Differential Geometry and Physics Seminar Speaker: Mirjam Cvetic, University of Pennsylvania Title: Higher Symmetries, Eta Invariants and Anomaly Theories Abstract: In recent years, much progress has been made in understanding the extra-dimensional origin of higher symmetry structures of many quantum field theories (QFTs) obtained via geometric engineering. Among others, our understanding of anomaly structures in QFTs has […]
Member Seminar Speaker: Saman Habibi Esfahani, CMSA Title: Gauge theory, from low dimensions to higher dimensions and back Abstract: Almost thirty years ago, Donaldson and Thomas proposed extending powerful ideas from gauge theory, which had transformed the study of three- and four-dimensional manifolds, to higher dimensions, with the goal of defining new invariants of special […]
Colloquium Speaker: L. Mahadevan, Harvard Title: Inverse problems in soft and active matter Abstract: How can one grow a face or a flower from a flat sheet? Fold a sheet into an origami pattern? Control phase separation? Transport a drop of active matter? Steer an ant swarm? I will discuss potential answers to some of […]
Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speaker: Sanjay Raman, Harvard Title: Solitonic Symmetry: Cohomology with TFT Coefficients Abstract: We review the formalism of https://arxiv.org/pdf/2307.00939, which develops the theory of solitonic symmetry in quantum field theory. The algebraic structure of solitonic symmetry is determined by the fusion of topological functionals in a given path-integral formulation of topological field theory, and […]
2026 Ding Shum Lecture Date: March 4, 2026 Time: 4:00 pm Location: Harvard Science Center Hall D & via Zoom Webinar Speaker: Sanjeev Arora, Princeton Title: How could a Superhuman AI mathematician come about? Abstract: Can AI systems exceed the capabilities of the human experts who provided their training data? The talk will examine the […]
Differential Geometry and Physics Seminar Speaker: Vivek Shende (Syddansk Universitet & UC Berkeley) Title: Fukaya categories and higher representation theory Abstract: I will explain how Lagrangian Floer homology in certain monopole moduli spaces recovers the Khovanov homology and its relatives, by a description strikingly similar to the Oszvath-Szabo Heegard-Floer theory. I will also explain how the […]
Freedman Seminar Speakers: Mattie Ji (Penn) and Jeongwan Haah (Stanford) Mattie Ji Title: Quantum Cellular Automata via Algebraic K-Theory Abstract: Algebraic K-theory, on a very high level, is the study of how to break apart and assemble objects linearly, which makes the field amenable to classification questions. In this work, we apply this methodology to study […]
Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar Speaker: Davide Gaiotto (Perimeter Institute)
CMSA/Tsinghua Math-Science Literature Lecture Date: March 10, 2026 Time: 8:45 - 10:15 am ET Location: Harvard Science Center Hall A, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge MA & via Zoom Webinar Speaker: Martin Bridson FRS is the Whitehead Professor of Pure Mathematics at Oxford and President of the Clay Mathematics Institute. Title: Profinite rigidity: Chasing finite shadows […]
Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speaker: Lorenzo Riva, Harvard CMSA Title: TQFTs do not detect the Milnor sphere Abstract: I will talk about the recent paper of Gripaios and Randall-Williams with that title, where they prove that a functorial TQFT (i.e. a symmetric monoidal functor from the n-dimensional bordism category into a suitably […]
Date: March 11, 2026 Time: 5:00–6:00 pm Location: Harvard Science Center Hall C, 1 Oxford St., Cambridge MA & via Zoom Webinar Speaker: Javier Gómez-Serrano, Brown University Title: Navier-Stokes Existence or Breakdown Abstract: The Navier-Stokes equations have been the cornerstone of fluid dynamics for over a century, accurately describing the motion of viscous fluids such […]
Differential Geometry and Physics Seminar Speaker: Surena Hozoori (Brandeis) Title: Strongly adapted contact geometry of Anosov 3-flows Abstract: We will discuss some recent developments in the contact geometric theory of Anosov 3-flows, whose roots go back to the works of Mitsumatsu and Eliashberg-Thurston in the mid 1990s. In particular, we provide a contact geometric characterization […]