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SUMMARY:Strongly Correlated Quantum Materials and High-Temperature Superconductors Series
DESCRIPTION:In the 2020-2021 academic year\, the CMSA will be hosting a lecture series on Strongly Correlated Materials and High Tc Superconductor. All talks will take place from 10:30-12:00pm ET virtually on Zoom. \nCuprate high-temperature superconductors are a classic quantum material system to demonstrate the beauty of “Emergence and Entanglement” in the quantum phases of matter. Merely by adding more holes into an antiferromagnetic insulator\, several fascinating phases emerge\, including a d-wave superconductor\, a pseudo-gap metal\, and strange metal. After intensive studies from experimental\, theoretical\, and numerical communities for more than three decades\, remarkable progress has been made\, but basic questions remain: \n\nWhat is the origin of the superconductivity? What are the relative contributions of electron-phonon coupling\, spin fluctuations\, or resonating-valence-bonds?\nHow do we explain the pseudo-gap and the Fermi arc in the underdoped region above the critical temperature? Are they from some symmetry breaking order parameters\, or do we need an unconventional picture involving fractionalization?\nIs the strange metal at optimal doping associated with a quantum critical point? And if so\, what is the driving force of this phase transition?\n\nThe cuprate quantum materials have been a major source for many new concepts in modern condensed matter physics\, such as quantum spin liquids\, topological order\, and non-Fermi liquids. In the coming years\, it is clear that the study of the cuprates will continually motivate new concepts and development of new techniques. In this seminar series\, we hope to accelerate this process by bringing together deeper conversations between experimental\, theoretical\, and numerical experts with different backgrounds and perspectives. \nThe Strongly Correlated Quantum Materials and High-Temperature Superconductors series is a part of the Quantum Matter in Mathematics and Physics seminar. \nSeminar organizers: Juven Wang (Harvard CMSA) and Yahui Zhang (Harvard). \nScientific program advisors: Professor Subir Sachdev (Harvard)\, Professor Patrick Lee (MIT). \nIn order to learn how to attend this series\, please fill out this form. \nFor more information\, please contact Juven Wang (jw@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu) and Yahui Zhang (yahui_zhang@g.harvard.edu) \nSpring 2022\nApril 20\, 2022 | 11:30 – 1:00 pm ET \nHarold Y. Hwang (Stanford University & SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) \nTitle: Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates \nAbstract: Since its discovery\, unconventional superconductivity in cuprates has motivated the search for materials with analogous electronic or atomic structure. We have used soft chemistry approaches to synthesize superconducting infinite layer nickelates from their perovskite precursor phase. We will present the synthesis and transport properties of the nickelates\, observation of a doping-dependent superconducting dome\, and our current understanding of their electronic and magnetic structure. \n\nFebruary 3\, 2022 | 11:30 – 1:00 pm ET \nLu Li (U Michigan) \nTitle: Quantum Oscillations of Electrical Resistivity in an Insulator \nAbstract: In metals\, orbital motions of conduction electrons are quantized in magnetic fields\, which is manifested by quantum oscillations in electrical resistivity. This Landau quantization is generally absent in insulators\, in which all the electrons are localized. Here we report a notable exception in an insulator — ytterbium dodecaboride (YbB12). The resistivity of YbB12\, despite much larger than that of usual metals\, exhibits profound quantum oscillations under intense magnetic fields. This unconventional oscillation is shown to arise from the insulating bulk instead of conducting surface states. The large effective masses indicate strong correlation effects between electrons. Our result is the first discovery of quantum oscillations in the electrical resistivity of a strongly correlated insulator and will bring crucial insight into understanding the ground state in gapped Kondo systems. \n2020 – 2021\nSeptember 2\, 2020 | 10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSubir Sachdev (Harvard) \nTitle: Metal-to-metal quantum phase transitions not described by symmetry-breaking orders \nAbstract: Numerous experiments have explored the phases of the cuprates with increasing doping density p from the antiferromagnetic insulator. There is now strong evidence that the small p region is a novel phase of matter\, often called the pseudogap metal\, separated from conventional Fermi liquid at larger p by a quantum phase transition. Symmetry-breaking orders play a spectator role\, at best\, at this quantum phase transition. I will describe trial wavefunctions across this metal-metal transition employing hidden layers of ancilla qubits (proposed by Ya-Hui Zhang). Quantum fluctuations are described by a gauge theory  of ghost fermions that carry neither spin nor charge. I will also\ndescribe a separate approach to this transition in a t-J model with random exchange interactions in the limit of large dimensions. This approach leads to a partly solvable SYK-like critical theory of holons and spinons\, and a linear in temperature resistivity from time reparameterization fluctuations. Near criticality\, both approaches have in common emergent fractionalized excitations\, and a significantly larger entropy than naively expected. \nVideo\n\n\n\n\nSeptember 23\, 2020 | 10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSubir Sachdev (Harvard) \nTitle: Metal-to-metal quantum phase transitions not described by symmetry-breaking orders II \nAbstract: In this second talk\, I will focus on (nearly) solvable models of metal-metal transition in random systems. The t-J model with random and all-to-all hopping and exchange can be mapped onto a quantum impurity model coupled self-consistently to an environment (the mapping also applies to a t-J model in a large dimension lattice\,  with random nearest-neighbor exchange). Such models will be argued to exhibit metal-metal quantum phase transitions in the universality class of the SYK model\, accompanied by a linear-in-T resistivity from time reparameterization  fluctuations. I will also present the results of exact diagonalization of random t-J clusters\, obtained recently with Henry Shackleton\, Alexander Wietek\, and Antoine Georges. \nVideo\n\n\n\n\nSeptember 24\, 2020 | 12:00pm ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nInna Vishik (University of California\, Davis)\n\nTitle: Universality vs materials-dependence in cuprates: ARPES studies of the model cuprate Hg1201Abstract: The cuprate superconductors exhibit the highest ambient-pressure superconducting transition temperatures (T c )\, and after more than three decades of extraordinary research activity\, continue to pose formidable scientific challenges. A major experimental obstacle has been to distinguish universal phenomena from materials- or technique-dependent ones. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measures momentum-dependent single-particle electronic excitations and has been invaluable in the endeavor to determine the anisotropic momentum-space properties of the cuprates. HgBa 2 CuO 4+d (Hg1201) is a single-layer cuprate with a particularly high optimal T c and a simple crystal structure; yet there exists little information from ARPES about the electronic properties of this model system. I will present recent ARPES studies of doping-\, temperature-\, and momentum-dependent systematics of near-nodal dispersion anomalies in Hg1201. The data reveal a hierarchy of three distinct energy scales which establish several universal phenomena\, both in terms of connecting multiple experimental techniques for a single material\, and in terms of connecting comparable spectral features in multiple structurally similar cuprates.Video\n\n\n\n\nOctober 15\, 2020 | 10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLouis Taillefer (Université de Sherbrooke) \nTitle: New signatures of the pseudogap phase of cuprate superconductors \nAbstract: The pseudogap phase of cuprate superconductors is arguably the most enigmatic phase of quantum matter. We aim to shed new light on this phase by investigating the non- superconducting ground state of several cuprate materials at low temperature across a wide doping range\, suppressing superconductivity with a magnetic field. Hall effect measurements across the pseudogap critical doping p* reveal a sharp drop in carrier density n from n = 1 + p above p* to n = p below p\, signaling a major transformation of the Fermi surface. Angle-dependent magneto-resistance (ADMR) directly reveals a change in Fermi surface topology across p. From specific heat measurements\, we observe the classic thermodynamic signatures of quantum criticality: the electronic specific heat C el shows a sharp peak at p\, where it varies in temperature as C el ~ – T logT. At p and just above\, the electrical resistivity is linear in T at low T\, with an inelastic scattering rate that obeys the Planckian limit. Finally\, the pseudogap phase is found to have a large negative thermal Hall conductivity\, which extends to zero doping. We show that the pseudogap phase makes phonons become chiral. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for these various new signatures will help elucidate the nature of the pseudogap phase. \nVideo\n\n\n\n\nOctober 28\, 2020 | 10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPatrick Lee (MIT) \nTitle: The not-so-normal normal state of underdoped Cuprate \nAbstract: The underdoped Cuprate exhibits a rich variety of unusual properties that have been exposed after years of experimental investigations. They include a pseudo-gap near the anti-nodal points and “Fermi arcs” of gapless excitations\, together with a variety of order such as charge order\, nematicity and possibly loop currents and time reversal and inversion breaking. I shall argue that by making a single assumption of strong pair fluctuations at finite momentum (Pair density wave)\, a unified description of this phenomenology is possible. As an example\, I will focus on a description of the ground state that emerges when superconductivity is suppressed by a magnetic field which supports small electron pockets. [Dai\, Senthil\, Lee\, Phys Rev B101\, 064502 (2020)] There is some support for the pair density wave hypothesis from STM data that found charge order at double the usual wave-vector in the vicinity of vortices\, as well as evidence for a fragile form of superconductivity persisting to fields much above Hc2. I shall suggest a more direct experimental probe of the proposed fluctuating pair density wave. \nVideo\n\n\n\n\nNovember 6\, 2020 |12:30pm ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nZhi-Xun Shen (Stanford University) \nTitle: Essential Ingredients for Superconductivity in Cupper Oxide Superconductors \nAbstract: High‐temperature superconductivity in cupper oxides\, with critical temperature well above what wasanticipated by the BCS theory\, remains a major unsolved physics problem. The problem is fascinating because it is simultaneously simple ‐ being a single band and 1⁄2 spin system\, yet extremely rich ‐ boasting d‐wave superconductivity\, pseudogap\, spin and charge orders\, and strange metal phenomenology. For this reason\, cuprates emerge as the most important model system for correlated electrons – stimulating conversations on the physics of Hubbard model\, quantum critical point\, Planckian metal and beyond.