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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210903T103000
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CREATED:20240125T164403Z
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UID:10001337-1630665000-1630670400@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Swampland Seminar Series
DESCRIPTION:During the 2021-22 academic year\, the CMSA will be co-hosting a seminar on Swampland\, with the Harvard Physics Department\, organized by Miguel Montero\, Cumrun Vafa\, Irene Valenzuela. This seminar is a part of the Swampland Program. This seminar will take place on Mondays at 10:00 am – 11:30 am (Boston time). To learn how to attend\, please subscribe here. \nTalks will be posted on the Swampland Seminars YouTube channel. The schedule below will be updated as talks are confirmed. \nSpring 2022\n\n\n\n\nDate\nSpeaker\nTitle/Abstract\n\n\n1/31/2022\nRafael Álvarez-García (DESY Hamburg)\nTitle: Membrane Limits in Quantum Gravity\n\n\n2/7/2022\nDu Pei (Harvard CMSA)\nTitle: Holomorphic CFTs and topological modular forms \nAbstract: The theory of topological modular forms leads to many interesting constraints and predictions for two-dimensional quantum field theories\, and some of them might have interesting implications for the swampland program. In this talk\, I will show that a conjecture by Segal\, Stolz and Teichner requires the constant term of the partition function of a bosonic holomorphic CFTs to be divisible by specific integers determined by the central charge. We verify this constraint in large classes of physical examples\, and rule out the existence of an infinite set of “extremal CFTs”\, including those with central charges c = 48\, 72\, 96 and 120.\n\n\n2/28/2022\n Tom Rudelius (UC\, Berkeley)\nTitle: Generalized Global Symmetries and the Weak Gravity Conjecture\n\n\n3/7/2022\nFernando Marchesano (UAM-CSIC\, Madrid)  and Max Wiesner (Harvard CMSA)\nTitle: 4d strings at strong coupling\n\n\n3/21/2022\nPatrick Draper (Univ. of Illinois) and Alvaro Herraez (IPhT Saclay).\nOpen Mic Discussion\nTopic: Entropy bounds (species bound\, Bekenstein bound\, CKN bound\, and the like)\n\n\n3/28/2022\nFernando Quevedo (Cambridge)\nTitle: On renormalisation group induced moduli stabilisation and brane-antibrane inflation \nAbstract: A proposal to use the renormalisation group to address moduli stabilisation in IIB string perturbation theory will be described. We revisit brane-antibrane inflation combining this proposal with non-linearly realised supersymmetry.\n\n\n4/5/2022\nSimon Caron-Huot (McGill University) and Julio Parra (Caltech)\nTitle: Causality constraints on corrections to Einstein gravity \nAbstract: We study constraints from causality and unitarity on 2→2 graviton scattering in four-dimensional weakly-coupled effective field theories. Together\, causality and unitarity imply dispersion relations that connect low-energy observables to high-energy data. Using such dispersion relations\, we derive two-sided bounds on gravitational Wilson coefficients in terms of the mass M of new higher-spin states. Our bounds imply that gravitational interactions must shut off uniformly in the limit G→0\, and prove the scaling with M expected from dimensional analysis (up to an infrared logarithm). We speculate that causality\, together with the non-observation of gravitationally-coupled higher-spin states at colliders\, severely restricts modifications to Einstein gravity that could be probed by experiments in the near future.\n\n\n4/11/2022\nTimm Wrase and Eduardo Gonzalo (Lehigh)\nTitle: Type IIB flux compactifications with $h^{1\,1}=0$ \nAbstract: We revisit type IIB flux compactification that are mirror dual to type IIA on rigid Calabi-Yau manifolds. We find a variety of interesting new solutions\, like fully stabilized Minkowski vacua and infinite families of AdS$_4$ solutions with arbitrarily large numbers of spacetime filling D3 branes. We discuss how these solutions fit into the web of swampland conjectures.\n\n\n4/18/2022\nJosé Calderón (IFT Madrid)\nOpen mic Swampland Discussion \nTopic: Cobordism\n\n\n5/9/2022\nGeorges Obie (Harvard)\nTitle: Inflation and light Dark Matter constraints from the Swampland \nAbstract: I will explore the interplay between Swampland conjectures and models of inflation and light Dark Matter. To that end\, I will briefly review the weak gravity conjecture (WGC) and the related Festina Lente (FL) bound. These have implications for light darkly and milli-charged particles and can disfavor a large portion of parameter space. The FL bound also implies strong restrictions on the field content of our universe during inflation and presents an opportunity for inflationary model building. At the same time\, it rules out some popular models like chromo-natural inflation and gauge-flation. Finally\, I will review another Swampland conjecture related to Stückelberg photon masses and discuss its implications for astro-particle physics.\n\n\n\n\nFall 2021\n\n\n\n\nDate\nSpeaker\nTitle/Abstract\n\n\n9/13/2021\nJohn Stout (Harvard)\nTitle: Decoding Divergent Distances \nAbstract: Motivated by a relationship between the Zamolodchikov and NLSM metrics to the so-called quantum information metric\, I will discuss recent work (2106.11313) on understanding infinite distance limits within the context of information theory. I will describe how infinite distance points represent theories that are hyper-distinguishable\, in the sense that they can be distinguished from “nearby” theories with certainty in relatively few measurements. I will then discuss necessary and sufficient ingredients for the appearance of these infinite distance points\, illustrate these in simple examples\, and describe how this perspective can help the swampland program.\n\n\n9/20/2021\nManki Kim (MIT)\nTitle: Small Cosmological Constants in String Theory \nAbstract: 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.\n\n\n9/27/2021\nEran Palti (Ben Gurion)\nTitle: Convexity of Charged Operators in CFTs and the Weak Gravity Conjecture \nAbstract: 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.\n\n\n10/18/2021\nThomas Van Riet (KU Leuven)\nTitle: The Festina Lente Bound \nAbstract: I will explain what the Festina Lente bound means and where it comes from. Then I discuss its possible implications for  phenomenology\, both top-down and bottom-up.\n\n\n10/25/2021\nJoe Conlon (Oxford)\nTitle: Exploring the Holographic Swampland \nAbstract: I describe our work looking at `traditional’ scenarios of moduli stabilisation from a holographic perspective. This reveals some interesting structure that is not apparent from the top-down perspective. For vacua in the extreme regions of moduli space\, such as LVS in type IIB or the DGKT flux vacua in type IIA\, the dual moduli conformal dimensions reduce to fixed values – in a certain sense\, the low-conformal dimension part of the CFT is unique and independent of the large number of flux choices. For the DGKT flux vacua these conformal dimensions are also integer\, for reasons we do not understand.\n\n\n11/01/2021\nPieter Bomans (Princeton)\nTitle: Bubble instability of mIIA on AdS_4 x S^6 \nAbstract: Recently\, a set of non-supersymmetric AdS_4 vacua of massive type IIA string theory has been constructed. These vacua are perturbatively stable with respect to the full KK spectrum of type mIIA supergravity and furthermore\, they are stable against a variety of non-perturbative decay channels. Hence\, at this point\, they represent a serious challenge to the AdS swampland conjecture. In my talk\, I will review in detail the construction of these vacua as well as introduce a new decay channel\, ultimately sealing their fate as being unstable.\n\n\n11/15/2021\nNima Arkani-Hamed (IAS)\, and Gary Shiu (UW-Madison)\n This week’s seminar will be an open mic discussion which will be led by Nima Arkani-Hamed (IAS)\, and by Gary Shiu (UW-Madison)\, and the topic will be “Swampland constraints\, Unitarity and Causality”. They will start with a brief introduction sharing their thoughts about the topic and moderate a discussion afterwards.\n\n\n11/22/2021\nThomas Grimm (Utrecht University)\nTitle: Taming the Landscape \nAbstract: In this talk I will introduce a generalized notion of finiteness that provides a structural principle for the set of effective theories that can be consistently coupled to quantum gravity. More concretely\, I will propose a ‘tameness conjecture’ that states that all scalar field spaces and coupling functions that appear in such an effective theory must be definable in an o-minimal structure. The fascinating field of tame geometry has seen much recent progress and I will argue that the results can be used to support the above swampland conjecture. The strongest evidence arises from a new finiteness theorem for the flux landscape which is shown using the tameness of the period map.\n\n\n11/29/2021\nTimm Wrase (Lehigh University)\nTitle: Scale separated AdS vacua? \nAbstract: In this talk I will review massive type IIA flux compactifications that seem to give rise to infinite families of supersymmetric 4d AdS vacua. These vacua provide an interesting testing ground for the swampland program. After reviewing potential shortcomings of this setup\, I will discuss recent progress on overcoming them and getting a better understanding of these solutions.\n\n\n12/6/2021\nLars Aalsma (University of Wisconsin-Madison)\nTitle: Extremal Black Hole Corrections from Iyer-Wald \nAbstract: Extremal black holes play a key role in our understanding of various swampland conjectures and in particular the WGC. The mild form of the WGC states that higher-derivative corrections should decrease the mass of extremal black holes at fixed charge. Whether or not this conjecture is satisfied depends on the sign of the combination of Wilson coefficients that control corrections to extremality. Typically\, corrections to extremality need to be computed on a case-by-case basis\, but in this talk I will present a universal derivation of extremal black hole corrections using the Iyer-Wald formalism. This leads to a formula that expresses general corrections to the extremality bound in terms of the stress tensor of the perturbations under consideration\, clarifying the relation between the WGC and energy conditions. This shows that a necessary condition for the mild form of the WGC to be satisfied is a violation of the Dominant Energy Condition. This talk is based on 2111.04201.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/swampland-seminar-series/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Swampland Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210907T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210907T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240213T112149Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T105626Z
UID:10002492-1631007000-1631010600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Derived categories of nodal quintic del Pezzo threefolds
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Conifold transitions are important algebraic geometric constructions that have been of special interests in mirror symmetry\, transforming Calabi-Yau 3-folds between A- and B-models. In this talk\, I will discuss the change of the quintic del Pezzo 3-fold (Fano 3-fold of index 2 and degree 5) under the conifold transition at the level of the bounded derived category of coherent sheaves. The nodal quintic del Pezzo 3-fold X has at most 3 nodes. I will construct a semiorthogonal decomposition for D^b(X) and in the case of 1-nodal X\, detail the change of derived categories from its smoothing to its small resolution.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/derived-categories-of-nodal-quintic-del-pezzo-threefolds/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Algebraic Geometry in String Theory Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210908T183700
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210908T193700
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T093235Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T095658Z
UID:10002632-1631126220-1631129820@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Cornering the universal shape of fluctuations and entanglement
DESCRIPTION:Title: Cornering the universal shape of fluctuations and entanglement \nAbstract: Understanding the fluctuations of observables is one of the main goals in physics. We investigate such fluctuations when a subregion of the full system can be observed\, focusing on geometries with corners. We report that the dependence on the opening angle is super-universal: up to a numerical prefactor\, this function does not depend on anything\, provided the system under study is uniform\, isotropic\, and correlations do not decay too slowly. The prefactor contains important physical information: we show in particular that it gives access to the long-wavelength limit of the structure factor. We illustrate our findings with several examples: classical fluids\, fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states\, scale invariant quantum critical theories\, and metals. Finally\, we discuss connections with the entanglement entropy\, including new results for Laughlin FQH states. \nRef: arXiv:2102.06223
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-8-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210909T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210909T150000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T092250Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240517T200424Z
UID:10002621-1631196000-1631199600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The complexity of matrix multiplication approached via algebraic geometry and representation theory
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: JM Landsberg\, Texas A&M \nTitle: The complexity of matrix multiplication approached via algebraic geometry and representation theory \nAbstract: In 1968 V. Strassen discovered the way we usually multiply matrices is not the most efficient possible\, and after considerable work by many authors\, it is generally conjectured by computer scientists that as the size of matrices becomes large\, it becomes almost as easy to multiply them as it is to add them. I will give a brief history of the problem\, explain how this conjecture is naturally understood in the framework of classical algebraic geometry and representation theory\, and conclude by describing recent advances using more sophisticated tools from algebraic geometry. For most of the talk\, no knowledge of algebraic geometry or representation theory will be needed.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-22-2021-new-technologies-in-mathematics-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210909T183800
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210909T193800
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T092815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T095523Z
UID:10002628-1631212680-1631216280@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Quantum gravity from quantum matter
DESCRIPTION:Title: Quantum gravity from quantum matter \nAbstract: We present a model of quantum gravity in which dimension\, topology and geometry of spacetime are collective dynamical variables that describe the pattern of entanglement of underlying quantum matter. As spacetimes with arbitrary dimensions can emerge\, the gauge symmetry is generalized to a group that includes diffeomorphisms in general dimensions. The gauge symmetry obeys a first-class constraint operator algebra\, and is reduced to a generalized hypersurface deformation algebra in states that exhibit classical spacetimes. In the semi-classical limit\, we find a saddle-point solution that describes a series of (3+1)-dimensional de Sitter-like spacetimes with the Lorentzian signature bridged by Euclidean spaces in between.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-9-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210910T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210910T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240213T105719Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T105748Z
UID:10002468-1631266200-1631269800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:9/10/2021 General Relativity Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Title: Asymptotic localization\, massive fields\, and gravitational singularities \nAbstract: I will review three recent developments on Einstein’s field equations under low decay or low regularity conditions. First\, the Seed-to-Solution Method for Einstein’s constraint equations\, introduced in collaboration with T.-C. Nguyen generates asymptotically Euclidean manifolds with the weakest or strongest possible decay (infinite ADM mass\, Schwarzschild decay\, etc.). The ‘asymptotic localization problem’ is also proposed an alternative to the ‘optimal localization problem’ by Carlotto and Schoen. We solve this new problem at the harmonic level of decay. Second\, the Euclidian-Hyperboloidal Foliation Method\, introduced in collaboration with Yue Ma\, applies to nonlinear wave systems which need not be asymptotically invariant under Minkowski’s scaling field and to solutions with low decay in space. We established the global nonlinear stability of self-gravitating massive matter field in the regime near Minkowski spacetime. Third\, in collaboration with Bruno Le Floch and Gabriele Veneziano\, I studied spacetimes in the vicinity of singularity hypersurfaces and constructed bouncing cosmological spacetimes of big bang-big crunch type. The notion of singularity scattering map provides a flexible tool for formulating junction conditions and\, by analyzing Einstein’s constraint equations\, we established a surprising classification of all gravitational bouncing laws. Blog: philippelefloch.org
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-10-2021-general-relativity-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:General Relativity Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210910T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210910T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240213T114336Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T100309Z
UID:10002512-1631266200-1631269800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Threshold phenomena in random graphs and hypergraphs
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Michael Simkin \nTitle: Threshold phenomena in random graphs and hypergraphs \nAbstract: In 1959 Paul Erdos and Alfred Renyi introduced a model of random graphs that is the cornerstone of modern probabilistic combinatorics. Now known as the “Erdos-Renyi” model of random graphs it has far-reaching applications in combinatorics\, computer science\, and other fields. \nThe model is defined as follows: Given a natural number $n$ and a parameter $p \in [0\,1]$\, let $G(n;p)$ be the distribution on graphs with $n$ vertices in which each of the $\binom{n}{2}$ possible edges is present with probability $p$\, independent of all others. Despite their apparent simplicity\, the study of Erdos-Renyi random graphs has revealed many deep and non-trivial phenomena. \nA central feature is the appearance of threshold phenomena: For all monotone properties (e.g.\, connectivity and Hamiltonicity) there is a critical probability $p_c$ such that if $p >> p_c$ then $G(n;p)$ possesses the property with high probability (i.e.\, with probability tending to 1 as $n \to \infty$) whereas if $p << p_c$ then with high probability $G(n;p)$ does not possess the property. In this talk we will focus on basic properties such as connectivity and containing a perfect matching. We will see an intriguing connection between these global properties and the local property of having no isolated vertices. We will then generalize the Erdos-Renyi model to higher dimensions where many open problems remain.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-10-2021-member-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210910T184400
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210910T194400
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T092532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T095315Z
UID:10002624-1631299440-1631303040@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:More Exact Results in Gauge Theories: Confinement and Chiral Symmetry Breaking
DESCRIPTION:Title: More Exact Results in Gauge Theories: Confinement and Chiral Symmetry Breaking \nAbstract: In this follow-up to Hitoshi Murayama’s talk “Some Exact Results in QCD-like and Chiral Gauge Theories”\, I present a detailed analysis of the phases of $SO(N_c)$ gauge theory.\nStarting with supersymmetric $SO(N_c)$ with $N_F$ flavors\, we extrapolate to the non-supersymmetric limit using anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking (AMSB). Interestingly\, the abelian Coulomb and free magnetic phases do not survive supersymmetry breaking and collapse to a confining phase. This provided one of the first demonstrations of true confinement with chiral symmetry breaking in a non-SUSY theory.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-10-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210911T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210911T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240222T111949Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240222T112111Z
UID:10002807-1631352600-1631356200@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Gradient flows on totally nonnegative flag varieties
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: One can view a partial flag variety in C^n as an adjoint orbit inside the Lie algebra of n x n skew-Hermitian matrices. We use the orbit context to study the totally nonnegative part of a partial flag variety from an algebraic\, geometric\, and dynamical perspective. We classify gradient flows on adjoint orbits in various metrics which are compatible with total positivity. As applications\, we show how the classical Toda flow fits into this framework\, and prove that a new family of amplituhedra are homeomorphic to closed balls. This is joint work with Anthony Bloch.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/11-9-21-combinatorics-physics-and-probability-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Combinatorics Physics and Probability
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210913T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220513T170000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
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:20210913T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210913T113000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240213T111138Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T102959Z
UID:10002481-1631527200-1631532600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Decoding Divergent Distances
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: John Stout\, Harvard University \nTitle: Decoding Divergent Distances \nAbstract: Motivated by a relationship between the Zamolodchikov and NLSM metrics to the so-called quantum information metric\, I will discuss recent work (2106.11313) on understanding infinite distance limits within the context of information theory. I will describe how infinite distance points represent theories that are hyper-distinguishable\, in the sense that they can be distinguished from “nearby” theories with certainty in relatively few measurements. I will then discuss necessary and sufficient ingredients for the appearance of these infinite distance points\, illustrate these in simple examples\, and describe how this perspective can help the swampland program.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-13-2021-swampland-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Swampland Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210914T110200
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210914T120200
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T055014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T064603Z
UID:10002544-1631617320-1631620920@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Simplices in the Calabi–Yau web
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Calabi–Yau manifolds of a given dimension are connected by an intricate web of birational maps. This web has deep consequences for the derived categories of coherent sheaves on such manifolds\, and for the associated string theories. In particular\, for 4-folds and beyond\, I will highlight certain simplices appearing in the web\, and identify corresponding derived category structures.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/simplices-in-the-calabi-yau-web/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Algebraic Geometry in String Theory Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210915T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210915T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T044745Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240501T205627Z
UID:10002533-1631698200-1631701800@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Hyperbolic Geometry and Quantum Invariants
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Tian Yang (Texas A&M University) \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.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/hyperbolic-geometry-and-quantum-invariants/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Colloquium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210915T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220525T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
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:20210915T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210915T160000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T091846Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240517T200145Z
UID:10002618-1631718000-1631721600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Why abstraction is the key to intelligence\, and what we’re still missing
DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Francois Chollet\, Google \nTitle: Why abstraction is the key to intelligence\, and what we’re still missing \nAbstract: This talk provides a personal perspective on the way forward towards more human-like and more intelligent artificial systems. Traditionally\, symbolic and probabilistic methods have dominated the domains of concept formation\, abstraction\, and automated reasoning. More recently\, deep learning-based approaches have led to significant breakthroughs\, including successes in games and combinatorial search tasks. However\, the resulting systems are still limited in scope and capabilities — they remain brittle\, data-hungry\, and their generalization capabilities are limited. We will address a set of questions: why is conceptual abstraction essential for intelligence? What is the nature of abstraction\, and its relationship to generalization? What kind of abstraction can deep learning models generate\, and where do they fail? What are the methods that are currently successful in generating strong conceptual abstraction? Finally\, we will consider how to leverage a hybrid approach to reinforce the strength of different approaches while compensating for their respective weaknesses.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-15-2021-new-technologies-in-mathematics-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210915T184600
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210915T194600
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T092313Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T094948Z
UID:10002623-1631731560-1631735160@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Three-particle mechanism for pairing and superconductivity
DESCRIPTION:Title: 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)
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-15-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210916T184700
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210916T194700
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T092053Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T094752Z
UID:10002619-1631818020-1631821620@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:The Hilbert Space of large N Chern-Simons matter theories
DESCRIPTION:Title: The Hilbert Space of large N Chern-Simons matter theories \nAbstract: We demonstrate that all known formulae for the thermal partition function for large N Chern Simons matter theory admit a simple Hilbert Space interpretation. In each case this quantity equals the partition function of an associated ungauged large $N$ matter theory with a particular local Lagrangian with one additional element: the Fock Space of this associated theory is projected down to the subspace of its WZW singlets. This projection\, in particular\,  implies the previously encountered `Bosonic Exclusion Principle’\, namely that no single particle state can be occupied by more than $k_B$ particles ($k_B$ is the Chern Simons level). Unlike its Gauss Law counterpart\, the WZW constraint does not trivialize in the large volume limit. However thermodynamics does simplify in this limit;  the final partition function reduces to a product of partition functions associated with each single particle state. These individual single particle state partition functions are a one parameter generalizations of their free boson and free fermion counterparts\, and reduce to the later at extreme values of the ‘t Hooft coupling. At generic values of the rank and the level the occupation statistics of each energy level is given by a $q$ deformation of the usual free formulae of Bose and Fermi statistics.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-16-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210917T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210917T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240213T105100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240304T105845Z
UID:10002462-1631871000-1631874600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:9/17/2021 General Relativity Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Title: Stable Big Bang formation for the Einstein equations \nAbstract: I will discuss recent work concerning stability of cosmological singularities described by the generalized Kasner solutions. There are heuristics in the mathematical physics literature\, going back more than 50 years\, suggesting that the Big Bang formation should be stable under perturbations of the Kasner initial data\, as long as the Kasner exponents are “sub-critical”. We prove that the Kasner singularity is dynamically stable for all sub-critical Kasner exponents\, thereby justifying the heuristics in the full regime where stable monotonic-type curvature blowup is expected. We treat the 3+1-dimensional Einstein-scalar field system and the D+1-dimensional Einstein-vacuum equations for D≥10. This is joint work with Speck and Fournodavlos.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-17-2021-general-relativity-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:General Relativity Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210917T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210917T103000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T080149Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T112535Z
UID:10002577-1631871000-1631874600@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Geometry\, Entanglement and Quasi Local Data
DESCRIPTION:Member Seminar \nSpeaker: Itamar Shamir \nTitle: Geometry\, Entanglement and Quasi Local Data \nAbstract: I will review some general ideas about gravity as motivation for an approach based on quasi local quantities.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-17-2021-member-seminar/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:Member Seminar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210917T185400
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210917T195400
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
CREATED:20240214T091836Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T094616Z
UID:10002617-1631904840-1631908440@cmsa.fas.harvard.edu
SUMMARY:Strong Coupling Theory of Magic-Angle Graphene: A Pedagogical Introduction
DESCRIPTION:Title: Strong Coupling Theory of Magic-Angle Graphene: A Pedagogical Introduction \nAbstract: In this talk\, I will review a recently developed strong coupling theory of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene. An advantage of this approach is that a single formulation can capture both the insulating and superconducting states\, and with a few simplifying assumptions\, can be treated analytically. I begin by reviewing the electronic structure of magic angle graphene’s flat bands\, in a limit that exposes their peculiar band topology and geometry. I will show how similarities between the flat bands and the lowest Landau level can provide valuable insights into the effect of interactions and form the basis for an analytic treatment of the problem. At integer fillings\, this approach points to flavor ordered insulators\, which can be captured by a sigma-model in its ordered phase. Remarkably\, topological textures of the sigma model carry electric charge which enables the same theory to describe the doped phases away from integer filling. I will show how this approach can lead to superconductivity on disordering the sigma model\, and estimate the Tc for the superconductor. I will highlight the important role played by an effective super-exchange coupling both in pairing and in setting the effective mass of Cooper pairs. At the end\, I will show how this theory provides criteria to predict which multilayer graphene stacks are expected to superconduct including the recently discovered alternating twist trilayer platform.
URL:https://cmsa.fas.harvard.edu/event/9-17-2021-quantum-matter-in-mathematics-and-physics/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Quantum Matter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210920T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210920T110000
DTSTAMP:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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:20260506T162644
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
END:VCALENDAR