Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar Speaker: Davide Gaiotto (Perimeter Institute) Title: The categorical 't Hooft expansion Abstract: The 't Hooft expansion is the key structure underlying dualities between gauge theories of large matrices and string theories. I will review categorical aspects of the 't Hooft expansion, matching the formal deformation space of certain […]
https://youtu.be/V6uVihYhSEM CMSA/Tsinghua Math-Science Literature Lecture Date: March 10, 2026 Time: 8:45 - 10:15 am ET Location: Harvard Science Center Hall A, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge MA & via Zoom Webinar Speaker: Martin Bridson FRS is the Whitehead Professor of Pure Mathematics at Oxford and President of the Clay Mathematics Institute. Title: Profinite rigidity: Chasing finite […]
Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speaker: Lorenzo Riva, Harvard CMSA Title: TQFTs do not detect the Milnor sphere Abstract: I will talk about the recent paper of Gripaios and Randall-Williams with that title, where they prove that a functorial TQFT (i.e. a symmetric monoidal functor from the n-dimensional bordism category into a suitably […]
https://youtu.be/3j1VW9REm7s Date: March 11, 2026 Time: 5:00–6:00 pm Location: Harvard Science Center Hall C, 1 Oxford St., Cambridge MA & via Zoom Webinar Speaker: Javier Gómez-Serrano, Brown University Title: Navier-Stokes Existence or Breakdown Abstract: The Navier-Stokes equations have been the cornerstone of fluid dynamics for over a century, accurately describing the motion of viscous fluids […]
Differential Geometry and Physics Seminar Speaker: Surena Hozoori (Brandeis) Title: Strongly adapted contact geometry of Anosov 3-flows Abstract: We will discuss some recent developments in the contact geometric theory of Anosov 3-flows, whose roots go back to the works of Mitsumatsu and Eliashberg-Thurston in the mid 1990s. In particular, we provide a contact geometric characterization […]
Quantum Field Theory and Physical Mathematics Seminar Speaker: Kasia Budzik (Harvard University) Title: Finite N indices from branes and negative branes Abstract: Finite-N effects in large-N gauge theories, such as trace relations, are expected to be holographically dual to non-perturbative phenomena in string theory, such as Giant Graviton branes. A convenient setting to study these […]
New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar Speaker: Emmanuel Abbé, EPFL, Institute of Mathematics and School of Computer and Communication Sciences & Apple Title: Dynamic reasoning Abstract: In the current AI landscape, reasoning is frequently equated with the generation of intermediate "thinking traces". However, these traces are merely a mechanism, not the ultimate objective. Relying solely on the presence of […]
Algebra Seminar Speaker: Dawei Chen, Boston College Title: Moduli of subcanonical points Abstract: Subcanonical points are special Weierstrass points on smooth algebraic curves whose semigroups are symmetric. In this talk, I will explain the rich geometry of the moduli space of subcanonical points, with a focus on its connected components, birational geometry, topology, and the deformation theory […]
Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar Speaker: Keyou Zeng (CMSA) Title: Line operators in holomorphic QFT Abstract: We will discuss the recent work (arxiv:2508.11749), which defines the so called dg shifted Yangian. I will discuss their origin from the study of 3d holomorphic topological field theories, a variant of 3d TQFT. A dg shifted Yangian […]
Differential Geometry and Physics Seminar Speaker. Emily Autumn Windes (New Uzbekistan University) Title: Gauge theory on Hyperkähler manifolds Abstract: In this talk, I describe various distinguished classes of connections on Hyperkähler manifolds and their dimensional reductions. Then, I describe a construction of new examples of Sp(2)-instantons, primitive HYM connections, and Spin(7)-instantons with symmetry on the manifold T*CP2. This talk […]
Algebra Seminar Speaker: Matt Broe, Boston University Title: The Beilinson-Bloch conjecture for some non-isotrivial varieties over global function fields Abstract: The Beilinson-Bloch conjecture is a generalization of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, which relates the ranks of Chow groups of smooth projective varieties over global fields to the order of vanishing of L-functions. We prove […]
Freedman Seminar Speaker: Robert Gompf, UT Austin Title: Exotic R^4's are unclassifiable Abstract: We will use descriptive set theory to show that there is a precise sense in which exotic R^4's are unclassifiable. For other open manifolds, we can reach a much higher level of unclassifiability. This is work in progress with Aristotelis Panagiotopoulos.