\nCentral to this debate is whether the Hubbard model\, which is the natural starting point for the undoped\nmagnetic insulator\, contains the essential ingredients for key physics in cuprates. In this talk\, I will discuss our photoemission evidence for a multifaceted answer to this question [1‐3]. First\, we show results that naturally points to the importance of Coulomb and magnetic interactions\, including d‐wave superconducting gap structure [4]\, exchange energy (J) control of bandwidth in single‐hole dynamics [5]. Second\, we evidence effects beyond the Hubbard model\, including band dispersion anomalies at known phonon frequencies [6\, 7]\, polaronic spectral lineshape and the emergence of quasiparticle with doping [8]. Third\, we show properties likely of hybrid electronic and phononic origin\, including the pseudogap [9‐11]\, and the almost vertical phase boundary near the critical 19% doping [12]. Fourth\, we show examples of small q phononic coupling that cooperates with d‐wave superconductivity [13‐15]. Finally\, we discuss recent experimental advance in synthesizing and investigating doped one‐dimensional (1D) cuprates [16]. As theoretical calculations of the 1D Hubbard model are reliable\, a robust comparison can be carried out. The experiment reveals a near‐neighbor attractive interaction that is an order of magnitude larger than the attraction generated by spin‐superexchange in the Hubbard model. Addition of such an attractive term\, likely of phononic origin\, into the Hubbard model with canonical parameters provides a quantitative explanation for all important experimental observable: spinon and holon dispersions\, and holon‐ holon attraction. Given the structural similarity of the materials\, It is likely that an extended two‐dimensional\n(2D) Hubbard model with such an attractive term\, will connect the dots of the above four classes of\nexperimental observables and provide a holistic understanding of cuprates\, including the elusive d‐wave superconductivity in 2D Hubbard model. \n[1] A. Damascelli\, Z. Hussain\, and Z.‐X. Shen\, Review of Modern Physics\, 75\, 473 (2003)\n[2] M. Hashimoto et al.\, Nature Physics 10\, 483 (2014)\n[3] JA Sobota\, Y He\, ZX Shen ‐ arXiv preprint arXiv:2008.02378\, 2020; submitted to Rev. of Mod. Phys.\n[4] Z.‐X. Shen et al.\, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70\, 1553 (1993)\n[5] B.O. Wells et al.\, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74\, 964 (1995)\n[6] A. Lanzara et al.\, Nature 412\, 510 (2001)\n[7] T. Cuk et al.\, Phys. Rev. Lett.\, 93\, 117003 (2004)\n[8] K.M. Shen et al.\, Phys. Rev. Lett.\, 93\, 267002 (2004)\n[9] D.M. King et al.\, J. of Phys. & Chem of Solids 56\, 1865 (1995)\n[10] D.S. Marshall et al.\, Phy. Rev. Lett. 76\, 484 (1996)\n[11] A.G. Loeser et al.\, Science 273\, 325 (1996)\n[12] S. Chen et al.\, Science\, 366\, 6469 (2019)\n[13] T.P. Devereaux\, T. Cuk\, Z.X. Shen\, N. Nagaosa\, Phys. Rev. Lett.\, 93\, 117004 (2004)\n[14] S. Johnston et al.\, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108\, 166404 (2012)\n[15] Yu He et al.\, Science\, 362\, 62 (Oct. 2018)\n[16] Z. Chen\, Y. Wang et al.\, preprint\, 2020 \nVideo\n\n\n\n\nNovember 12\, 2020 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChandra Varma (Visting Professor\, University of California\, Berkeley.\nEmeritus Distinguished Professor\, University of California\, Riverside.)Title: Loop-Current Order and Quantum-Criticality in CupratesThis talk is organized as follows:\n1. Physical Principles leading to Loop-current order and quantum criticality as the central feature in the physics of Cuprates.\n2. Summary of the essentially exact solution of the dissipative xy model for Loop-current fluctuations.\n3. Quantitative comparison of theory for the quantum-criticality with a variety of experiments.\n4. Topological decoration of loop-current order to understand ”Fermi-arcs” and small Fermi-surface magneto-oscillations.Time permitting\,\n(i) Quantitative theory and experiment for fluctuations leading to d-wave superconductivity.\n(ii) Extensions to understand AFM quantum-criticality in heavy-fermions and Fe-based superconductors.\n(iii) Problems.Video\n\n\n\n\nNovember 18\, 2020 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAntoine Georges (Collège de France\, Paris and Flatiron Institute\, New York) \nTitle: Superconductivity\, Stripes\, Antiferromagnetism and the Pseudogap: What Do We Know Today about the 2D Hubbard model? \nAbstract: Simplified as it is\, the Hubbard model embodies much of the complexity of the `strong correlation problem’ and has established itself as a paradigmatic model in the field. In this talk\, I will argue that several key aspects of its physics in two dimensions can now be established beyond doubt\, thanks to the development of controlled and accurate computational methods. These methods implement different and complementary points of view on the quantum many-body problem. Along with pushing forward each method\, the community has recently embarked into a major effort to combine and critically compare these approaches\, and in several instances a consistent picture of the physics has emerged as a result. I will review in this perspective our current understanding of the emergence of a pseudogap in both the weak and strong coupling regimes. I will present recent progress in understanding how the pseudogap phase may evolve into a stripe-dominated regime at low temperature\, and briefly address the delicate question of the competition between stripes and superconductivity. I will also emphasize outstanding questions which are still open\, such as the possibility of a Fermi surface reconstruction without symmetry breaking. Whenever possible\, connections to the physics of cuprate superconductors will be made. If time permits\, I may also address the question of Planckian transport and bad metallic transport at high temperature. \nVideo\n\n\n\n\nNovember 19\, 2020 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEduardo Fradkin (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) \nTitle: Pair Density Waves and Intertwined Orders in High Tc Superconductors\n\nAbstract: I will argue that the orders that are present in high temperature superconductors naturally arise with the same strength and are better regarded as intertwined rather than competing. I illustrate this concept in the context of the orders that are present in the pair-density-wave state and the phase diagrams that result from this analysis. \nVideo\n\n\n\n\nNovember 25\, 2020 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nQimiao Si (Rice University) \nTitle: Bad Metals and Electronic Orders – Nematicity from Iron Pnictides to Graphene Moiré Systems \nAbstract: Strongly correlated electron systems often show bad-metal behavior\, as operationally specified in terms of a resistivity at room temperature that reaches or exceeds the Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit. They display a rich landscape of electronic orders\, which provide clues to the underlying microscopic physics. Iron-based superconductors present a striking case study\, and have been the subject of extensive efforts during the past decade or so. They are well established to be bad metals\, and their phase diagrams prominently feature various types of electronic orders that are essentially always accompanied by nematicity. In this talk\, I will summarize these characteristic features and discuss our own efforts towards understanding the normal state through the lens of the electronic orders and their fluctuations. Implications for superconductivity will be briefly discussed. In the second part of the talk\, I will consider the nematic correlations that have been observed in the graphene-based moiré narrow-band systems. I will present a theoretical study which demonstrates nematicity in a “fragile insulator”\, predicts its persistence in the bad metal regime and provides an overall perspective on the phase diagram of these correlated systems.\n\n\n\n\nDecember 2\, 2020 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAndrey Chubukov (University of Minnesota) \nTitle: Interplay between superconductivity and non-Fermi liquid at a quantum critical point in a metal \n\nAbstract:  I discuss the interplay between non-Fermi liquid behaviour and pairing near a quantum-critical point (QCP) in a metal. These tendencies are intertwined in the sense that both originate from the same interaction mediated by gapless fluctuations of a critical order parameter. The two tendencies compete because fermionic incoherence destroys the Cooper logarithm\, while the pairing eliminates scattering at low energies and restores fermionic coherence. I discuss this physics for a class of models with an effective dynamical interaction V (Ω) ~1/|Ω|^γ (the γ-model). This model describes\, in particular\, the pairing at a 2D Ising-nematic critical point in (γ=1/3)\, a 2D antiferromagnetic critical point (γ=1/2) and the pairing by an Einstein phonon with vanishing dressed Debye frequency (γ=2). I argue the pairing wins\, unless the pairing component of the interaction is artificially reduced\, but because of fermionic incoherence in the normal state\, the system develops a pseudogap\, preformed pairs behaviour in the temperature range between the onset of the pairing at Tp and the onset of phase coherence at the actual superconducting Tc. The ratio Tc/Tp decreases with γ and vanishes at γ =2. I present two complementary arguments of why this happens. One is the softening of longitudinal gap fluctuations\, which become gapless at γ =2. Another is the emergence of a 1D array of dynamical vortices\, whose number diverges at γ =2. I argue that once the number of vortices becomes infinite\, quasiparticle energies effectively get quantized and do not get re-arranged in the presence of a small phase variation. I show that a new non-superconducting ground state emerges at γ >2.\n\n\n\n\nDecember 9\, 2020 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDavid Hsieh (Caltech) \nTitle:  Signatures of anomalous symmetry breaking in the cuprates   \nAbstract: The temperature versus doping phase diagram of the cuprate high-Tc superconductors features an enigmatic pseudogap region whose microscopic origin remains a subject of intensive study. Experimentally resolving its symmetry properties is imperative for narrowing down the list of possible explanations. In this talk I will give an overview of how optical second harmonic generation (SHG) can be used as a sensitive probe of symmetry breaking\, and recap the ways it has been used to solve outstanding problems in condensed matter physics. I will then describe how we have been applying SHG polarimetry and spectroscopy to interrogate the cuprate pseudogap. In particular\, I will discuss our data on YBa2Cu3Oy [1]\, which show an order parameter-like increase in SHG intensity below the pseudogap temperature T* across a broad range of doping levels. I will then focus on our more recent results on a model parent cuprate Sr2CuO2Cl2 [2]\, where evidence of anomalous broken symmetries surprisingly also exists. Possible connections between these observations will be speculated upon.