dd025_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250303T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250303T160000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250128T192248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250226T192433Z
UID:10003690-1741014000-1741017600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Kai Xu\, Harvard \nTitle: Finite Landscape of 6d N=(1\,0) Supergravity \nAbstract: We present a bottom-up argument showing that the number of massless fields in six-dimensional quantum gravitational theories with eight supercharges is uniformly bounded. Specifically\, we show that the number of tensor multiplets is bounded by T≤193\, and the rank of the gauge group is restricted to r(V)≤480. Given that F-theory compactifications on elliptic CY 3-folds are a subset\, this provides a bound on the Hodge numbers of elliptic CY 3-folds: h1\,1(CY3)≤491\, h1\,1(Base)≤194 which are saturated by special elliptic CY 3-folds. This establishes that our bounds are sharp and also provides further evidence for the string lamppost principle.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_3325/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-3.3.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250303T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250303T173000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241209T163145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T153212Z
UID:10003630-1741019400-1741023000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Large value estimates in number theory and computer science
DESCRIPTION:Colloquium \nSpeaker: Larry Guth\, MIT \nTitle: Large value estimates in number theory and computer science \nAbstract: A large value estimate for a matrix M is a simple type of estimate in quantitative linear algebra. Estimates of this type appear in many parts of math\, both pure and applied. One example is the large value problem for Dirichlet polynomials from analytic number theory\, which is related to estimates about the zeroes of the Riemann zeta function. We will also give some examples from computer science. Many large value problems are difficult. On the pure math side\, the sharp conjecture about large values of Dirichlet polynomials has been open for a long time and is out of reach of current methods. On the computer science side\, we don’t know any efficient algorithm to approximately solve the large value problem for a given matrix M. Many experts think that such an algorithm does not exist. In this talk we will survey how large value estimates come up\, the known methods for working on them\, and some of the obstacles to fully understanding them. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/colloquium-3325/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Colloquium-3.3.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241125T204417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T211437Z
UID:10003625-1741176000-1741179600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Q&A Seminar: Puskar Mondal
DESCRIPTION:CMSA Q&A Seminar \nSpeaker: Puskar Mondal\, Harvard CMSA \nTopic: What is the positive energy theorem?
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsaqa_3525/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:CMSA Q&A Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Q-A-Seminar-3.5.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T150000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250123T192715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250307T154830Z
UID:10003664-1741183200-1741186800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Machine Learning G2 Geometry
DESCRIPTION:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Elli Heyes\, Imperial College \nTitle: Machine Learning G2 Geometry \nAbstract: Compact Ricci-flat Calabi-Yau and holonomy G2 manifolds appear in string and M-theory respectively as descriptions of the extra spatial dimensions that arise in the theories. Since 2017 machine-learning techniques have been applied extensively to study Calabi-Yau manifolds but until 2024 no similar work had been carried out on holonomy G2 manifolds. In this talk\, I will firstly show how topological properties of these manifolds can be learnt using neural networks. I will then discuss how one could try to numerically learn metrics on compact holonomy G2 manifolds using machine-learning and why these approximations would be useful in M-theory.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_3525/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-NTM-Seminar-3.5.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250307T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250307T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241211T192236Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250303T133212Z
UID:10003642-1741348800-1741352400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:A Tetrahedral Approach to Calabi-Yau Geometry
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Charles Doran\, CMSA \nTitle: A Tetrahedral Approach to Calabi-Yau Geometry \nAbstract:  We will open with a quick introduction to the what and why of Calabi-Yau geometry.  Following this\, we will consider the problem of deforming tetrahedra while preserving the areas of their faces\, following our noses to discover a beautiful path to elliptic curves\, K3 surfaces\, and beyond.  Time permitting\, we will also discuss motivations and applications across physics.  The talk should be broadly accessible. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-3724/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Member-Seminar-3.7.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250310T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250310T160000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250128T192310Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250303T211818Z
