Analysis/Mathematical Physics Seminar

The KPZ Universality Class and Equation

The Gaussian central limit theorem says that for a wide class of stochastic systems, the bell curve (Gaussian distribution) describes the statistics for random fluctuations of important observables. In this talk I will look beyond this class of systems to a collection of probabilistic models which include random growth models, polymers, particle systems, matrices and stochastic PDEs, as well as certain asymptotic problems in combinatorics and representation theory. I will explain in what ways these different examples all fall into a single new universality class with a much richer mathematical structure than that of the Gaussian.

Date & Time

February 11, 2011 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Location

S-101

Speakers

Ivan Corwin

Affiliation

Courant Institute of Mathematics, New York University

Event Series

Categories