\n[1] L. Zhao\, C. A. Belvin\, R. Liang\, D. A. Bonn\, W. N. Hardy\, N. P. Armitage and D. Hsieh\, “A global inversion-symmetry-broken phase inside the pseudogap region of YBa2Cu3Oy\,” Nature Phys. 13\, 250 (2017). \n[2] A. de la Torre\, K. L. Seyler\, L. Zhao\, S. Di Matteo\, M. S. Scheurer\, Y. Li\, B. Yu\, M. Greven\, S. Sachdev\, M. R. Norman and D. Hsieh. “Anomalous mirror symmetry breaking in a model insulating cuprate Sr2CuO2Cl2\,” Preprint at https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.06516\n\n\n\n\nDecember 16\, 2020 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nZheng-Yu Weng (Tsinghua University) \nTitle: Organizing Principle of Mottness and Complex Phenomenon in High Temperature Superconductors\n\nAbstract: The complex phenomenon in the high-Tc cuprate calls for a microscopic understanding based on general principles. In this Lecture\, an exact organizing principle for a typical doped Mott insulator will be presented\, in which the fermion sign structure is drastically reduced to a mutual statistics. Its nature as a long-range spin-charge entanglement of many-body quantum mechanics will be exemplified by exact numerical calculations. The phase diagram of the cuprate may be unified in a “bottom-up” fashion by a “parent” ground state ansatz with hidden orders constructed based on the organizing principle. Here the pairing mechanism will go beyond the “RVB” picture and the superconducting state is of non-BCS nature with modified London equation and novel elementary excitations. In particular\, the Bogoliubov/Landau quasiparticle excitation are emerging with a two-gap structure in the superconducting state and the Fermi arc in a pseudogap regime. A mathematic framework of fractionalization and duality transformation guided by the organizing principle will be introduced to describe the above emergent phenomenon.\n\n\n\n\nDecember 17\, 2020 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSteven Kivelson (Stanford University) \nTitle: What do we know about the essential physics of high temperature superconductivity after one third of a century? \nAbstract: Despite the fact that papers submitted to glossy journals universally start by bemoaning the absence of theoretical understanding\, I will argue that the answer to the title question is “quite a lot.” To focus the discussion\, I will take the late P.W. Anderson’s “Last Words on the Cuprates” (arXiv:1612.03919) as a point of departure\, although from a perspective that differs from his in many key points.\n\n\n\n\nJanuary 20\, 2021 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThomas Peter Devereaux (Stanford University) \nTitle:  Numerical investigations of models of the cuprates\n\nAbstract: Richard Feynman once said “Anyone who wants to analyze the properties of matter in a real problem might want to start by writing down the fundamental equations and then try to solve them mathematically. Although there are people who try to use such an approach\, these people are the failures in this field. . . ” \nI will summarize efforts to solve microscopic models of the cuprates using quantum Monte Carlo and density matrix renormalization group computational methods\, with emphasis on how far one can get before failing to describe the real materials. I will start with an overview of the quantum chemistry of the cuprates that guides our choices of models\, and then I will discuss “phases” of these models\, both realized and not. I will lastly discuss the transport properties of the models in the “not-so-normal” regions of the phase diagram.\n\n\n\n\nFebruary 3\, 2021 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhilip Phillips (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) \nTitle: Beyond BCS: An Exact Model for Superconductivity and Mottness\n\nAbstract: High-temperature superconductivity in the cuprates remains an unsolved problem because the cuprates start off their lives as Mott insulators in which no organizing principle such a Fermi surface can be invoked to treat the electron interactions. Consequently\, it would be advantageous to solve even a toy model that exhibits both Mottness and superconductivity. Part of the problem is that the basic model for a Mott insulator\, namely the Hubbard model is unsolvable in any dimension we really care about. To address this problem\, I will start by focusing on the overlooked Z_2 emergent symmetry of a Fermi surface first noted by Anderson and Haldane. Mott insulators break this emergent symmetry. The simplest model of this type is due to Hatsugai/Kohmoto. I will argue that this model can be thought of a fixed point for Mottness. I will then show exactly[1] that this model when appended with a weak pairing interaction exhibits not only the analogue of Cooper’s instability but also a superconducting ground state\, thereby demonstrating that a model for a doped Mott insulator can exhibit superconductivity. The properties of the superconducting state differ drastically from that of the standard BCS theory. The elementary excitations of this superconductor are not linear combinations of particle and hole states but rather are superpositions of doublons and holons\, composite excitations signaling that the superconducting ground state of the doped Mott insulator inherits the non-Fermi liquid character of the normal state. Additional unexpected features of this model are that it exhibits a superconductivity-induced transfer of spectral weight from high to low energies and a suppression of the superfluid density as seen in the cuprates.\n[1] PWP\, L. Yeo\, E. Huang\, Nature Physics\, 16\, 1175-1180 (2020).\n\n\n\n\nFebruary 10\, 2021 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSenthil Todadri (MIT) \nTitle: Strange metals as ersatz Fermi liquids: emergent symmetries\, general constraints\, and experimental tests \nAbstract: The strange metal regime is one of the most prominent features of the cuprate phase diagram but yet has remained amongst the most mysterious. Seemingly similar metallic behavior is seen in a few other metals. In this talk\, I will discuss\, in great generality\, some properties of `strange metals’ in an ideal clean system. I will discuss general constraints[1] on the emergent low energy symmetries of any such strange metal. These constraints may be viewed as a generalization of the Luttinger theorem of ordinary Fermi liquids. Many\, if not all\, non-Fermi liquids will have the same realization of emergent symmetry as a Fermi liquid (even though they could have very different dynamics). Such phases – dubbed ersatz Fermi liquids – share some (but not all) universal properties with Fermi liquids. I will discuss the implications for understanding the strange metal physics observed in experiments . Combined with a few experimental observations\, I will show that these general model-independent considerations lead to concrete predictions[2] about a class of strange metals. The most striking of these is a divergent susceptibility of an observable that has the same symmetries as the loop current order parameter.\n[1]. Dominic Else\, Ryan Thorngren\, T. Senthil\, https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.07896\n[2]. Dominic Else\, T. Senthil\, https://arxiv.org/abs/2010.10523\n\n\n\n\nApril 1\, 2021 |9:00am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNaoto Nagaosa (University of Tokyo) \nTitle: Applied physics of high-Tc theories \nAbstract: Since the discovery of high temperature superconductors in cuprates in 1986\, many theoretical ideas have been proposed which have enriched condensed matter theory. Especially\, the resonating valence bond (RVB) state for (doped) spin liquids is one of the most fruitful idea. In this talk\, I would like to describe the development of RVB idea to broader class of materials\, especially more conventional magnets. It is related to the noncollinear spin structures with spin chirality and associated quantal Berry phase applied to many phenomena and spintronics applications. It includes the (quantum) anomalous Hall effect\, spin Hall effect\, topological insulator\, multiferroics\, various topological spin textures\, e.g.\, skyrmions\, and nonlinear optics. I will show that even though the phenomena are extensive\, the basic idea is rather simple and common in all of these topics.\n\n\n\n\nApril 22\, 2021 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDung-Hai Lee (UC Berkeley) \nTitle: “Non-abelian bosonization in two and three spatial dimensions and some applications” \nAbstract: In this talk\, we generalize Witten’s non-abelian bosonization in $(1+1)$-D to two and three spatial dimensions. Our theory applies to fermions with relativistic dispersion. The bosonized theories are non-linear sigma models with level-1 Wess-Zumino-Witten terms. As applications\, we apply the bosonization results to the $SU(2)$ gauge theory of the $\pi$ flux mean-field theory of half-filled Hubbard model\, critical spin liquids of “bipartite-Mott insulators” in 1\,2\,3 spatial dimensions\, and twisted bilayer graphene.\n\n\n\n\nMay 12\, 2021 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAndré-Marie Tremblay (Université de Sherbrooke) \nTitle: A unified theoretical perspective on the cuprate phase diagram \nAbstract: Many features of the cuprate phase diagram are a challenge for the usual tools of solid state physics. I will show how a perspective that takes into account both the localized and delocalized aspects of conduction electrons can explain\, at least qualitatively\, many of these features. More specifically\, I will show that the work of several groups using cluster extensions of dynamical mean-field theory sheds light on the pseudogap\, on the quantum-critical point and on d-wave superconductivity. I will argue that the charge transfer gap and oxygen hole content are the best indicators of strong superconductivity and that many observations are a signature of the influence of Mott physics away from half-filling. I will also briefly comment on what information theoretic measures tell us about this problem.\n\n\n\n\nAugust 11\, 2021 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPiers Coleman (Rutgers) \nTitle: Order Fractionalization* \nAbstract: I will discuss the interplay of spin fractionalization with broken\nsymmetry. When a spin fractionalizes into a fermion\, the resulting particle\ncan hybridize or pair with the mobile electrons to develop a new kind of\nfractional order parameter. The concept of “order fractionalization” enables\nus to extend the concept of off-diagonal order to encompass the formation of\nsuch order parameters with fractional quantum numbers\, such as spinorial\norder[1].\nA beautiful illustration of this phenomenon is provided by a model\nwhich incorporates the Yao-Lee-Kitaev model into a Kondo lattice[2]. This\nmodel explicitly exhibits order fractionalization and is expected to undergo a\ndiscrete Ising phase transition at finite temperature into an\norder-fractionalized phase with gapless Majorana excitations.\nThe broader implications of these considerations for Quantum\nMaterials and Quantum Field Theory will be discussed.\nWork done in collaboration with Yashar Komijani\, Anna Toth and Alexei\nTsvelik.\n[1] Order Fractionalization\, Yashar Komijani\, Anna Toth\, Premala Chandra\, Piers Coleman\, (2018).\n[2] Order Fractionalization in a Kitaev Kondo model\, Alexei Tsvelik and Piers Coleman\, (2021).