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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T103000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250123T204528Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250127T204354Z
UID:10003667-1739179800-1739183400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Joint BHI/CMSA Foundation Seminar: Quantum Effects Inside Black Holes
DESCRIPTION:Joint BHI/CMSA Foundation Seminar \nLocation: BHI seminar room \nSpeaker: Noa Zilberman (Princeton University) \nTitle: Quantum Effects Inside Black Holes \nAbstract: Astrophysical black holes are known to be rotating. Within classical General Relativity\, the simplest spacetime solution (the Kerr solution) describing a rotating black hole reveals a traversable passage through an inner horizon – which in turn may lead to another external universe. But does this remain the case when taking quantum effects into account? \nAnswering this question\, along others\, requires one to understand the manner in which quantum energy fluxes affect the internal geometry of a black hole. It has been widely anticipated\, yet inconclusive (till this work)\, that such effects would diverge at the inner horizon of a spinning black hole. This divergence\, if indeed takes place\, may drastically affect the internal black hole geometry\, potentially preventing the inner horizon traversability. Clarifying this issue requires the computation of the quantum energy fluxes in black hole interiors. However\, this has been a serious challenge for decades. \nUsing a combination of old and new methods\, we have managed to compute the quantum energy fluxes at the inner horizon of a spinning black hole\, in a vacuum state corresponding to an evaporating black hole. We found that these fluxes are either positive or negative\, depending on the black hole spin (and polar angle). The sign of these fluxes may be crucial to the nature of their backreaction on the geometry (as should be dictated by the semiclassical Einstein equation). \nIn this seminar\, we shall briefly describe the basic framework of semiclassical general relativity and the renormalization procedure\, and then present our novel results for the quantum fluxes at the inner horizon of a rotating black hole\, briefly mentioning possible implications for the inner horizon traversability. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/foundation_21025-2/
LOCATION:Black Hole Initiative\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge MA\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Foundation Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-BHI-Joint-Foundations-Seminar-2.10.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T120000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T192122Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250203T191001Z
UID:10003687-1739185200-1739188800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:On 5d conformal matter
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Mario De Marco (UL Brussels) \nTitle: On 5d conformal matter \nAbstract: SCFTs with 8 supercharges lie at the sweet spot of the classification program of susy scale-invariant theories: with this amount of susy\, the classification is in principle achievable\, despite being non-trivial. In this talk\, I will present the geometric approach to the classification of 5d SCFTs\, based on geometric engineering on non-compact Calabi-Yau manifolds. The strategy is to imagine a 5d SCFT as a non-Lagrangian generalization of a quiver\, and to build this generalised quiver by gauging together indecomposable blocks\, called  “5d conformal matter theories”. In this talk\, I will start with a recap of the geometric construction of [2311.04984]. I will then present some forthcoming results\, concerning the (p\,q) web realization of 5d conformal matter theories\, their reduction to 4d\, their magnetic quiver\, and the discovery of exotic “trifundamental” and “quadrifundamental” 5d indecomposable blocks (with flavor group at least SO(4k+2)^3 or SO(4k)^4). \nIn collaboration with M. Del Zotto\, M. Graffeo\, J. Grimminger\, and A. Sangiovanni. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_21025/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-2.10.25-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T173000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20240903T195201Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250130T165640Z
UID:10003438-1739205000-1739208600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:AI in math and theoretical physics: Status and prospects
DESCRIPTION:Colloquium \nSpeaker: Michael Douglas\, Harvard CMSA \nTitle: AI in math and theoretical physics: status and prospects \nAbstract: AI is making great progress and has the potential to change how we work in unprecedented ways. In this talk I will survey a few recent works which illustrate the state of the art\, some from my own research\, some developed at the CMSA’s recent program on Mathematics and Machine Learning. I will then report on current developments in AI and speculate on how they will affect our work in the next few years. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/colloquium-21025/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Colloquium-2.10.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250211T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250211T120000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T211214Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T141458Z
UID:10003698-1739271600-1739275200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:On the past maximal development of near-FLRW data for the  Einstein scalar-field Vlasov system
