Previous Conferences & Workshops

Dec
02
2010

Galois Representations and Automorphic Forms Seminar

Relative p-Adic Hodge Theory
2:15pm|S-101

The theory of (\varphi, \Gamma)-modules, which was introduced by Fontaine in the early 90's, classifies local Galois representations into modules over certain power series rings carrying certain extra structures (\varphi and \Gamma). In a recent...

Dec
01
2010

Workshop on Topology: Identifying Order in Complex Systems

Patterns, Universality and Computational Algorithms
Nigel Goldenfeld
4:30pm|S-101

Can we use computational algorithms to make accurate predictions of physical phenomena? In this talk, intended for non-experts, I will give examples where complicated space-time phenomena can be exquisitely captured with simple computational...

Nov
30
2010

Computer Science/Discrete Mathematics Seminar II

Hardness Escalation and the Rank of Polynomial Threshold Proofs
10:30am|S-101

A hardness escalation method applies a simple transformation that increases the complexity of a computational problem. Using multiparty communication complexity we present a generic hardness escalation method that converts any family of...

Nov
29
2010

Computer Science/Discrete Mathematics Seminar

Self-Correction, Distance Estimation and Local Testing of Codes
3:15pm|S-101

We construct linear codes of almost-linear length and linear distance that can be locally self-corrected on average from a constant number of queries: 1. Given oracle access to a word $w\in\Sigma^n$ that is at least $\varepsilon$-close to a codeword...

Nov
29
2010

Members’ Seminar

(Some) Generic Properties of (Some) Infinite Groups
2:00pm|S-101

This talk will be a biased survey of recent work on various properties of elements of infinite groups, which can be shown to hold with high probability once the elements are sampled from a large enough subset of the group (examples of groups: linear...

Nov
29
2010

Computer Science/Discrete Mathematics Seminar I

The Permanents of Gaussian Matrices
11:15am|S-101

In recent joint work with Alex Arkhipov, we proposed a quantum optics experiment, which would sample from a probability distribution that we believe cannot be sampled (even approximately) by any efficient classical algorithm, unless the polynomial...