\n\n\n\n\nSeptember 15\, 2021 |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLiang Fu (MIT) \nTitle: Three-particle mechanism for pairing and superconductivity \nAbstract: I will present a new mechanism and an exact theory of electron pairing due to repulsive interaction in doped insulators. When the kinetic energy is small\, the dynamics of adjacent electrons on the lattice is strongly correlated. By developing a controlled kinetic energy expansion\, I will show that two doped charges can attract and form a bound state\, despite and because of the underlying repulsion. This attraction by repulsion is enabled by the virtual excitation of a third electron in the filled band. This three-particle pairing mechanism leads to a variety of novel phenomena at finite doping\, including spin-triplet superconductivity\, pair density wave\, BCS-BEC crossover and Feshbach resonance involving “trimers”. Possible realizations in moire materials\, ZrNCl and WTe2 will be discussed. \n[1] V. Crepel and L. Fu\, Science Advances 7\, eabh2233 (2021)\n[2] V. Crepel and L. Fu\, arXiv:2103.12060\n[3] K. Slagle and L. Fu\,  Phys. Rev. B 102\, 235423 (2020)\n\n\n\n\nSeptember 29\, 2021 |11:30am ET (special time)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNai Phuan Ong (Princeton University)\n\nTitle:.Abstract: The layered honeycomb magnet alpha-RuCl3 orders below 7 K in a zigzag phase in zero field. An in-plane magnetic field H||a suppresses the zigzag order at 7 Tesla\, leaving a spin-disordered phase widely believed to be a quantum spin liquid (QSL) that extends to ~12 T. We have observed oscillations in the longitudinal thermal conductivity Kxx vs. H from 0.4 to 4 K. The oscillations are periodic in 1/H (with a break-in-slope at 7 T). The amplitude function is maximal in the QSL phase (7 –11.5 T). I will describe a benchmark for crystalline disorder\, the reproducibility and intrinsic nature of the oscillations\, and discuss implications for the QSL state. I will also show detailed data on the thermal Hall conductivity Kxy measured from 0.4 K to 10 K and comment on recent half-quantization results.*Czajka et al.\, Nature Physics 17\, 915 (2021).Collaborators: Czajka\, Gao\, Hirschberger\, Lampen Kelley\, Banerjee\, Yan\, Mandrus and Nagler.\n\n\n\n\nDate TBA |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSuchitra Sebastian (University of Cambridge) \nTitle: TBA\n\n\n\n\nDate TBA |10:30am ET\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJenny Hoffman (Harvard University) \nTitle: TBA
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/strongly-correlated-quantum-materials-and-high-temperature-superconductors-series/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Event,Strongly Correlated Quantum Materials and High-Temperature Superconductors
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/unnamed-3-600x338-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210913T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220513T170000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20230904T083009Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240213T113945Z
UID:10000053-1631523600-1652461200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Swampland Program
DESCRIPTION:During the 2021–2022 academic year\, the CMSA will host a program on the so-called “Swampland.” \nThe 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 years. \nThe Swampland is intrinsically interdisciplinary\, with ramifications in string compactifications\, holography\, black hole physics\, cosmology\, particle physics\, and even mathematics. \nThis program will include an extensive group of visitors and a slate of seminars. Additionally\, the CMSA will host a school oriented toward graduate students. \nMore information will be posted here. \nSeminars\nSwampland Seminar Series & Group Meetings \nProgram Visitors\n\nPieter Bomans\, Princeton\, 10/30/21 – 11/02/21\nIrene Valenzuela\, Instituto de Física Teórica\, 02/14/22 – 02/21/22\nMariana Grana\, CEA/Saclay\, 03/21/22 – 03/25/22\nHector Parra De Freitas\, IPHT Saclay\, 03/21/22 – 04/01/22\nTimo Weigand\, 03/21/22 – 03/28/22\nGary Shiu\, University of Wisconsin-Madison\, 04/03/22 – 04/10/22\nThomas van Riet\, Leuven University\, 04/03/22 – 04/09/22\nLars Aalsma\, University of Wisconsin-Madison\, 04/11/22 – 04/15/22\nSergio Cecotti\, 05/08/22 – 05/21/22\nTom Rudelius\, 05/09/22 – 05/13/22
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/swampland-program/
LOCATION:CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Programs
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210915T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220525T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240213T112446Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240502T160729Z
UID:10002496-1631698200-1653474600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Colloquium 9/15/2021 - 5/25/2022
DESCRIPTION:During the 2021–22 academic year\, the CMSA will be hosting a Colloquium\, organized by Du Pei\, Changji Xu\, and Michael Simkin. It will take place on Wednesdays at 9:30am – 10:30am (Boston time). The meetings will take place virtually on Zoom. All CMSA postdocs/members are required to attend the weekly CMSA Members’ Seminars\, as well as the weekly CMSA Colloquium series. The schedule below will be updated as talks are confirmed. \nSpring 2022\n\n\n\n\nDate\nSpeaker\nTitle/Abstract\n\n\n1/26/2022\nSamir Mathur (Ohio State University)\nTitle: The black hole information paradox \nAbstract: In 1975\, Stephen Hawking showed that black holes radiate away in a manner that violates quantum theory. Starting in 1997\, it was observed that black holes in string theory did not have the form expected from general relativity: in place of “empty space will all the mass at the center\,” one finds a “fuzzball” where the mass is distributed throughout the interior of the horizon. This resolves the paradox\, but opposition to this resolution came from groups who sought to extrapolate some ideas in holography. In 2009 it was shown\, using some theorems from quantum information theory\, that these extrapolations were incorrect\, and the fuzzball structure was essential for resolving the puzzle. Opposition continued along different lines\, with a postulate that information would leak out through wormholes. Recently\, it was shown that this wormhole idea had some basic flaws\, leaving the fuzzball paradigm as the natural resolution of Hawking’s puzzle. \nVideo\n\n\n2/2/2022\nAdam Smith (Boston University)\nTitle: Learning and inference from sensitive data \nAbstract: Consider an agency holding a large database of sensitive personal information—say\,  medical records\, census survey answers\, web searches\, or genetic data. The agency would like to discover and publicly release global characteristics of the data while protecting the privacy of individuals’ records. \nI will discuss recent (and not-so-recent) results on this problem with a focus on the release of statistical models. I will first explain some of the fundamental limitations on the release of machine learning models—specifically\, why such models must sometimes memorize training data points nearly completely. On the more positive side\, I will present differential privacy\, a rigorous definition of privacy in statistical databases that is now widely studied\, and increasingly used to analyze and design deployed systems. I will explain some of the challenges of sound statistical inference based on differentially private statistics\, and lay out directions for future investigation.\n\n\n2/8/2022\nWenbin Yan (Tsinghua University)\n(special time: 9:30 pm ET)\nTitle: Tetrahedron instantons and M-theory indices \nAbstract: We introduce and study tetrahedron instantons. Physically they capture instantons on $\mathbb{C}^{3}$ in the presence of the most general intersecting codimension-two supersymmetric defects. In this talk\, we will review instanton moduli spaces\, explain the construction\, moduli space and partition functions of tetrahedron instantons. We will also point out possible relations with M-theory index which could be a generalization of Gupakuma-Vafa theory. \nVideo\n\n\n2/16/2022\nTakuro Mochizuki (Kyoto University)\nTitle: Kobayashi-Hitchin correspondences for harmonic bundles and monopoles \nAbstract: In 1960’s\, Narasimhan and Seshadri discovered the equivalence\nbetween irreducible unitary flat bundles and stable bundles of degree $0$ on compact Riemann surfaces. In 1980’s\, Donaldson\, Uhlenbeck and Yau generalized it to the equivalence between irreducible Hermitian-Einstein bundles\nand stable bundles on smooth projective varieties. This is a surprising bridge connecting differential geometry and algebraic geometry. Since then\, many interesting generalizations have been studied. \nIn this talk\, we would like to review a stream in the study of such correspondences for Higgs bundles\, integrable connections\, $D$-modules and periodic monopoles.\n\n\n2/23/2022\nBartek Czech (Tsinghua University)\nTitle: Holographic Cone of Average Entropies and Universality of Black Holes \nAbstract:  In the AdS/CFT correspondence\, the holographic entropy cone\, which identifies von Neumann entropies of CFT regions that are consistent with a semiclassical bulk dual\, is currently known only up to n=5 regions. I explain that average\nentropies of p-partite subsystems can be checked for consistency with a semiclassical bulk dual far more easily\, for an arbitrary number of regions n. This analysis defines the “Holographic Cone of Average\nEntropies” (HCAE). I conjecture the exact form of HCAE\, and find that it has the following properties: (1) HCAE is the simplest it could be\, namely it is a simplicial cone. (2) Its extremal rays represent stages of thermalization (black hole formation). (3) In a time-reversed picture\, the extremal rays of HCAE represent stages of unitary black hole evaporation\, as stipulated by the island solution of the black hole information paradox. (4) HCAE is bound by a novel\, infinite family of holographic entropy inequalities. (5) HCAE is the simplest it could be also in its dependence on the number of regions n\, namely its bounding inequalities are n-independent. (6) In a precise sense I describe\, the bounding inequalities of HCAE unify (almost) all previously discovered holographic inequalities and strongly constrain future inequalities yet to be discovered. I also sketch an interpretation of HCAE in terms of error correction and the holographic Renormalization Group. The big lesson that HCAE seems to be teaching us is about the universality of black hole physics.\n\n\n3/2/2022\nRichard Kenyon (Yale University)\n\n\n\n3/9/2022\nRichard Tsai (UT Austin)\n\n\n\n3/23/2022\nJoel Cohen (University of Maryland)\n\n\n\n3/30/2022\nRob Leigh (UIUC)\n\n\n\n4/6/2022\nJohannes Kleiner (LMU München)\n\n\n\n4/13/2022\nYuri Manin (Max-Planck-Institut für Mathematik)\n\n\n\n4/20/2022\nTBA\n\n\n\n4/27/2022\nTBA\n\n\n\n5/4/2022\nMelody Chan (Brown University)\n\n\n\n5/11/2022\nTBA\n\n\n\n5/18/2022\nTBA\n\n\n\n5/25/2022\nHeeyeon Kim (Rutgers University)\n\n\n\n\n\nFall 2021\n\n\n\n\nDate\nSpeaker\nTitle/Abstract\n\n\n9/15/2021\nTian Yang\, Texas A&M\nTitle: Hyperbolic Geometry and Quantum Invariants \nAbstract: There are two very different approaches to 3-dimensional topology\, the hyperbolic geometry following the work of Thurston and the quantum invariants following the work of Jones and Witten. These two approaches are related by a sequence of problems called the Volume Conjectures. In this talk\, I will explain these conjectures and present some recent joint works with Ka Ho Wong related to or benefited from this relationship.\n\n\n9/29/2021\nDavid Jordan\, University of Edinburgh\nTitle: Langlands duality for 3 manifolds \nAbstract: Langlands duality began as a deep and still mysterious conjecture in number theory\, before branching into a similarly deep and mysterious conjecture of Beilinson and Drinfeld concerning the algebraic geometry of Riemann surfaces. In this guise it was given a physical explanation in the framework of 4-dimensional super symmetric quantum field theory by Kapustin and Witten.  