Amplituhedra, Cluster Algebras, and Positive Geometry Dates: May 29-31, 2024 Location: Harvard CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge MA 02138 & via Zoom In recent years, a remarkable paradigm shift has occurred in understanding quantum observables in particle physics and cosmology, revealing their emergence from underlying novel mathematical objects known as positive geometries. The conference will […]
https://youtu.be/HWL5Rg9B624 Speaker: Slava Krushkal, University of Virginia Title: Corks for exotic diffeomorphisms Abstract: Exotic smooth structures on simply-connected 4-manifolds are known to be related by cork twists: cutting out and re-gluing certain smooth contractible submanifolds. Work in progress, joint with A. Mukherjee, M. Powell, and T. Warren, provides a localization result for exotic diffeomorphisms of 4-manifolds. I will also discuss applications […]
https://youtu.be/18eVp3fOh-4 Speaker: Michael Freedman, Harvard CMSA Title: Can embedding problems be used to distinguish S^4 from other (possible) homotopy 4-spheres? Abstract: There are approaches in the literature (using Khovanov homology) to detecting a homotopy 4-sphere, via the 4-ball genus of knots. I'd like to suggest moving from surfaces to 3-manifolds, that is approaching the problem […]
Quantum Matter in Mathematics and Physics Seminar Speaker: Arkya Chatterjee (MIT) Title: Phases and Phase Transitions of Spin Chains with Non-invertible Symmetries Abstract: Non-invertible symmetries are often emergent at low-energies in gapless states of quantum matter. It is useful to construct lattice models that have these as exact symmetries in order to provide a UV-complete […]
Quantum Matter in Mathematics and Physics Seminar Speaker: Rahul Sahay (Harvard) Title: Landscape of Tensor Network States Preparable from Measurement Abstract: Measurements and feedback have emerged as powerful resources for creating many-body quantum states. However, a detailed understanding of what is possible is restricted to fixed-point representatives of phases of matter. In this talk, we go beyond this, […]
Workshop on Fibration and Degeneration in Calabi-Yau Geometry Dates: June 24-26, 2024 Location: Harvard CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 Organizer: Chuck Doran, Harvard CMSA Registration (in-person) Register for Zoom Meeting Calabi-Yau manifolds occupy a central place in geometry. Their critical role as the cut-case between basic Fano building blocks and the zoo of […]