Quantum Field Theory and Topological Phases via Homotopy Theory and Operator Algebras
This event is a twinned workshop at the Center of Mathematical Sciences and Applications (CMSA, Harvard) and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics (MPIM, Bonn). Lectures will alternate between the two sites, watched simultaneously on both sides, and there will be opportunities for dialogue between the locations. The first week will contain four pedagogical lecture series; lecturers and locations are
Michael Hopkins, Harvard (CMSA)
Alexei Kitaev, Caltech (CMSA)
Pieter Naaijkens, Cardiff (MPIM)
Bruno Nachtergaele, UC Davis (MPIM)
The second week will consist of research talks.
Participants are strongly encouraged to attend at the location that minimizes travel and hence the ecological impact of the conference.
Applications are due March 15. For the CMSA location apply at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMXNDTMUPCZIZxIYuYlhFm-Fvlxi3MPY6k98eB48qjQw3T2Q/viewform
and for the MPIM location apply at:
https://survey.mpim-bonn.mpg.de/limesurvey6/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=816477&lang=en
To attend lectures via zoom, register at:
https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__OTn3xWZSYW5XWuLFaYQow#/registration
Here is more about the workshop: Quantum Field Theory (QFT) and Quantum Statistical Mechanics are central to high energy physics and condensed matter physics; they also raise deep questions in mathematics. The application of operator algebras to these areas of physics is well-known. Recent developments indicate that to understand some aspects QFT properly a further ingredient is needed: homotopy theory and infinity-categories. One such development is the recognition that symmetry in a QFT is better described by a homotopy type rather than a group (so-called generalized symmetries). Another one is the work of Lurie and others on extended Topological Field Theory (TFT) and the Baez-Dolan cobordism hypothesis. Finally, there is a conjecture of Kitaev that invertible phases of matter are classified by homotopy groups of an Omega-spectrum. This workshop will bring together researchers and students approaching this physics using different mathematical techniques: operator algebras, homotopy theory, higher category theory, etc. The goal is to catalyze new interactions between different communities. At the workshop recent developments will be reviewed and hopefully progress can be made on two outstanding problems: the Kitaev conjecture as well as the long-standing goal of finding a proper mathematical formulation for QFT.
The Organizers,
Dan Freed, Harvard University CMSA & Math
Dennis Gaitsgory, MPIM Bonn
Owen Gwilliam, UMass Amherst
Anton Kapustin, Caltech
Catherine Meusburger, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This message was sent to you via the Geometry List, which announces conferences in geometry and closely related areas to over 2000 mathematicians worldwide. We strongly recommend that announcements are mostly or all in plain text (i.e. without html formatting, which reportedly can create unexpected results on different devices and email systems), with a link provided to a nicely formatted web page.
At http://listserv.utk.edu/archives/geometry.html there are many functions available, including checking the archives since November 2005, changing your e-mail address or preferences, and joining/leaving the list. If you have problems that cannot be resolved at this website, send a message to cplaut@utk.edu.
Before sending an announcement, please carefully read the following. Any announcements that are *not* about conferences (e.g. those about jobs, journals, books, etc.) will be rejected by the moderator without comment. Announcements of individual talks and department seminars will also be rejected; https://mathseminars.org is a good option to announce for such talks. To announce a geometry or closely related conference, send the announcement to geometry@listserv.utk.edu. The moderator cannot edit your message; list members will receive the announcement as an e-mail from you EXACTLY as you submitted it. For example, if your submission starts with "Please post this on the geometry list" then your conference announcement will also begin with that statement. In order to keep down the volume of e-mail, only TWO announcements per conference will be approved by the moderator. The "subject" of your message should include the name of the conference and the number (first or second) of the announcement, e.g. Gauss Memorial Lectures in Geometry: Second Announcement.
You are strongly encouraged to provide essential information such as dates and location near the top of the body of your message, and not require someone to visit your conference link to find it.
Please check that your announcement (especially the website) is correct. Corrections will be approved only in the most critical situations, e.g. if corrected information is not available on the website. After submitting an announcement you may receive a message asking you to confirm your submission. This feature is designed to thwart the hundreds of machine-generated spam that are sent to the list and would otherwise have to be manually blocked by the moderator. If you do not see your announcement within 48 hours, please check the archives to see whether it was actually posted (i.e. you somehow missed seeing the post or are not subscribed with your current email address). If the announcement is not in the archive, search for a confirmation message that you may have missed (from listserv.utk.edu). If none of this solves the mystery, send a message to cplaut@utk.edu.
The Geometry List is sponsored and maintained by the Mathematics Department, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.