However to this day the Hilbert space attached to 3-manifolds\, and hence the precise form of Langlands duality for them\, remains a mystery. \nIn this talk I will propose that so-called “skein modules” of 3-manifolds give natural candidates for these Hilbert spaces at generic twisting parameter Psi \, and I will explain a Langlands duality in this setting\, which we have conjectured with Ben-Zvi\, Gunningham and Safronov. \nIntriguingly\, the precise formulation of such a conjecture in the classical limit Psi=0 is still an open question\, beyond the scope of the talk.\n\n\n10/06/2021\nPiotr Sulkowski\, U Warsaw\nTitle: Strings\, knots and quivers \nAbstract: I will discuss a recently discovered relation between quivers and knots\, as well as – more generally – toric Calabi-Yau manifolds. In the context of knots this relation is referred to as the knots-quivers correspondence\, and it states that various invariants of a given knot are captured by characteristics of a certain quiver\, which can be associated to this knot. Among others\, this correspondence enables to prove integrality of LMOV invariants of a knot by relating them to motivic Donaldson-Thomas invariants of the corresponding quiver\, it provides a new insight on knot categorification\, etc. This correspondence arises from string theory interpretation and engineering of knots in brane systems in the conifold geometry; replacing the conifold by other toric Calabi-Yau manifolds leads to analogous relations between such manifolds and quivers.\n\n\n10/13/2021\nAlexei Oblomkov\, University of Massachusetts\nTitle: Knot homology and sheaves on the Hilbert scheme of points on the plane. \nAbstract: The knot homology (defined by Khovavov\, Rozansky) provide us with a refinement of the knot polynomial knot invariant defined by Jones. However\, the knot homology are much harder to compute compared to the polynomial invariant of Jones. In my talk I present recent developments that allow us to use tools of algebraic geometry to compute the homology of torus knots and prove long-standing conjecture on the Poincare duality the knot homology. In more details\, using physics ideas of Kapustin-Rozansky-Saulina\, in the joint work with Rozansky\, we provide a mathematical construction that associates to a braid on n strands a complex of sheaves on the Hilbert scheme of n points on the plane.  The knot homology of the closure of the braid is a space of sections of this sheaf. The sheaf is also invariant with respect to the natural symmetry of the plane\, the symmetry is the geometric counter-part of the mentioned Poincare duality.\n\n\n10/20/2021\nPeng Shan\, Tsinghua U\nTitle: Categorification and applications \nAbstract: I will give a survey of the program of categorification for quantum groups\, some of its recent development and applications to representation theory.\n\n\n10/27/2021\nKarim Adiprasito\, Hebrew University and University of Copenhagen\nTitle: Anisotropy\, biased pairing theory and applications \nAbstract: Not so long ago\, the relations between algebraic geometry and combinatorics were strictly governed by the former party\, with results like log-concavity of the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial of matroids shackled by intuitions and techniques from projective algebraic geometry\, specifically Hodge Theory. And so\, while we proved analogues for these results\, combinatorics felt subjugated to inspirations from outside of it.\nIn recent years\, a new powerful technique has emerged: Instead of following the geometric statements of Hodge theory about signature\, we use intuitions from the Hall marriage theorem\, translated to algebra: once there\, they are statements about self-pairings\, the non-degeneracy of pairings on subspaces to understand the global geometry of the pairing. This was used to establish Lefschetz type theorems far beyond the scope of algebraic geometry\, which in turn established solutions to long-standing conjectures in combinatorics. \nI will survey this theory\, called biased pairing theory\, and new developments within it\, as well as new applications to combinatorial problems. Reporting on joint work with Stavros Papadaki\, Vasiliki Petrotou and Johanna Steinmeyer.\n\n\n11/03/2021\nTamas Hausel\, IST Austria\nTitle: Hitchin map as spectrum of equivariant cohomology \nAbstract: We will explain how to model the Hitchin integrable system on a certain Lagrangian upward flow as the spectrum of equivariant cohomology of a Grassmannian.\n\n\n11/10/2021\nPeter Keevash\, Oxford\nTitle: Hypergraph decompositions and their applications \nAbstract: Many combinatorial objects can be thought of as a hypergraph decomposition\, i.e. a partition of (the edge set of) one hypergraph into (the edge sets of) copies of some other hypergraphs. For example\, a Steiner Triple System is equivalent to a decomposition of a complete graph into triangles. In general\, Steiner Systems are equivalent to decompositions of complete uniform hypergraphs into other complete uniform hypergraphs (of some specified sizes). The Existence Conjecture for Combinatorial Designs\, which I proved in 2014\, states that\, bar finitely many exceptions\, such decompositions exist whenever the necessary ‘divisibility conditions’ hold. I also obtained a generalisation to the quasirandom setting\, which implies an approximate formula for the number of designs; in particular\, this resolved Wilson’s Conjecture on the number of Steiner Triple Systems. A more general result that I proved in 2018 on decomposing lattice-valued vectors indexed by labelled complexes provides many further existence and counting results for a wide range of combinatorial objects\, such as resolvable designs (the generalised form of Kirkman’s Schoolgirl Problem)\, whist tournaments or generalised Sudoku squares. In this talk\, I plan to review this background and then describe some more recent and ongoing applications of these results and developments of the ideas behind them.\n\n\n11/17/2021\nAndrea Brini\, U Sheffield\nTitle: Curve counting on surfaces and topological strings \nAbstract: Enumerative geometry is a venerable subfield of Mathematics\, with roots dating back to Greek Antiquity and a present inextricably linked with developments in other domains. Since the early 90s\, in particular\, the interaction with String Theory has sent shockwaves through the subject\, giving both unexpected new perspectives and a remarkably powerful\, physics-motivated toolkit to tackle several traditionally hard questions in the field.\nI will survey some recent developments in this vein for the case of enumerative invariants associated to a pair (X\, D)\, with X a complex algebraic surface and D a singular anticanonical divisor in it. I will describe a surprising web of correspondences linking together several a priori distant classes of enumerative invariants associated to (X\, D)\, including the log Gromov-Witten invariants of the pair\, the Gromov-Witten invariants of an associated higher dimensional Calabi-Yau variety\, the open Gromov-Witten invariants of certain special Lagrangians in toric Calabi–Yau threefolds\, the Donaldson–Thomas theory of a class of symmetric quivers\, and certain open and closed Gopakumar-Vafa-type invariants. I will also discuss how these correspondences can be effectively used to provide a complete closed-form solution to the calculation of all these invariants.\n\n\n12/01/2021\nRichard Wentworth\, University of Maryland\nTitle: The Hitchin connection for parabolic G-bundles \nAbstract: For a simple and simply connected complex group G\, I will discuss some elements of the proof of the existence of a flat projective connection on the bundle of nonabelian theta functions on the moduli space of semistable parabolic G-bundles over families of smooth projective curves with marked points. Under the isomorphism with the bundle of conformal blocks\, this connection is equivalent to the one constructed by conformal field theory. This is joint work with Indranil Biswas and Swarnava Mukhopadhyay.\n\n\n12/08/2021\nMaria Chudnovsky\, Princeton\nTitle: Induced subgraphs and tree decompositions \nAbstract: Tree decompositions are a powerful tool in both structural\ngraph theory and graph algorithms. Many hard problems become tractable if the input graph is known to have a tree decomposition of bounded “width”. Exhibiting a particular kind of a tree decomposition is also a useful way to describe the structure of a graph. \nTree decompositions have traditionally been used in the context of forbidden graph minors; bringing them into the realm of forbidden induced subgraphs has until recently remained out of reach. Over the last couple of years we have made significant progress in this direction\, exploring both the classical notion of bounded tree-width\, and concepts of more structural flavor. This talk will survey some of these ideas and results.\n\n\n12/15/21\nConstantin Teleman (UC Berkeley)\nTitle: The Kapustin-Rozanski-Saulina “2-category” of a holomorphic integrable system \nAbstract: I will present a construction of the object in the title which\, applied to the classical Toda system\, controls the theory of categorical representations of compact Lie groups\, along with applications (some conjectural\, some rigorous) to gauged Gromov-Witten theory. Time permitting\, we will review applications to Coulomb branches and the categorified Weyl character formula.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsa-colloquium_2021-22/
LOCATION:CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210920T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210920T110000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240213T111241Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T105156Z
UID:10002482-1632132000-1632135600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Small Cosmological Constants in String Theory
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: We construct supersymmetric AdS4 vacua of type IIB string theory in compactifications on orientifolds of Calabi-Yau threefold hypersurfaces. We first find explicit orientifolds and quantized fluxes for which the superpotential takes the form proposed by Kachru\, Kallosh\, Linde\, and Trivedi. Given very mild assumptions on the numerical values of the Pfaffians\, these compactifications admit vacua in which all moduli are stabilized at weak string coupling. By computing high-degree Gopakumar-Vafa invariants we give strong evidence that the α 0 expansion is likewise well-controlled. We find extremely small cosmological constants\, with magnitude < 10^{-123} in Planck units. The compactifications are large\, but not exponentially so\, and hence these vacua manifest hierarchical scale-separation\, with the AdS length exceeding the Kaluza-Klein length by a factor of a googol.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-20-2021-swampland-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Swampland Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T093000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T050308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T060511Z
UID:10002536-1632216600-1632216600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Surfacehedra and the Binary Positive Geometry of Particle and “String” Amplitudes
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Nima Arkani-Hamed\, IAS \nTitle: Surfacehedra and the Binary Positive Geometry of Particle and “String” Amplitudes
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-21-2021-combinatorics-physics-and-probability-seminar/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Combinatorics Physics and Probability