DESCRIPTION:General Relativity Seminar \nSpeaker: Liam Urban (University of Vienna) \n\nTitle: On the past maximal development of near-FLRW data for the Einstein scalar-field Vlasov system \nAbstract: In recent years\, the formation of Big Bang singularities has been increasingly well understood in presence of scalar-field matter\, which suppresses the geometric oscillations that one generically expects otherwise. From a cosmological perspective\, however\, one would like to understand whether this feature persists when coupled to further models that more closely resemble the matter content in our universe. \nIn this talk\, I will discuss the past nonlinear stability of FLRW solutions to the Einstein scalar-field Vlasov system in three and four spacetime dimensions without symmetry assumptions. The latter is based on joint work with David Fajman. In both works\, near-FLRW solutions are\nshown to be asymptotically velocity term dominated toward the past\,  resulting in a quiescent Big Bang singularity with stable Kretschmann scalar blow-up. The Vlasov distribution\, however\, becomes highly anisotropic towards the Big Bang singularity\, concentrating in preferred momentum directions associated with eigendirections of the shear. To ensure that the scalar field sufficiently mitigates this behaviour\, one crucially exploits a scaling hierarchy between horizontal and vertical derivatives in the expansion normalized Vlasov equation. In four\nspacetime dimensions\, this analysis is paired with a Bel-Robinson energy formalism to control the spacetime and scalar field evolution\, while one finds a significantly more direct proof in three dimensions since the spatial Riemann curvature is pure trace. \nAs a corollary\, one also obtains that the Strong Cosmic Censorship conjecture holds for four-dimensional polarized $U(1)$-symmetric solutions to the Einstein vacuum equations with spatial topology $M\times\S^1$ and isotropic quotient.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/general-relativity-seminar-21125/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:General Relativity Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1738856087821-8bd46bd5-9d75-4777-80dd-59b2ca5dc8d52025_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250211T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250211T181500
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250124T152335Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250204T212412Z
UID:10003654-1739290500-1739297700@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Discussion of Integrating quantum groups over surfaces
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Ben Gammage\, Harvard University \nTitle: Discussion of Integrating quantum groups over surfaces \nhttps://arxiv.org/abs/1501.04652
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_21125/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-2.11.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T130000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20241104T145634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T154821Z
UID:10003534-1739361600-1739365200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Q&A Seminar: Javier Gomez-Serrano
DESCRIPTION:CMSA Q&A Seminar \nSpeaker: Javier Gomez-Serrano\, Brown University \nTopic: Please tell us about the Millennium prize problem for Navier-Stokes and segue from that into ML?
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsaqa_21225/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:CMSA Q&A Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Q-A-Seminar-2.12.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250212T150000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250123T194306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T212617Z
UID:10003661-1739368800-1739372400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Discovering Data Structures: Nearest Neighbor Search and Beyond
DESCRIPTION:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Omar Salemohamed\, Mila \nTitle: Discovering Data Structures: Nearest Neighbor Search and Beyond \nAbstract: As neural networks learn increasingly sophisticated tasks—from image recognition to mastering the game of Go—we ask: can deep learning discover data structures entirely from scratch? We introduce a general framework for data structure discovery\, which adapts to the underlying data distribution and provides fine-grained control over query and space complexity. For nearest neighbor (NN) search\, our model (re)discovers classic algorithms like binary search in one dimension and learns structures reminiscent of k-d trees and locality-sensitive hashing in higher dimensions. Additionally\, the model learns useful representations of high-dimensional data such as images and exploits them to design effective data structures. Beyond NN search\, we believe the framework could be a powerful tool for data structure discovery for other problems and adapt our framework to the problem of estimating frequencies over a data stream. To encourage future work in this direction\, we conclude with a discussion on some of the opportunities and remaining challenges of learning data structures end-to-end.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_21225/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-NTM-Seminar-2.12.2025.docx-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250213T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250213T110000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T171735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T182848Z
UID:10003677-1739440800-1739444400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The Structure of the Flux Landscape
DESCRIPTION:Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar \nSpeaker: Damian Van de Heisteeg\, Harvard CMSA \nTitle: The Structure of the Flux Landscape \nAbstract: Identifying flux vacua in string theory with stabilized complex structure moduli presents a significant challenge\, necessitating the minimization of a scalar potential complicated by infinitely many exponential corrections. In order to obtain exact results we connect three central topics: transcendentality or algebraicity of coupling functions\, emergent symmetries\, and the distribution of vacua. We demonstrate these ideas on an explicit example where we determine the landscape of exact flux vacua with a vanishing superpotential. We examine the implications of the tadpole bound\, which intriguingly confines flux vacua to real values of the moduli\, providing a potential avenue for addressing the strong CP problem. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/mathphys_21325/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Mathematical-Physics-and-Algebraic-Geometry-2.13.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250213T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250213T170000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20240708T151711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250328T150436Z
UID:10003396-1739462400-1739466000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:2025 Ding Shum Lecture: Irit Dinur\, IAS: Expanders from local to global
DESCRIPTION:  \n \nOn February 13\, 2025 the CMSA hosted the sixth annual Ding Shum Lecture\, given by Irit Dinur\, Institute for Advanced Study. \nLocation: Harvard Science Center  Hall A & via Zoom Webinar \nSpeaker: Irit Dinur\, Institute for Advanced Study \n\n\n\nTitle: Expanders from local to global \nAbstract: Imagine a network—like a social network\, a transportation system\, or even a biological system—where every part of the network is robustly connected to the rest. Expander graphs are the mathematical idealization of such networks. They are structures where any small group of points (nodes) has many connections to the rest of the graph\, ensuring that no part is isolated and information (or influence) spreads efficiently throughout.\nWe will begin by surveying expander graphs\, their discovery and construction\, and some fascinating applications such as error-correcting codes\, pseudorandomness\, and probabilistically checkable proofs (PCPs)\, highlighting their role as a foundation for many breakthroughs in theoretical computer science. Then\, we will shift focus to an exciting new kind of expanders called high dimensional expanders (HDXs). While expanders are well-understood and widely applied\, HDXs remain enigmatic\, with potential that we are only starting to uncover. We will talk about a fascinating local to global feature that HDXs have\, and some applications. \n\n \n\n\n\n\nThis event is made possible by the generous funding of Ding Lei and Harry Shum.\n\n\n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/2025_dingshum/
LOCATION:Harvard Science Center\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Ding Shum Lecture,Event,Public Lecture,Special Lectures
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/DIngShum_21325.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250214T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250214T130000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20241211T171913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T162218Z
UID:10003640-1739534400-1739538000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Jack polynomials and enumeration of non-orientable maps
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Houcine Ben Dali\, Harvard CMSA \nTitle: Jack polynomials and enumeration of non-orientable maps \nAbstract: A map is a graph embedded on a surface\, which may be orientable or not. The representation theory of the symmetric group can be used to write the generating series of maps on orientable surfaces using Schur symmetric functions. \nSeveral conjectures suggest that Jack polynomials—a one-parameter deformation of Schur functions—are related to the enumeration of non-orientable maps counted with a “non-orientability” weight. In this talk\, I will discuss some of these conjectures and present recent progress in this direction.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-21425/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Member-Seminar-2.14.25-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250218T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250218T120000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20240903T191953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250219T144101Z
UID:10003426-1739876400-1739880000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:General Relativity Seminar
DESCRIPTION:General Relativity Seminar \nSpeaker: Maximilian Ofner\, University of Vienna \nTitle: Stability and Instability of Relativistic Fluids in Slowly Expanding Spacetimes \nAbstract: Homogeneous and isotropic solutions to the relativistic Euler equations are known to be unstable on a Minkowski background. However\, for FLRW models with a fast expansion rate\, relativistic fluids stabilize. This scenario suggests a transition between stable and unstable behavior\, somewhere along a family of spacetimes parametrized by their expansion rate. In this talk we will discuss this phase transition for various equations of state\, focusing on the regime of linear and decelerated expansion. This is based on recent analytical results\, complemented by numerical analysis.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/general-relativity-seminar-21825/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:General Relativity Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-GR-Seminar-2.18.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250218T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250218T181500
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250124T152555Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T174514Z
UID:10003670-1739895300-1739902500@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Algebras of "symmetries" in QFT and applications to solitons (1)
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Dan Freed\, Harvard CMSA and Math \nTitle:  Algebras of “symmetries” in QFT and applications to solitons (1) \nhttps://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08883
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_21825/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-2.18.2025.1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250219T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250219T130000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20241125T204133Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T172019Z
UID:10003623-1739966400-1739970000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Q&A Seminar: Phillip Matchett Wood
DESCRIPTION:CMSA Q&A Seminar \nSpeaker: Phillip Matchett Wood\, Harvard University \nTopic: Info session on the CMSA/Mathematics Summer REU Program (Research Experience for Undergraduates) \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsaqa_21925/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:CMSA Q&A Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Q-A-Seminar-2.19.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250220T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250220T110000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T171842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T155455Z
UID:10003678-1740045600-1740049200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The geometry of pure spinor superfield formalism 
DESCRIPTION:Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar \nSpeaker: Simone Noja (Heidelberg University) \nTitle: The geometry of pure spinor superfield formalism \nAbstract: In this talk I will present a mathematical perspective on the pure spinor superfield formalism. In particular\, I will discuss how field multiplets in supersymmetric theories can be constructed mathematically from geometric data associated with certain algebraic varieties—namely\, the nilpotence variety of the (super)symmetry algebra of the theory. After discussing key examples\, I will\, time permitting\, outline a possible generalization of the formalism within the framework of derived geometry.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/mathphys_22025/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Mathematical-Physics-and-Algebraic-Geometry-2.20.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250224T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250224T160000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T192220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250220T192557Z
UID:10003689-1740409200-1740412800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Toward constructing a large-scale quantum computer based on TQFT
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Liyuan Chen ( Harvard) \nTitle: Toward constructing a large-scale quantum computer based on TQFT \nAbstract: Topological quantum computation\, motivated by topological quantum field theory (TQFT)\, offers a promising path toward fault-tolerant universal quantum computation. However\, the practical realization of such a system remains challenging due to the difficulty of finding suitable topological materials. In this work\, we provide a comprehensive blueprint for constructing a fault-tolerant universal quantum computer based on the quantum double model $\mathcal{D}(S_3)$\, a specific non-Abelian topological order. We implement logical computations using quantum circuits on qubits and qutrits\, including a single non-Clifford gate\, compatible with near-term quantum devices. This work bridges the gap between abstract mathematical frameworks and noise-resilient quantum computation on near-term devices. Our proposal offers a promising path to realize a non-Abelian anyon-based large scale quantum computer.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_22425/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1740079272812-56d7a2d6-da58-4464-8ade-b9b1856de79025_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250225T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250225T120000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20240903T183821Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T212719Z
UID:10003420-1740481200-1740484800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:BKL bounces outside homogeneity
DESCRIPTION:General Relativity Seminar \nSpeaker: Warren Li ( Princeton University) \nTitle: BKL bounces outside homogeneity \nAbstract: In work spanning the late 20th century\, physicists Belinski\, Khalatnikov and Lifshitz (BKL) proposed a general ansatz for solutions to the Einstein (vacuum) equations near singularities. They suggest that the spacetime dynamics at different spatial points on the singularity decouple and are well-approximated by a system of autonomous nonlinear ODEs\, whose orbits are governed by a chaotic cascade of “BKL bounces”. In this talk\, we present recent work verifying BKL’s heuristics in a large class of symmetric\, but spatially inhomogeneous\, spacetimes. In particular\, we prove decoupling even in the presence of (up to one) BKL bounce. The proof uses nonlinear ODE analysis coupled to hyperbolic energy estimates\, and one hopes our methods may be applied more generally.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/general-relativity-seminar-22525/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:General Relativity Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1740157873632-2128c0f1-4416-42e5-a58b-0475ecffb3852025-1_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250225T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250225T181500
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250124T152655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250210T174635Z
UID:10003671-1740500100-1740507300@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Algebras of "symmetries" in QFT and applications to solitons (2)
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Dan Freed\, Harvard CMSA and Math \nTitle:  Algebras of “symmetries” in QFT and applications to solitons (2) \nhttps://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08883
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_22525/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-2.25.2025.2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250226T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250226T150000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250124T154400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250623T124501Z
UID:10003663-1740578400-1740582000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Datasets for Math: From AIMO Competitions to Math Copilots for Research
DESCRIPTION:  \nNew Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Simon Frieder\, Oxford \nTitle: Datasets for Math: From AIMO Competitions to Math Copilots for Research \nAbstract: This talk begins with a brief exposition of the AI Mathematical Olympiad (AIMO) on Kaggle\, now in its second iteration\, outlining datasets and models available to contestants. Taking a broader perspective\, I then examine 1) the overarching issues the current datasets suffer from—such as binary evaluation or constrained sets of use cases— and 2) the trajectory they set for competition-style mathematical problem-solving\, which is different from mathematical research practice. I argue for a fundamental shift in dataset structure and composition\, both for training and evaluation\, and introduce the idea of mapping mathematical workflows to data\, a key example underscoring the need for this shift. I touch upon new thinking LLMs and their role in redefining LLM math evaluation\, highlighting their implications for dataset design. Finally\, I propose general improvements to the current state of mathematical datasets\, including mathematical adaptations of dataset documentation (e.g.\, datasheets). \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_22625/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1740494700974-e6086db9-08ab-4681-9ecd-580092fe27b62025-1_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250227T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250227T110000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T171904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250224T172054Z
UID:10003679-1740650400-1740654000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:2d chiral Lagrangian for asymptotic dynamics for 4d (self-dual) Einstein gravity
DESCRIPTION:Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar \nSpeaker: Wei Bu (Harvard University) \nTitle: 2d chiral Lagrangian for asymptotic dynamics for 4d (self-dual) Einstein gravity \nAbstract: In this talk\, I will present a simple chiral 2d Lagrangian living on a 2d celestial sphere on the null boundary of 4d Minkowski space and briefly mention its first principal derivation using twistor theory. This 2d theory gives the asymptotic/edge dynamics of 4d (self-dual) Einstein gravity in asymptotically flat spacetimes. For example\, using simple 2d CFT computations\, one could recover generators of asymptomatic symmetries. If time permits\, I’ll further discuss the potential of using this theory to produce a QFT computation of the entropy of a certain asymptotically flat black hole. \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/mathphys_22725/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1740417562101-e8e32246-9ddf-4efa-bead-7da43ef078972025_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T130000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20241211T172401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T155302Z
UID:10003641-1740744000-1740747600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The Combinatorics of the Amplituhedron – Tiles\, Tilings\, and Cluster Algebras
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Matteo Parisi \nTitle: The Combinatorics of the Amplituhedron – Tiles\, Tilings\, and Cluster Algebras \nAbstract: The amplituhedron is the image of the positive Grassmannian—the region of the Grassmannian where all Plücker coordinates are nonnegative—under a totally positive linear map. It is a far-reaching generalization of cyclic polytopes and hyperplane arrangements\, and the positive Grassmannian itself. The “volume” of the amplituhedron encodes probabilities of particle interactions in the quantum field theory N=4 super Yang-Mills\, and calculating this volume involves decomposing (or tiling) the amplituhedron into smaller pieces (or tiles) and summing their volumes. This talk will delve into the rich combinatorics of these tiles and tilings\, presenting recent results on some of the central conjectures in this area\, including the magic number\, BCFW tiling\, and cluster adjacency conjectures.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-22825/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/1740498728693-b34629b4-eb9a-47b2-9782-46abe1568dd025_1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250303T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250303T160000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T192248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250226T192433Z
UID:10003690-1741014000-1741017600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Kai Xu\, Harvard \nTitle: Finite Landscape of 6d N=(1\,0) Supergravity \nAbstract: We present a bottom-up argument showing that the number of massless fields in six-dimensional quantum gravitational theories with eight supercharges is uniformly bounded. Specifically\, we show that the number of tensor multiplets is bounded by T≤193\, and the rank of the gauge group is restricted to r(V)≤480. Given that F-theory compactifications on elliptic CY 3-folds are a subset\, this provides a bound on the Hodge numbers of elliptic CY 3-folds: h1\,1(CY3)≤491\, h1\,1(Base)≤194 which are saturated by special elliptic CY 3-folds. This establishes that our bounds are sharp and also provides further evidence for the string lamppost principle.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_3325/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-3.3.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250303T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250303T173000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20241209T163145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T153212Z
UID:10003630-1741019400-1741023000@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Large value estimates in number theory and computer science
DESCRIPTION:Colloquium \nSpeaker: Larry Guth\, MIT \nTitle: Large value estimates in number theory and computer science \nAbstract: A large value estimate for a matrix M is a simple type of estimate in quantitative linear algebra. Estimates of this type appear in many parts of math\, both pure and applied. One example is the large value problem for Dirichlet polynomials from analytic number theory\, which is related to estimates about the zeroes of the Riemann zeta function. We will also give some examples from computer science. Many large value problems are difficult. On the pure math side\, the sharp conjecture about large values of Dirichlet polynomials has been open for a long time and is out of reach of current methods. On the computer science side\, we don’t know any efficient algorithm to approximately solve the large value problem for a given matrix M. Many experts think that such an algorithm does not exist. In this talk we will survey how large value estimates come up\, the known methods for working on them\, and some of the obstacles to fully understanding them. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/colloquium-3325/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Colloquium-3.3.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T130000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20241125T204417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T211437Z
UID:10003625-1741176000-1741179600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Q&A Seminar: Puskar Mondal
DESCRIPTION:CMSA Q&A Seminar \nSpeaker: Puskar Mondal\, Harvard CMSA \nTopic: What is the positive energy theorem?
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsaqa_3525/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:CMSA Q&A Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Q-A-Seminar-3.5.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250305T150000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250123T192715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250307T154830Z
UID:10003664-1741183200-1741186800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Machine Learning G2 Geometry
DESCRIPTION:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Elli Heyes\, Imperial College \nTitle: Machine Learning G2 Geometry \nAbstract: Compact Ricci-flat Calabi-Yau and holonomy G2 manifolds appear in string and M-theory respectively as descriptions of the extra spatial dimensions that arise in the theories. Since 2017 machine-learning techniques have been applied extensively to study Calabi-Yau manifolds but until 2024 no similar work had been carried out on holonomy G2 manifolds. In this talk\, I will firstly show how topological properties of these manifolds can be learnt using neural networks. I will then discuss how one could try to numerically learn metrics on compact holonomy G2 manifolds using machine-learning and why these approximations would be useful in M-theory.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/newtech_3525/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-NTM-Seminar-3.5.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250306T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250306T110000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T171934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T195753Z
UID:10003680-1741255200-1741258800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Physical Yukawa Couplings in Heterotic String Compactifications
DESCRIPTION:Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar \nSpeaker: Giorgi Butbaia\, University of New Hampshire \nTitle: Physical Yukawa Couplings in Heterotic String Compactifications \nAbstract: Calabi-Yau compactifications of the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string provide a promising route to recovering the four-dimensional particle physics described by the Standard Model. While the topology of the Calabi-Yau space determines the overall matter content in the low-energy effective field theory\, further details of the compactification geometry are needed to calculate the normalized physical couplings and masses of elementary particles. In this talk\, we present novel numerical techniques for computing physically normalized Yukawa couplings in a number of heterotic models in the standard embedding using machine learning. We observe that the results produced using these techniques are in excellent agreement with the expected values. \n  \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/mathphys_3625/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Mathematical-Physics-and-Algebraic-Geometry-3.6.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250307T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250307T130000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20241211T192236Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250303T133212Z
UID:10003642-1741348800-1741352400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:A Tetrahedral Approach to Calabi-Yau Geometry
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Charles Doran\, CMSA \nTitle: A Tetrahedral Approach to Calabi-Yau Geometry \nAbstract:  We will open with a quick introduction to the what and why of Calabi-Yau geometry.  Following this\, we will consider the problem of deforming tetrahedra while preserving the areas of their faces\, following our noses to discover a beautiful path to elliptic curves\, K3 surfaces\, and beyond.  Time permitting\, we will also discuss motivations and applications across physics.  The talk should be broadly accessible. \n 
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/member-seminar-3724/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Member-Seminar-3.7.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250310T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250310T160000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T192310Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250303T211818Z
UID:10003691-1741618800-1741622400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Comments on Non-Invertible Symmetries in K3 CFTs and the Conway Moonshine Module
DESCRIPTION:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar \nSpeaker: Sarah Harrison\, Northeastern \nTitle: Comments on Non-Invertible Symmetries in K3 CFTs and the Conway Moonshine Module \nAbstract: There is an established connection between discrete symmetry groups of K3 non-linear sigma models and a distinguished N=1 chiral SCFT called the Conway moonshine module. More specifically\, all symmetry groups of K3 NLSMs preserving the N=4 superconformal algebra can be obtained as subgroups of “Conway zero”\, the group of symmetries of the Conway module\, and their explicit action on the BPS spectrum can (almost always) be obtained via traces in the Conway module. A natural question is whether this relation extends to fusion category symmetry of these theories. I will discuss positive evidence in this direction\, by exploring examples of non-invertible topological defect lines in K3 NLSMs and the Conway module. This is based on work in progress with R. Angius\, S. Giaccari\, and R. Volpato.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/qft_31025/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-QFT-and-Physical-Mathematics-3.10.25.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250311T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250311T120000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250128T213420Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250312T191855Z
UID:10003700-1741690800-1741694400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Positive scalar curvature with point singularities
DESCRIPTION:General Relativity Seminar \nSpeaker: Rudolf Zeidler\, Mathematical Institute\, University of Münster \nTitle: Positive scalar curvature with point singularities \nAbstract: I will explain a certain topological construction of positive scalar curvature metrics with uniformly Euclidean ($L^\infty$) point singularities. This provides counterexamples to a conjecture of Schoen. It also shows that there are metrics with uniformly Euclidean point singularities which cannot be smoothed via a geometric flow while simultaneously preserving non-negativity of the scalar curvature. Based on recent joint work with Simone Cecchini and Georg Frenck.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/general-relativity-seminar-31125/
LOCATION:CMSA Room G10\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:General Relativity Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-GR-Seminar-3.11.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250311T161500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250311T181500
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20250310T160401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250331T193628Z
UID:10003722-1741709700-1741716900@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Introduction to the probabilistic approach to Louville theory
DESCRIPTION:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar \nSpeaker: Leon Liu\, Harvard \nTitle: Introduction to the probabilistic approach to Louville theory \nAbstract: I will give an introduction to the probabilistic approach to Louville theory\, following Hairer’s notes.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/quantumgeo_31125/
LOCATION:Science Center 507\, 1 Oxford Street\, Cambridge\, 02138
CATEGORIES:Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Geometry-Quantum-Theory-3.11.2025.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T130000
DTSTAMP:20260417T084336
CREATED:20241125T204953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T144354Z
UID:10003628-1741780800-1741784400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:CMSA Q&A Seminar: Dan Freed
DESCRIPTION:CMSA Q&A Seminar \nSpeaker: Dan Freed\, Harvard University \nTopic: What are spectra (in homotopy theory)?
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/cmsaqa_31225/
LOCATION:Common Room\, CMSA\, 20 Garden Street\, Cambridge\, MA\, 02138\, United States
CATEGORIES:CMSA Q&A Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/media/CMSA-Q-A-Seminar-3.12.2025.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR