Previous Conferences & Workshops

Mar
24
2015

Topology of Algebraic Varieties

On the incidence complex of the boundary of the character variety
Carlos Simpson
2:00pm|S-101

Starting from an example in which the Hitchin correspondence can be written down explicitly, we look at what might be said relating the incidence complex of the boundary of the character variety, and the Hitchin map.

Mar
24
2015

Topology of Algebraic Varieties

The projective line minus 3 points I
11:00am|Physics Library, Bloomberg Hall 201

I will try to tell the story of the projective line minus three points from the point of view of periods, and if time permits, discuss some open problems.

Mar
24
2015

Computer Science/Discrete Mathematics Seminar II

Tractability as compressibility
Dimitris Achlioptas
10:30am|S-101

Given a collection of constraints over a collection of variables consider the following generic constraint satisfaction algorithm: start with a random assignment of values to the variables; while violated constraints exist, select a random such...

Mar
23
2015

Members’ Seminar

Decoupling in harmonic analysis and applications to number theory
2:00pm|S-101

Decoupling inequalities in harmonic analysis permit to bound the Fourier transform of measures carried by hyper surfaces by certain square functions defined using the geometry of the hyper surface. The original motivation has to do with issues in...

Mar
23
2015

Computer Science/Discrete Mathematics Seminar I

Random walks that find perfect objects and the Lovász local lemma
Dimitris Achlioptas
11:15am|S-101

At the heart of every local search algorithm is a directed graph on candidate solutions (states) such that every unsatisfactory state has at least one outgoing arc. In stochastic local search the hope is that a random walk will reach a satisfactory...

Mar
23
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Floer-like complexes for surfaces, maximally unlinked braids, and finite energy foliations
9:30am|Fine 801, Princeton University

In this talk I will present an approach to constructing finite energy foliations by pseudo-holomorphic curves with prescribed asymptotic orbits in the symplectization of a mapping torus. The idea is that so called maximally unlinked braids of...

Mar
20
2015

Mathematical Conversations

Quantum spectral curves
6:00pm|Dilworth Room

Spectral curves appear in many integrable systems. Their quantum cousins are equally ubiquitous and describe among others random matrices, the topology of Riemann's moduli space, and hyperbolic knots. Quantum curves are the simplest example of what...

Mar
20
2015

Joint IAS/Columbia/Bendersky-Gitler Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Non-Hamiltonian actions with isolated fixed points
Sue Tolman
2:45pm|Jadwin A10, Princeton University

Let a circle act symplectically on a closed symplectic manifold $M$. If the action is Hamiltonian, we can pass to the reduced space; moreover, the fixed set largely determines the cohomology and Chern classes of $M$. In particular, symplectic circle...

Mar
20
2015

Joint IAS/Columbia/Bendersky-Gitler Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Nearby Lagrangians are simply homotopic
1:30pm|Jadwin A10, Princeton University

This is a report on joint work in progress with T. Kragh, wherein we prove that a closed exact Lagrangian in a cotangent bundle is simply homotopy equivalent to the base. I will explain the two main ingredients of the proof: (i) realising the...