Freedman CMSA Seminar *via Zoom* Speaker: Sergey Melikhov, Steklov Math Institute Title: Is every knot isotopic to the unknot? Abstract: The following problem was stated by D. Rolfsen in his 1974 paper; according to R. Daverman it was being discussed since the mid-60s. Is every knot in $S^3$ isotopic (=homotopic through embeddings) to a PL knot --- […]
Joint BHI/CMSA Foundation Seminar Location: BHI seminar room Speaker: Noa Zilberman (Princeton University) Title: Quantum Effects Inside Black Holes Abstract: 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 […]
Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar Speaker: Mario De Marco (UL Brussels) Title: On 5d conformal matter Abstract: 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 […]
Colloquium Speaker: Michael Douglas, Harvard CMSA Title: AI in math and theoretical physics: status and prospects Abstract: 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, […]
General Relativity Seminar Speaker: Liam Urban (University of Vienna) Title: On the past maximal development of near-FLRW data for the Einstein scalar-field Vlasov system Abstract: 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, […]
Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speaker: Ben Gammage, Harvard University Title: Discussion of Integrating quantum groups over surfaces https://arxiv.org/abs/1501.04652
CMSA Q&A Seminar Speaker: Javier Gomez-Serrano, Brown University Topic: Please tell us about the Millennium prize problem for Navier-Stokes and segue from that into ML?
https://youtu.be/_BgheUBw_Lw New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar Speaker: Omar Salemohamed, Mila Title: Discovering Data Structures: Nearest Neighbor Search and Beyond Abstract: 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 […]
Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Damian Van de Heisteeg, Harvard CMSA Title: The Structure of the Flux Landscape Abstract: Identifying flux vacua in string theory with stabilized complex structure moduli presents a significant challenge, necessitating the minimization of a scalar potential complicated by infinitely many exponential corrections. In order to obtain exact results we […]
https://youtu.be/jEDFrIvRowc On February 13, 2025 the CMSA hosted the sixth annual Ding Shum Lecture, given by Irit Dinur, Institute for Advanced Study. Location: Harvard Science Center Hall A & via Zoom Webinar Speaker: Irit Dinur, Institute for Advanced Study Title: Expanders from local to global Abstract: Imagine a network—like a social network, a transportation […]
Member Seminar Speaker: Houcine Ben Dali, Harvard CMSA Title: Jack polynomials and enumeration of non-orientable maps Abstract: 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. Several […]
https://youtu.be/T9D4heG-OSU General Relativity Seminar Speaker: Maximilian Ofner, University of Vienna Title: Stability and Instability of Relativistic Fluids in Slowly Expanding Spacetimes Abstract: 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 […]