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T140000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T054755Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T064114Z
UID:10002543-1632229200-1632232800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:What do bounding chains look like\, and why are they related to linking numbers?
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Gromov-Witten invariants count pseudo-holomorphic curves on a symplectic manifold passing through some fixed points and submanifolds. Similarly\, open Gromov-Witten invariants are supposed to count disks with boundary on a Lagrangian\, but in most cases such counts are not independent of some choices as we would wish. Motivated by Fukaya’11\, J. Solomon and S. Tukachinsky constructed open Gromov-Witten invariants in their 2016 papers from an algebraic perspective of $A_{\infty}$-algebras of differential forms\, utilizing the idea of bounding chains in Fukaya-Oh-Ohta-Ono’06. On the other hand\, Welschinger defined open invariants on sixfolds in 2012 that count multi-disks weighted by the linking numbers between their boundaries. We present a geometric translation of Solomon-Tukachinsky’s construction. From this geometric perspective\, their invariants readily reduce to Welschinger’s.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/what-do-bounding-chains-look-like-and-why-are-they-related-to-linking-numbers/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Algebraic Geometry in String Theory Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210922T113300
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210922T133300
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T091602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T094449Z
UID:10002615-1632310380-1632317580@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Symmetry types in QFT and the CRT theorem
DESCRIPTION:Title: Symmetry types in QFT and the CRT theorem \nAbstract: I will discuss ideas around symmetry and Wick rotation contained in joint work with Mike Hopkins (https://arxiv.org/abs/1604.06527). This includes general symmetry types for relativistic field theories and their Wick rotation.  I will then indicate how the basic CRT theorem works for general symmetry types\, focusing on the case of the pin groups.  In particular\, I expand on a subtlety first flagged by Greaves-Thomas.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-22-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210923T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210923T100000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240212T111100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240222T072551Z
UID:10002042-1632387600-1632391200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The number of n-queens configurations
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Michael Simkin\, Harvard CMSA \nTitle: The number of n-queens configurations \nAbstract: The n-queens problem is to determine Q(n)\, the number of ways to place n mutually non-threatening queens on an n x n board. The problem has a storied history and was studied by such eminent mathematicians as Gauss and Polya. The problem has also found applications in fields such as algorithm design and circuit development. \nDespite much study\, until recently very little was known regarding the asymptotics of Q(n). We apply modern methods from probabilistic combinatorics to reduce understanding Q(n) to the study of a particular infinite-dimensional convex optimization problem. The chief implication is that (in an appropriate sense) for a~1.94\, Q(n) is approximately (ne^(-a))^n. Furthermore\, our methods allow us to study the typical “shape” of n-queens configurations.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/interdisciplinary-science-seminar/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Interdisciplinary Science Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210923T114700
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210923T134700
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T091227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T093540Z
UID:10002612-1632397620-1632404820@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Applications of instantons\, sphalerons and instanton-dyons in QCD
DESCRIPTION:Title: Applications of instantons\, sphalerons and instanton-dyons in QCD \nAbstract: I start with a general map of gauge topology\, including monopoles\, instantons and instanton-dyons. Then comes reminder of the “topological landscape”\, the minimal energy gauge field configurations\, as a function of Chern-Simons number Ncs and r.m.s. size. It includes “valleys” at integer Ncs separated by mountain ridges. The meaning of instantons\, instanton-antiinstanton “streamlines” or thimbles\, and sphalerons are reminded\, together with some proposal to produce sphalerons at LHC and RHIC. \nApplications of instanton ensembles\, as a model of QCD vacuum\, are mostly related to their fermionic zero modes  and t’Hooft effective Lagrangian\, which explains explicit and spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetries. Recent applications are related with hadronic wave functions\, at rest and in the light front (LFWFs). Two application would be spin-dependent forces and the so called “flavor asymmetry of antiquark sea” of the nucleons. At temperatures comparable to deconfinement transition\, instantons get split into constituents called instanton-dyons. Studies of their ensemble explains both deconfinement and chiral transitions\, in ordinary and deformed QCD.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-23-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210923T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210923T143000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240213T112248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T084241Z
UID:10002493-1632402000-1632407400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The many phases of a cell
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: I will begin by introducing an emerging paradigm of cellular organization – the dynamic compartmentalization of biochemical pathways and molecules by phase separation into distinct and multi-phase condensates. Motivated by this\, I will discuss two largely orthogonal problems\, united by the theme of phase separation in multi-component and chemically active fluid mixtures. \n1. I will propose a theoretical model based on Random-Matrix Theory\, validated by phase-field simulations\, to characterizes the rich emergent dynamics\, compositions\, and steady-state properties that underlie multi-phase coexistence in fluid mixtures with many randomly interacting components. \n2. Motivated by puzzles in gene-regulation and nuclear organization\, I will propose a role for how liquid-like nuclear condensates can be organized and regulated by the active process of RNA synthesis (transcription) and RNA-protein coacervation. Here\, I will describe theory and simulations based on a Landau formalism and recent experimental results from collaborators.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/the-many-phases-of-a-cell/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Active Matter Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210923T184000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210923T204000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T083814Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T104847Z
UID:10002591-1632422400-1632429600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:9/23/2021 Interdisciplinary Science Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Title: The number of n-queens configurations \nAbstract: The n-queens problem is to determine Q(n)\, the number of ways to place n mutually non-threatening queens on an n x n board. The problem has a storied history and was studied by such eminent mathematicians as Gauss and Polya. The problem has also found applications in fields such as algorithm design and circuit development. \nDespite much study\, until recently very little was known regarding the asymptotics of Q(n). We apply modern methods from probabilistic combinatorics to reduce understanding Q(n) to the study of a particular infinite-dimensional convex optimization problem. The chief implication is that (in an appropriate sense) for a~1.94\, Q(n) is approximately (ne^(-a))^n. Furthermore\, our methods allow us to study the typical “shape” of n-queens configurations.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-23-2021-interdisciplinary-science-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Interdisciplinary Science Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210924T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210924T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240213T113915Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T100711Z
UID:10002510-1632475800-1632479400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:9/24/2021 General Relativity Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Title: On the Observable Shape of Black Hole Photon Rings \nAbstract: The photon ring is a narrow ring-shaped feature\, predicted by General Relativity but not yet observed\, that appears on images of sources near a black hole. It is caused by extreme bending of light within a few Schwarzschild radii of the event horizon and provides a direct probe of the unstable bound photon orbits of the Kerr geometry. I will argue that the precise shape of the observable photon ring is remarkably insensitive to the astronomical source profile and can therefore be used as a stringent test of strong-field General Relativity. In practice\, near-term interferometric observations may be limited to the visibility amplitude alone\, which contains incomplete shape information: for convex curves\, the amplitude only encodes the set of projected diameters (or “widths”) of the shape. I will describe the freedom in reconstructing a convex curve from its widths\, giving insight into the photon ring shape information probed by technically plausible future astronomical measurements.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-24-2021-general-relativity-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:General Relativity Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210924T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210924T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T075925Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T112341Z
UID:10002575-1632475800-1632479400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Stability and convergence issues in mathematical cosmology
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Puskar Mondal \nTitle: Stability and convergence issues in mathematical cosmology \nAbstract: The standard model of cosmology is built on the fact that while viewed on a sufficiently coarse-grained scale the portion of our universe that is accessible to observation appears to be spatially homogeneous and isotropic. Therefore this observed `homogeneity and isotropy’ of our universe is not known to be dynamically derived. In this talk\, I will present an interesting dynamical mechanism within the framework of the Einstein flow (including physically reasonable matter sources) which suggests that many closed manifolds that do not support homogeneous and isotropic metrics at all will nevertheless evolve to be asymptotically compatible with the observed approximate homogeneity and isotropy of the physical universe. This asymptotic spacetime is naturally isometric to the standard FLRW models of cosmology. In order to conclude to what extent the asymptotic state is physically realized\, one needs to study its stability properties. Therefore\, I will briefly discuss the stability issue and its consequences (e.g.\, structure formation\, etc).
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-24-2021-member-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210927T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210927T140000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T093736Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T083146Z
UID:10002640-1632747600-1632751200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Convexity of Charged Operators in CFTs and the Weak Gravity Conjecture
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: In this talk I will introduce a particular formulation of the Weak Gravity Conjecture in AdS space in terms of the self-binding energy of a particle. The holographic CFT dual of this formulation corresponds to a certain convex-like structure for operators charged under continuous global symmetries. Motivated by this\, we propose a conjecture that this convexity is a general property of all CFTs\, not just those with weakly-curved gravitational duals. It is possible to test this in simple CFTs\, the conjecture passes all the tests performed so far.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-27-2021-swampland-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Swampland Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210928T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210928T130000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T045955Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T060348Z
UID:10002535-1632834000-1632834000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:9/28/2021 Combinatorics\, Physics and Probability Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Title: The hypersimplex and the m=2 amplituhedron \nAbstract: I’ll discuss a curious correspondence between the m=2 amplituhedron\, a 2k-dimensional subset of Gr(k\, k+2)\, and the hypersimplex\, an (n-1)-dimensional polytope in R^n. The amplituhedron and hypersimplex are both images of the totally nonnegative Grassmannian under some map (the amplituhedron map and the moment map\, respectively)\, but are different dimensions and live in very different ambient spaces. I’ll talk about joint work with Matteo Parisi and Lauren Williams in which we give a bijection between decompositions of the amplituhedron and decompositions of the hypersimplex (originally conjectured by Lukowski–Parisi–Williams). Along the way\, we prove the sign-flip description of the m=2 amplituhedron conjectured by Arkani-Hamed–Thomas–Trnka and give a new decomposition of the m=2 amplituhedron into Eulerian-number-many chambers (inspired by an analogous hypersimplex decomposition).
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-28-2021-combinatorics-physics-and-probability-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Combinatorics Physics and Probability
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210928T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210928T140000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T054256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T064006Z
UID:10002542-1632834000-1632837600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The Mirror Clemens-Schmid Sequence
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: I will present a four-term exact sequence relating the cohomology of a fibration to the cohomology of an open set obtained by removing the preimage of a general linear section of the base. This exact sequence respects three filtrations\, the Hodge\, weight\, and perverse Leray filtrations\, so that it is an exact sequence of mixed Hodge structures on the graded pieces of the perverse Leray filtration. I claim that this sequence should be thought of as a mirror to the Clemens-Schmid sequence describing the structure of a degeneration and formulate a “mirror P=W” conjecture relating the filtrations on each side. Finally\, I will present evidence for this conjecture coming from the K3 surface setting. This is joint work with Charles F. Doran.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/the-mirror-clemens-schmid-sequence/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Algebraic Geometry in String Theory Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210929T114800
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210929T134800
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T090955Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T093415Z
UID:10002610-1632916080-1632923280@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Oscillations in the thermal conductivity of a spin liquid*
DESCRIPTION:Title: Oscillations in the thermal conductivity of a spin liquid* \nAbstract: The layered honeycomb magnet alpha-RuCl3 orders below 7 K in a zigzag phase in zero field. An in-plane magnetic field H||a suppresses the zigzag order at 7 Tesla\, leaving a spin-disordered phase widely believed to be a quantum spin liquid (QSL) that extends to ~12 T. We have observed oscillations in the longitudinal thermal conductivity Kxx vs. H from 0.4 to 4 K. The oscillations are periodic in 1/H (with a break-in-slope at 7 T). The amplitude function is maximal in the QSL phase (7 –11.5 T). I will describe a benchmark for crystalline disorder\, the reproducibility and intrinsic nature of the oscillations\, and discuss implications for the QSL state. I will also show detailed data on the thermal Hall conductivity Kxy measured from 0.4 K to 10 K and comment on recent half-quantization results. \n*Czajka et al.\, Nature Physics 17\, 915 (2021). \nCollaborators: Czajka\, Gao\, Hirschberger\, Lampen Kelley\, Banerjee\, Yan\, Mandrus and Nagler.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-29-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210929T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210929T160000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T092650Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240517T200354Z
UID:10002626-1632927600-1632931200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Constructions in combinatorics via neural networks
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Adam Wagner\, Tel Aviv University \nTitle: Constructions in combinatorics via neural networks \nAbstract: Recently\, significant progress has been made in the area of machine learning algorithms\, and they have quickly become some of the most exciting tools in a scientist’s toolbox. In particular\, recent advances in the field of reinforcement learning have led computers to reach superhuman level play in Atari games and Go\, purely through self-play. In this talk I will give a very basic introduction to neural networks and reinforcement learning algorithms. I will also indicate how these methods can be adapted to the ““game” of trying to find a counterexample to a mathematical conjecture\, and show some examples where this approach was successful.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-29-2021-new-technologies-in-mathematics-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210929T171500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210929T181500
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T055645Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T065421Z
UID:10002546-1632935700-1632939300@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Langlands duality for 3 manifolds
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: David Jordan (U Edinburgh) \nTitle: Langlands duality for 3 manifolds \nAbstract: Langlands duality began as a deep and still mysterious conjecture in number theory\, before branching into a similarly deep and mysterious conjecture of Beilinson and Drinfeld concerning the algebraic geometry of Riemann surfaces. In this guise it was given a physical explanation in the framework of 4-dimensional super symmetric quantum field theory by Kapustin and Witten.  However to this day the Hilbert space attached to 3-manifolds\, and hence the precise form of Langlands duality for them\, remains a mystery. \nIn this talk I will propose that so-called “skein modules” of 3-manifolds give natural candidates for these Hilbert spaces at generic twisting parameter Psi \, and I will explain a Langlands duality in this setting\, which we have conjectured with Ben-Zvi\, Gunningham and Safronov. \nIntriguingly\, the precise formulation of such a conjecture in the classical limit Psi=0 is still an open question\, beyond the scope of the talk.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/langlands-duality-for-3-manifolds/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Colloquium-09.29.21.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210930T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210930T143000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20230824T171544Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T084438Z
UID:10001305-1633006800-1633012200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Cytoskeletal Energetics and Energy Metabolism
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Life is a nonequilibrium phenomenon. Metabolism provides a continuous flux of energy that dictates the form and function of many subcellular structures. These subcellular structures are active materials\, composed of molecules which use chemical energy to perform mechanical work and locally violate detailed balance. One of the most dramatic examples of such a self-organizing structure is the spindle\, the cytoskeletal based assembly which segregates chromosomes during cell division. Despite its central role\, very little is known about the nonequilibrium thermodynamics of active subcellular matter\, such as the spindle. In this talk\, I will describe ongoing work from my lab aimed at understanding the flows of energy which drive the nonequilibrium behaviors of the cytoskeleton in vitro and in vivo.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cytoskeletal-energetics-and-energy-metabolism/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Active Matter Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211001T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211001T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T074545Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T111944Z
UID:10002569-1633080600-1633084200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Instability of naked singularities in general relativity
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Jue Liu \nTitle: Instability of naked singularities in general relativity \nAbstract: One of the fundamental problems in mathematical relativity is the weak cosmic censorship conjecture\, proposed by Penrose\, which roughly states that for generic physical spacetime\, the singularities (if existed) must be hidden behind the black holes. Unfortunately\, the singularities visible to faraway observers\, which are called by naked singularities\, indeed exist. The first example constructed by Christodoulou in 1994 is a family of self-similar spherically symmetric spacetime\, in which the naked singularity forms due to a self-gravitating scalar field. Therefore the suitable censorship conjecture should be reduced to prove the instability of the naked singularities. In 1999 Christodoulou succeeded to prove the weak cosmic censorship conjecture in spherically symmetric cases\, and recently the co-author and I found that the corresponding results have a big probability to be extended to spacetime without symmetries. In this talk I will discuss how to prove the instability of naked singularities using the energy method\, and it is this wild method that helps us to extend some results to the asymmetric cases.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/10-1-2021-member-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211001T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211001T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240304T101543Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T101543Z
UID:10002898-1633080600-1633084200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Static vacuum extensions of Bartnik boundary data near flat domains
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: The study of static vacuum Riemannian metrics arises naturally in differential geometry and general relativity. It plays an important role in scalar curvature deformation\, as well as in constructing Einstein spacetimes.  Existence of static vacuum Riemannian metrics with prescribed Bartnik data is one of the most fundamental problems in Riemannian geometry related to general relativity. It is also a very interesting problem on the global solvability of a natural geometric boundary value problem. In this talk I will first discuss some basic properties of the nonlinear and linearized static vacuum equations and the geometric boundary conditions. Then I will present some recent progress towards the existence problem of static vacuum metrics based on a joint work with Lan-Hsuan Huang.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/10-1-2021-general-relativity-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:General Relativity Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211004T025100
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211005T025100
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20230705T081940Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250328T200226Z
UID:10000071-1633315860-1633402260@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott
DESCRIPTION:On October 4th and October 5th\, 2021\, Harvard CMSA will host its annual Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott. This year’s speaker will be Michael Freedman (Microsoft). The lectures will take place from 11:00am – 12:15pm (ET) on Zoom. \nThis will be the third annual lecture series held in honor of Raoul Bott. \n\n\n\n\nLecture 1\nOctober 4th\, 11:00am (Boston time)\nTitle: The Universe from a single Particle \nAbstract: 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. \nVideo\n\n\nLecture 2\nOctober 5th\, 11:00am (Boston time)\nTitle: Controlled Mather Thurston Theorems. \nAbstract: 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   \nVideo\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/math-science-lectures-in-honor-of-raoul-bott/
LOCATION:CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event,Public Lecture,Special Lectures
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211004T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211004T123000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240212T110410Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250409T192600Z
UID:10002032-1633345200-1633350600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott: Michael Freedman
DESCRIPTION: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. \nThis will be the third annual lecture series held in honor of Raoul Bott. \n\n\n\n\nLecture 1\nOctober 4th\, 11:00am (Boston time)\nTitle: The Universe from a single Particle \nAbstract: 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. \nVideo\n\n\nLecture 2\nOctober 5th\, 11:00am (Boston time)\nTitle: Controlled Mather Thurston Theorems. \nAbstract: 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   \nVideo\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/math-science-lectures-in-honor-of-raoul-bott-3/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Event,Math Science Lectures in Honor of Raoul Bott,Special Lectures
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211005T083000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211005T093000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240213T111744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T104852Z
UID:10002487-1633422600-1633426200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Angular momentum in general relativity
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: The definition of angular momentum in general relativity has been a subtle issue since the 1960′\, due to the discovery of “supertranslation ambiguity”: the angular momentums recorded by two distant observers of the same system may not be the same. In this talk\, I shall show how the mathematical theory of optimal isometric embedding and quasilocal angular momentum identifies a correction term\, and leads to a new definition of angular momentum that is free of any supertranslation ambiguity. This is based on joint work with Po-Ning Chen\, Jordan Keller\, Ye-Kai Wang\, and Shing-Tung Yau.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/10-5-2021-joint-harvard-cuhk-ymsc-differential-geometry-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Joint Harvard-CUHK-YMSC Differential Geometry
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211005T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211005T100000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240213T113617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T085033Z
UID:10002508-1633424400-1633428000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:10/5/2021 Combinatorics\, Physics and Probability Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Title: Geodesic Geometry on Graphs \nAbstract: In a graph G = (V\, E) we consider a system of paths S so that for every two vertices u\,v in V there is a unique uv path in S connecting them. The path system is said to be consistent if it is closed under taking subpaths\, i.e. if P is a path in S then any subpath of P is also in S. Every positive weight function w: E–>R^+ gives rise to a consistent path system in G by taking the paths in S to be geodesics w.r.t. w. In this case\, we say w induces S. We say a graph G is metrizable if every consistent path system in G is induced by some such w. \nWe’ll discuss the concept of graph metrizability\, and\, in particular\, we’ll see that while metrizability is a rare property\, there exists infinitely many 2-connected metrizable graphs. \nJoint work with Nati Linial.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/10-5-2021-combinatorics-physics-and-probability-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Combinatorics Physics and Probability
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211006T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211006T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T044013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240501T205719Z
UID:10002532-1633512600-1633516200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Strings\, knots and quivers
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Piotr Sułkowski (University of Warsaw) \nTitle: Strings\, knots and quivers \nAbstract: I will discuss a recently discovered relation between quivers and knots\, as well as – more generally – toric Calabi-Yau manifolds. In the context of knots this relation is referred to as the knots-quivers correspondence\, and it states that various invariants of a given knot are captured by characteristics of a certain quiver\, which can be associated to this knot. Among others\, this correspondence enables to prove integrality of LMOV invariants of a knot by relating them to motivic Donaldson-Thomas invariants of the corresponding quiver\, it provides a new insight on knot categorification\, etc. This correspondence arises from string theory interpretation and engineering of knots in brane systems in the conifold geometry; replacing the conifold by other toric Calabi-Yau manifolds leads to analogous relations between such manifolds and quivers.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/strings-knots-and-quivers/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211006T114900
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211006T134900
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T090718Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T093241Z
UID:10002606-1633520940-1633528140@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Line defects in CFTs: Renormalization group flows and semiclassical limits
DESCRIPTION:Title: Line defects in CFTs: Renormalization group flows and semiclassical limits \nAbstract: I will discuss line defects in d-dimensional Conformal Field Theories (CFTs). In the first part of the talk\, I will argue that the ambient CFT places nontrivial constraints on Renormalization Group (RG) flows on such line defects. I will show that the flow on line defects is consequently irreversible and furthermore a canonical decreasing entropy function exists. This construction generalizes the g theorem to line defects in arbitrary dimensions.  In the second part of the talk\, I will present some applications. In particular\, I will discuss impurities with large isospin S for some O(3) symmetric theories in the epsilon expansion.  For sufficiently large S diagrammatic perturbation theory breaks down\, and these are studied in a semiclassical expansion at fixed epsilon S.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/10-6-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211006T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211006T160000
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T092921Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240517T200621Z
UID:10002630-1633532400-1633536000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:New results in Supergravity via ML Technology
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Thomas Fischbacher\, Google \nTitle: New results in Supergravity via ML Technology \nAbstract: The infrastructure built to power the Machine Learning revolution has many other uses beyond Deep Learning. Starting from a general architecture-level overview over the lower levels of Google’s TensorFlow machine learning library\, we review how this has recently helped us to find all the stable vacua of SO(8) Supergravity in 3+1 dimensions\, has allowed major progress on other related questions about M theory\, and briefly discuss other applications in field theory and beyond.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/10-6-2021-new-technologies-in-mathematics-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211007T115400
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211007T135400
DTSTAMP:20260506T234747
CREATED:20240214T090253Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T092837Z
UID:10002604-1633607640-1633614840@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:A tour of categorical symmetry
DESCRIPTION:Title: A tour of categorical symmetry \nAbstract: I will discuss some perspectives on symmetry coming from the study of topological defects in quantum field theory. I will argue that we should take topological defects themselves to define the symmetries of QFT. This gives us a view of the “category of QFTs”. I will describe some examples of these “categorical symmetries”\, their applications\, and some open problems.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/10-7-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR