Modeling the emergence of complex cortical structure from simple precursors in the brain: maps, hierarchies, and modules

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

Colloquium Speaker: Ila Fiete, MIT Title: Modeling the emergence of complex cortical structure from simple precursors in the brain: maps, hierarchies, and modules Abstract: Modular and hierarchical structures are ubiquitous in the brain. Two distinct hypotheses for such morphogenesis involve genetic specification (the positional information hypothesis) or spontaneous structure emergence from symmetry breaking (the pattern […]

Hyperbolic equations in a double null gauge

CMSA G102 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA

General Relativity Seminar Speaker: Christopher Stith, University of Michigan Title: Hyperbolic equations in a double null gauge Abstract: The hyperbolic nature of the Einstein equations is well-known and has been used in many different contexts. More recently, the double null gauge has proven to be a powerful tool for quantitative analysis of the Einstein equations. It has […]

Classifying Space for Phases of Matrix Product States

Science Center 507 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speakers: Bryan Wang Peng Jun (Harvard) and Bowen Yang (CMSA) Title: Classifying Space for Phases of Matrix Product States Abstract: In this talk we will introduce recent work of Beaudry-Hermele-Pflaum-Qi-Spiegel-Stephen (arXiv:2501.14241), on constructing a classifying space for phases of matrix product states (MPS).

Machine learning for analytic calculations in theoretical physics

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

New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar Speaker: Matthias Wilhelm (University of Southern Denmark) Title: Machine learning for analytic calculations in theoretical physics Abstract: In this talk, we will present recent progress on applying machine-learning techniques to improve calculations in theoretical physics, in which we desire exact and analytic results. One example are so-called integration-by-parts reductions of […]

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar

Mass gap in AdS space

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

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Ziming Ji, Northeastern University Title: Mass gap in AdS space Abstract: AdS space can be used as an IR regulator of QFT. The asymptotic conformal boundary in AdS space provides rich, unique observables. We study asymptotic free theories in two-dimensional AdS space. By changing the AdS curvature scale \Lambda […]

Adversarial KA

Virtual

Freedman CMSA Seminar Speaker: Slava Dzhenzher, MIPT Title: Adversarial KA Abstract: Regarding the representation theorem of Kolmogorov and Arnold (KA) as an algorithm for representing or «expressing» functions, we test its robustness by analyzing its ability to withstand adversarial attacks. We find KA to be robust to countable collections of continuous adversaries, but unearth a […]

Bass-Note Spectra of locally uniform geometries

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

Colloquium Speaker: Peter Sarnak, IAS & Princeton University Title: Bass-Note Spectra of locally uniform geometries Abstract: We formulate and report on the problem of the Bass-Note Spectrum of an invariant operator as one varies over locally uniform geometries. In the Euclidean setting this recasts classical problems of Mahler from the geometry of numbers in a new […]

Algebraic approach to the bow construction

Science Center 507 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speakers: Anadil Saeed Rao (Northeastern) and Vasily Krylov (CMSA/Harvard) Title: Algebraic approach to the bow construction Abstract: Anadil will finish his part of the talk. Vasily will then explain how to understand moduli spaces of instantons on R^4, monopoles on R^3, and instantons on Taub-NUT spaces algebraically as so-called bow varieties. We […]

From superspace to twisted supergravity

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

Mathematical Physics and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Speaker: Fabian Hahner, University of Washington Title: From superspace to twisted supergravity Abstract: In this talk, I will present a geometric perspective on the pure spinor superfield formalism, which proves fruitful for studying twisted supergravity. For eleven-dimensional supergravity, we use this technique to construct the full interacting theory together with […]

Incentives for data sharing in federated learning

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

Member Seminar Speaker: Han Shao, Harvard CMSA Title: Incentives for data sharing in federated learning Abstract: Federated learning has recently emerged as a powerful approach for enabling collaboration across large populations of learning agents. However, agents may have incentives to defect from the collaboration—that is, to withdraw or contribute less data than expected—due to the […]