Active Matter Seminar Speaker: Sharad Ramanathan, Harvard Title: Attempts at understanding human axial elongation and patterning Abstract: Some of the most dramatic events during human development is the axial elongation of the embryo with concomitant changes in the geometry and composition of the underlying tissues. The posterior part of the embryo gives rise to the spinal cord, […]
Algebraic Geometry in String Theory Seminar Speaker: Nicolo Piazzalunga, Rutgers Title: The index of M-theory Abstract: I’ll introduce the higher-rank Donaldson-Thomas theory for toric Calabi-Yau threefolds, within the setting of equivariant K-theory. I’ll present a factorization conjecture motivated by Physics. As a byproduct, I’ll discuss some novel properties of equivariant volumes, as well as their generalizations to the […]
Speaker: David Zuckerman, Harvard CMSA/University of Texas at Austin Title: Explicit Ramsey Graphs and Two Source Extractors Abstract: Ramsey showed that any graph on N nodes contains a clique or independent set of size (log N)/2. Erdos showed that there exist graphs on N nodes with no clique or independent set of size 2 log N, […]
Quantum Matter Seminar Speaker: Ethan Lake (MIT) Title: Insulating BECs and other surprises in dipole-conserving systems Abstract: I will discuss recent work on bosonic models whose dynamics conserves both total charge and total dipole moment, a situation which can be engineered in strongly tilted optical lattices. Related models have received significant attention recently for their interesting out-of-equilibrium dynamics, […]
Swampland Seminar Speaker: Paul-Konstantin Oehlmann(Northeastern) Title: Anomalies of Discrete Gauge Symmetries and their Cancellation in 6D F-theory Abstract: We consider 6D SUGRAs with a discrete gauge group G, engineered via F-theory compactifications on genus-one fibered threefolds. We argue that group G suffers from Dai-Freed anomalies that can be canceled via a discrete Green-Schwarz mechanism. We comment […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y2colQwY34 Quantum Matter Seminar Speaker: João Caetano (CERN) Title: Unorientable Quantum Field Theories: From crosscaps to holography Abstract: In two dimensions, one can study quantum field theories on unorientable manifolds by introducing crosscaps. This defines a class of states called crosscap states which share a few similarities with the notion of boundary states. In this talk, I […]
https://youtu.be/2BF5q6d_Zo4 Topological Quantum Matter Seminar Speaker: Bruno Mera, Tohoku University Title: Kähler bands—Chern insulators, holomorphicity and induced quantum geometry Abstract: The notion of topological phases has dramatically changed our understanding of insulators. There is much to learn about a band insulator beyond the assertion that it has a gap separating the valence bands from the conduction […]
Speaker: Virginia Vassilevska Williams (MIT) Title: Clique listing algorithms Abstract: A k-clique in a graph G is a subgraph of G on k vertices in which every pair of vertices is linked by an edge. Cliques are a natural notion of social network cohesiveness with a long history. A fundamental question, with many applications, is […]
https://youtu.be/h3jcSg359E8 New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar Speakers: João Araújo, Mathematics Department, Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Michael Kinyon, Department of Mathematics, University of Denver Title: From Engine to Auto Abstract: Bill McCune produced the program EQP that deals with first order logic formulas and in 1996 managed to solve Robbins' Conjecture. This very powerful tool reduces […]
General Relativity Seminar Speaker: Naqing Xie (Fudan University) Title: Gravitational Wave, Angular Momentum, and Supertranslation Ambiguity Abstract: The supertranslation ambiguity of angular momentum is a long-standing and conceptually important issue in general relativity. Recently, there appeared the first definition of angular momentum at null infinity that is supertranslation invariant. However, in the compact binary coalescence community, supertranslation […]
Algebraic Geometry in String Theory Seminar Speaker: Ahsan Khan, IAS Title: 2-Categories and the Massive 3d A-Model Abstract: I will outline the construction of a 2-category associated to a hyperKahler moment map. The construction is based on partial differential equations in one, two, and three dimensions combined with a three-dimensional version of the Gaiotto-Moore-Witten web formalism. […]
Member Seminar Speaker: Shuaijie Qian (Harvard CMSA) Title: Some non-concave dynamic optimization problems in finance Abstract: Non-concave dynamic optimization problems appear in many areas of finance and economics. Most of existing literature solves these problems using the concavification principle, and derives equivalent, concave optimization problems whose value functions are still concave. In this talk, I will present […]