UID:10003691-1741618800-1741622400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Comments on Non-Invertible Symmetries in K3 CFTs and the Conway Moonshine Module
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Sarah Harrison\, Northeastern \nTitle: Comments on Non-Invertible Symmetries in K3 CFTs and the Conway Moonshine Module \nAbstract: There is an established connection between discrete symmetry groups of K3 non-linear sigma models and a distinguished N=1 chiral SCFT called the Conway moonshine module. More specifically\, all symmetry groups of K3 NLSMs preserving the N=4 superconformal algebra can be obtained as subgroups of “Conway zero”\, the group of symmetries of the Conway module\, and their explicit action on the BPS spectrum can (almost always) be obtained via traces in the Conway module. A natural question is whether this relation extends to fusion category symmetry of these theories. I will discuss positive evidence in this direction\, by exploring examples of non-invertible topological defect lines in K3 NLSMs and the Conway module. This is based on work in progress with R. Angius\, S. Giaccari\, and R. Volpato.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_31025/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-3.10.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250311T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250311T181500
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250310T160401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250331T193628Z
UID:10003722-1741709700-1741716900@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Introduction to the probabilistic approach to Louville theory
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Leon Liu\, Harvard \nTitle: Introduction to the probabilistic approach to Louville theory \nAbstract: I will give an introduction to the probabilistic approach to Louville theory\, following Hairer’s notes.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_31125/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-3.11.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241125T204953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T144354Z
UID:10003628-1741780800-1741784400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Q&A Seminar: Dan Freed
DESCRIPTION:CMSA Q&A Seminar \nSpeaker: Dan Freed\, Harvard University \nTopic: What are spectra (in homotopy theory)?
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsaqa_31225/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:CMSA Q&A Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Q-A-Seminar-3.12.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T150000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250123T195100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250327T194539Z
UID:10003665-1741788000-1741791600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Discovery in Mathematics with Automated Conjecturing
DESCRIPTION:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Randy Davila\, RelationalAI and Rice University \nTitle: Discovery in Mathematics with Automated Conjecturing \nAbstract: Automated conjecturing is a form of artificial intelligence that applies heuristic-driven methods to mathematical discovery. Since the late 1980s\, systems such as Fajtlowicz’s Graffiti\, DeLaViña’s Graffiti.pc\, and TxGraffiti have collectively contributed to over 130 publications in mathematical journals. In this talk\, we outline the evolution of automated conjecturing\, focusing on TxGraffiti\, a program that employs linear optimization methods and several distinct heuristics to generate mathematically meaningful conjectures. We will then introduce GraphMind\, a dueling framework where the Optimist proposes conjectures while the Pessimist seeks counterexamples\, fostering a feedback loop that strengthens automated reasoning. Finally\, we will present GraffitiAI\, a Python package that extends automated conjecturing across various mathematical domains. \nBio: Randy R. Davila is a Lecturer in the Department of Computational Applied Mathematics & Operations Research at Rice University and a Library Engineer at RelationalAI\, specializing in relational knowledge graph systems for intelligent data management. He earned his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Johannesburg in 2019\, with research focused on graph theory and combinatorial optimization. His work explores artificial intelligence in mathematical conjecture generation\, graph theory\, and neural network applications to combinatorial problems. As the creator of TxGraffiti\, he has developed AI-driven systems that have contributed to numerous mathematical publications. His recent projects include GraphMind\, a dueling agent-based framework that pairs conjecture generation with counterexample discovery\, and GraffitiAI\, a Python package for automated conjecturing across mathematical disciplines. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_31225/
LOCATION:Hybrid – G10
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-NTM-Seminar-3.12.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T170000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250210T183743Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250307T175626Z
UID:10003711-1741791600-1741798800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Freedman CMSA Seminar: Michael Freedman (CMSA) & Elia Portnoy (MIT)
DESCRIPTION:Freedman CMSA Seminar \nSpeaker: Michael Freedman\, Harvard CMSA (3:00–4:00 pm ET) \nTitle: How many links can you fit in a box? \nAbstract: I’ll discuss a “made up” problem on the interface of topology and packing\, which may well be classified as “recreational math”.  Here is the first question suppose you have a unit box\, how many unlinked (split) copies of the Hopf link (c_1\,i\,c_2\,i) and be embedded so that for each copy the two components c_1\,i and c_2\,i maintain a distance of at least  some fixed \epsilon >0. Is this number even finite? \n  \nSpeaker: Elia Portnoy\, MIT (4:00–5:00 pm ET) \nTitle: An explicit packing of links in a box and some progress in quantitative embeddings \nAbstract: Following Freedman’s talk\, I’ll begin by showing how to pack a large number of links in a box with certain geometric and topological constraints (joint with Fedya Manin). If time permits\, I’ll also discuss some progress and open questions for the following quantitative embedding problem: given a simplicial complex X\, what is the smallest size of a map from X to R^n so that the preimage of each unit ball intersects a small constant number of simplices? \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/freedman_31225/
LOCATION:Hybrid – G10
CATEGORIES:Freedman Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Freedman-Seminar-3.12.25.docx-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250324T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250324T160000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250128T192400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250318T141044Z
UID:10003692-1742828400-1742832000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The Andersen-Kashaev volume conjecture for FAMED geometric triangulations  
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Ka Ho Wong (Yale) \nTitle: The Andersen-Kashaev volume conjecture for FAMED geometric triangulations \nAbstract: In the early 2010s\, Andersen and Kashaev defined a TQFT based on quantum Teichmuller theory. In particular\, they define a partition function for every ordered ideal triangulation of hyperbolic knot complement in $\mathbb{S}^3$ equipped with an angle structure. The Andersen-Kashaev volume conjecture suggests that the partition function can be expressed in terms of a Jones function of the knot which\, in its semi-classical limit\, decay exponentially with decay rate the hyperbolic volume of the knot complement. In this talk\, we will introduce a purely combinatorial condition on triangulations which\, together with the geometricity of the triangulations\, imply the Andersen-Kashaev volume conjecture and its generalization. This talk is based on the joint work with Fathi Ben Aribi.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_32425/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-3.24.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250324T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250324T173000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241209T163216Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250321T163829Z
UID:10003631-1742833800-1742837400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The Toda Lattice as a Soliton Gas
DESCRIPTION:Colloquium \nSpeaker: Amol Aggarwal\, Columbia University \nTitle: The Toda Lattice as a Soliton Gas \nAbstract: A basic tenet of integrable systems is that\, under sufficiently irregular initial data\, they can be thought of as dense collections of many solitons\, or “soliton gases.” In this talk we focus on the Toda lattice\, which is an archetypal example of an integrable Hamiltonian dynamical system. We explain how the system\, under certain random initial data\, can be interpreted through solitons\, and provide a framework for studying how these solitons asymptotically evolve in time. The arguments use ideas from random matrix theory\, particularly the analysis of Lyapunov exponents governing the decay rates of eigenvectors of random tridiagonal matrices.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/colloquium-32425/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250327T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250327T110000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250128T214249Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250327T192309Z
UID:10003666-1743069600-1743073200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:AlphaProof: when reinforcement learning meets formal mathematics
DESCRIPTION:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Thomas Hubert (Google DeepMind) \nTitle: AlphaProof: when reinforcement learning meets formal mathematics \nAbstract: Galileo\, the renowned Italian astronomer\, physicist\, and mathematician\, famously described mathematics as the language of the universe. Progress since only confirmed his intuition as the world we live in can be described with extreme precision with just a few mathematical equations.\nIn the last 70 years\, the rise of computers has also enriched our understanding of and revolutionized the world we live in. Mathematics tremendously benefited from this digital revolution as well: while Gauss had to compute primes by hand\, computers and computation are now routinely used in research mathematics and contribute to grand problems like the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture\, one of the Millennium Prize Problems.\nToday\, computers are entering a new age\, one in which computation can be transformed into reasoning. In this talk\, I would like to discuss two such developments that will undoubtedly have an integral role to play in the future of mathematics: the concurrent rise of formal mathematics and of machine intelligence.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_32625/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250328T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250328T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241211T195142Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T153000Z
UID:10003644-1743163200-1743166800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The Competition Complexity of Dynamic Pricing
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Tomer Ezra \nTitle: The Competition Complexity of Dynamic Pricing \nAbstract: One of the most fundamental questions in mechanism design is the tradeoff between simplicity and optimality. A canonical example of this tradeoff is competition complexity in auctions\, which quantifies how many additional bidders are needed for a simple mechanism to (approximately) match the revenue of the optimal mechanism. \nIn this talk\, we analyze the competition complexity of dynamic pricing in the setting of selling a single item. We establish tight asymptotic guarantees for various scenarios\, including when bidder values are i.i.d.\, independent\, or correlated. Our results characterize the performance of different classes of dynamic pricing algorithms and provide insights into their effectiveness under varying market conditions.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-32825/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Member-Seminar-3.28.25.docx-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250331T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250331T160000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250128T192422Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250326T181346Z
UID:10003693-1743433200-1743436800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Homotopical Methods for Free and Interacting Fermionic SPTs
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Cameron Krulewski\, MIT \nTitle: Homotopical Methods for Free and Interacting Fermionic SPTs \nAbstract: We develop and compute homotopical “free-to-interacting maps” to compare classifications of fermionic symmetry-protected topological phases (SPTs)\, determining when such phases are stable under interactions or\, alternatively\, interaction-enabled. Generalizing work of Freed-Hopkins\, we construct maps from K-theory to Anderson-dual spin bordism in two new situations: for weak phases\, which are SPTs protected by discrete translation symmetry\, and for the “Bott spiral” studied by Queiroz-Khalaf-Stern\, who observed that the tenfold way classification of free theories breaks down to a large 2-torsion interacting classification. Along the way\, we employ T-duality\, generalizations of the spin orientation of KO-theory\, and the Adams spectral sequence. \nThis talk is based on joint work with Omar Antolín Camarena\, Arun Debray\, Natalia Pacheco-Tallaj\, Daniel Sheinbaum\, and Luuk Stehouwer.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_33125/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-3.31.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250401T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250401T181500
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250331T192830Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250331T201035Z
UID:10003729-1743524100-1743531300@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Introduction to the probabilistic approach to Louville theory III
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Bowen Yang\, CMSA \nTitle: Introduction to the probabilistic approach to Louville theory III \nAbstract: I will continue with the construction of Liouville CFT from probabilistic methods\, following a review by Guillarmou\, Kupiainen\, and Rhodes (arXiv:2403.12780). The talk will emphasize technical aspects of Gaussian free fields (GFF) and contrast them with Brownian motion. The references is arXiv:2004.04720
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_4125/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-4.1.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250402T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250402T150000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20250128T214417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250403T144343Z
UID:10003706-1743602400-1743606000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Learning Dynamical Transport without Data
DESCRIPTION:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Michael Albergo (Harvard) \nTitle: Learning Dynamical Transport without Data \nAbstract: Algorithms based on dynamical transport of measure\, such as score-based diffusion models\, have resulted in great progress in the field of generative modeling. However\, these algorithms rely on access to an abundance of data from the target distribution. A complementary problem to this is learning to generate samples from a target distribution when only given query access to the unnormalized log-likelihood or energy function associated to it\, with myriad application in statistical physics\, chemistry\, and Bayesian inference. I will present an algorithm based on dynamical transport to sample from a target distribution in this context\, which can be seen as an augmentation of annealed importance sampling and sequential Monte Carlo. Time permitting\, I will also discuss how to generalize these ideas to dynamics of discrete distributions. This is joint work with Eric Vanden-Eijnden\, Peter Holderrieth\, and Tommi Jaakkola. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_4225/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-NTM-Seminar-4.2.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250404T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250404T130000
DTSTAMP:20260604T202420
CREATED:20241211T195214Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250328T164025Z
UID:10003645-1743768000-1743771600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Learning diffusion models in high-dimensions
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Hugo Cui \nTitle: Learning diffusion models in high-dimensions \nAbstract: We consider the problem of learning a generative model parametrized by a two-layer auto-encoder\, and trained with online stochastic gradient descent\, to sample from a high-dimensional data distribution with an underlying low-dimensional structure. We provide a tight asymptotic characterization of low-dimensional projections of the resulting generated density\, and evidence how mode(l) collapse can arise.  On the other hand\, we discuss how in a case where the architectural bias is suited to the target density\, these simple models can efficiently learn to sample from a binary Gaussian mixture target distribution. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-4425/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Member-Seminar-4.4.25.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR