During the 2024–25 academic year, the CMSA will be hosting a Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry  Seminar, organized by Chuck Doran and Keyou Zeng.

This seminar will take place weekly on Thursdays from 10:00–11:00 am Eastern Time.

The schedule will be updated as talks are confirmed.

Bounds and Dualities of Type II Little String Theories

CMSA Room G10 CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Fabian Ruehle (Northeastern University) Title: Bounds and Dualities of Type II Little String Theories Abstract: The goal of this seminar is to introduce Type II Little String Theories (LSTs), which are six-dimensional supersymmetric QFTs. We explore how to geometrically engineer these theories within the context of M-/F-theory (top-down) as well […]

(Un)likely intersections

CMSA Room G10 CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Tom Scanlon, UC Berkeley Title: (Un)likely intersections Abstract: The Zilber-Pink conjectures predicts that for an ambient special variety  (such as an abelian variety or a Shimura variety), if   is an irreducible algebraic subvariety which is not contained a proper special subvariety of  (e.g. a proper algebraic subgroup in the abelian variety case […]

A new construction of c = 1 conformal blocks

CMSA Room G10 CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Qianyu Hao, University of Geneva Title: A new construction of c = 1 conformal blocks Abstract: The Virasoro conformal blocks are very interesting since they have many connections to other areas of math and physics. For example, when c = 1, they are related to tau functions of Painlevé equations. I will first explain what […]

Skein valued curve counts for the topological vertex and knot conormals

CMSA Room G10 CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Tobias Ekholm, Uppsala University Title: Skein valued curve counts for the topological vertex and knot conormals Abstract: Combining the invariance of holomorphic curve counts in the skein module with a study of holomorphic curves at infinity of the vertex we find three simple skein operator polynomials that annihilates […]

The Quantum GIT conjecture

CMSA Room G10 CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

https://youtu.be/_LDiw4Lq-9c Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Daniel Pomerleano (UMass Boston) Title: The Quantum GIT conjecture Abstract: Let X be a Fano variety with G action. The quantum GIT conjecture predicts a formula for the quantum cohomology of "anti-canonical" GIT quotients X//G in terms of the equivariant quantum cohomology of X. The formula is […]

Tyurin degenerations, Relative Lagrangian foliations and categorification of DT invariants

Virtual

https://youtu.be/O2U7elI0mbo Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Artan Sheshmani (BIMSA) Title: Tyurin degenerations, Relative Lagrangian foliations and categorification of DT invariants Abstract: We discuss construction of a derived Lagrangian intersection theory of moduli spaces of perfect complexes, with support on divisors on compact Calabi-Yau threefolds. Our goal is to compute deformation invariants associated to a fixed […]

Stochastic Process and Noncommutative Geometry

Hybrid

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Zichang Wang (Tsinghua University) Title: Stochastic Process and Noncommutative Geometry Abstract: We explain a stochastic approach to topological field theory and present a case study of quantum mechanical model and its relation to noncommutative geometry. For detail reference, see https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.12360    

Quantum algebras and R-matrices from the equivariant affine Grassmannians

Virtual

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Wenjun Niu, Perimeter Institute Title: Quantum algebras and R-matrices from the equivariant affine Grassmannians Abstract: In this talk, I will explain my joint work with R. Abedin, in which we construct, for each Lie algebra g, a Hopf algebra and a spectral R-matrix satisfying quantum Yang-Baxter equation. This […]

The Structure of the Flux Landscape

CMSA Room G10 CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Damian Van de Heisteeg, Harvard CMSA Title: The Structure of the Flux Landscape Abstract: Identifying flux vacua in string theory with stabilized complex structure moduli presents a significant challenge, necessitating the minimization of a scalar potential complicated by infinitely many exponential corrections. In order to obtain exact results we […]

The geometry of pure spinor superfield formalism 

Virtual

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Simone Noja (Heidelberg University) Title: The geometry of pure spinor superfield formalism Abstract: In this talk I will present a mathematical perspective on the pure spinor superfield formalism. In particular, I will discuss how field multiplets in supersymmetric theories can be constructed mathematically from geometric data associated with certain […]

2d chiral Lagrangian for asymptotic dynamics for 4d (self-dual) Einstein gravity

CMSA Room G10 CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Wei Bu (Harvard University) Title: 2d chiral Lagrangian for asymptotic dynamics for 4d (self-dual) Einstein gravity Abstract: In this talk, I will present a simple chiral 2d Lagrangian living on a 2d celestial sphere on the null boundary of 4d Minkowski space and briefly mention its first principal […]

Physical Yukawa Couplings in Heterotic String Compactifications

CMSA Room G10 CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, United States

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Giorgi Butbaia, University of New Hampshire Title: Physical Yukawa Couplings in Heterotic String Compactifications Abstract: Calabi-Yau compactifications of the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string provide a promising route to recovering the four-dimensional particle physics described by the Standard Model. While the topology of the Calabi-Yau space determines the overall […]