RIT on Geometry and Physics Archives for Fall 2017 to Spring 2018


Organizational meeting

When: Thu, September 1, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Discussion of topics for Fall 2016

Introduction to elliptic curves

When: Thu, September 8, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Siddhartha Harmalkar (UMD)


Introduction to homological mirror symmetry and the SYZ conjecture

When: Thu, September 15, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Chuck Doran (U. Alberta and UMD)

Mukai duality and the SYZ conjecture

When: Thu, September 22, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Jonathan Rosenberg (UMd)

no meeting (because of Levermore DST lecture)

When: Thu, September 29, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where:


Introduction to the Fukaya category

When: Thu, October 6, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: David Pincus (UMd)
Abstract: We'll start to explain what the Fukaya category is,
which is needed to make sense of Kontsevich's homological mirror
symmetry conjecture.

The Polishchuk-Zaslow approach to mirror symmetry for elliptic curves

When: Thu, October 13, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: David Pincus (UMd)
Abstract: Discussion of the paper by Polishchuk and Zaslow,
Categorical mirror symmetry: the elliptic curve, Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 2
(1998), no. 2, 443-470, arXiv:math/9801119.

2 talks: Multiple Fibrations and Dualities in F-Theory and Noncommutative deformations and perverse sheaves of categories

When: Thu, October 20, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Lara Anderson (Virginia Tech) and Andrew Harder (Univ. of Miami)

The Polishchuk-Zaslow approach to mirror symmetry for elliptic curves

When: Thu, October 27, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Matt Calkins (UMd)
Abstract: Discussion of the paper by Polishchuk and Zaslow,
Categorical mirror symmetry: the elliptic curve, Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 2
(1998), no. 2, 443-470, arXiv:math/9801119.

Physics reasoning for mirror symmetry

When: Thu, November 3, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Tristan Hubsch (Howard and UMd)
Abstract: A bit more about the physics reasoning for mirror symmetry, connecting with Cox & Katz's exposition as well as the reasoning behind the BKH "transposition" construction.

Mirror symmetry for Riemann surfaces

When: Thu, November 10, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Charles Doran (Alberta and UMd)
Abstract: A general discussion leading up to homological mirror symmetry for (nonelliptic) curves, where the mirror is a Landau-Ginzburg model of complex dimension 3. See for example P. Seidel, Homological mirror symmetry for the genus two curve, J. Alg. Geom. 20 (2011), 727-769.

Mirror symmetry for Riemann surfaces (cont'd)

When: Thu, November 17, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Charles Doran (Alberta and UMd)
Abstract: The general theory from the last lecture will be specialized to something very concrete, leading to dimer models.

FJRW theory and mirror symmetry

When: Thu, December 1, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Amin Gholampour (UMd)


FJRW theory and mirror symmetry (cont'd)

When: Thu, December 8, 2016 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Amin Gholampour (UMd)


organization meeting for the spring semester

When: Thu, January 26, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117


introduction to the book "Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry"

When: Thu, February 2, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Jonathan Rosenberg (UMd) - http://www.math.umd.edu/~jmr/
Abstract: We will start with some of the first topics in the book "Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry", http://bookstore.ams.org/cmim-4 . The preface and Chapter 1 can be downloaded for free from the AMS website. Chapter 2 is at arXiv:hep-th/0609042

D-branes and 2-dimensional topological field theories

When: Thu, February 9, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: Jonathan Rosenberg (UMd) - http://www.math.umd.edu/~jmr/
Abstract: I will continue with a discussion of the second chapter of the book "Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry", http://bookstore.ams.org/cmim-4 . Chapter 2 is at arXiv:hep-th/0609042. You can also get the whole book in electronic form from http://claymath.org/publications/online-books .

Supersymmetric quantum mechanics

When: Thu, February 16, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: David Pincus (UMd)
Abstract: We will start on chapter 3 of the book "Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry", http://bookstore.ams.org/cmim-4 . You can get the whole book in electronic form from http://claymath.org/publications/online-books .

Supersymmetric quantum mechanics (cont'd)

When: Thu, February 23, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHY 1117
Speaker: David Pincus (UMd)
Abstract: We will start on chapter 3 of the book "Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry", http://bookstore.ams.org/cmim-4 . You can get the whole book in electronic form from http://claymath.org/publications/online-books .

Introduction to Derived Categories

When: Thu, March 2, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHYS 1117
Speaker: Eric Lownes (UMCP) -


Introduction to Derived Categories (cnt'd)

When: Thu, March 9, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHYS 1117
Speaker: Eric Lownes (UMCP) -


Topological twist in N=2 superconformal field theory

When: Thu, March 30, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHYS 1117
Speaker: Richard Wentworth (UMCP) -
Abstract: We will go back to Ch. 3 of "Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry, that gets into the heart of the subject.


Topological twist in N=2 superconformal field theory (cont'd)

When: Thu, April 6, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHYS 1117
Speaker: Richard Wentworth (UMCP) -
Abstract: We will go back to Ch. 3 of "Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry", that gets into the heart of the subject. This second lecture will discuss how the twists arise from a U(1)-current in superconformal N=2 field theory.


Topological twists in N=2 string theory

When: Thu, April 13, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHYS 1117
Speaker: Tristan Hubsch (Howard and UMCP) -
Abstract: The so-called "Model A" and "Model B" twisted sigma models have been used to probe the geometry of variations of the (complexified) Kaehler class and the complex structure of the target spaces in supersymmetric world-sheet quantum field theories. These two "topological" models are twisted versions of the original supersymmetric field theory, which focus on the two structures of interest and were introduced in

E. Witten, "Mirror manifolds and topological field theory"
Mirror Symmetry (S.-T. Yau, ed.), vol. I. AMS, 1991.
[hep-th/9112056]
AMS/IP Stud. Adv. Math. 9 (1998) 121–160.

My aim is to describe the relation of these two models both to the original supersymmetric field theory, and also to the geometry of the target space and its (Kaehler class and complex structure) moduli.


Topological twists in N=2 string theory (cont'd)

When: Thu, April 20, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHYS 1117
Speaker: Tristan Hubsch (Howard and UMCP) -
Abstract: The so-called "Model A" and "Model B" twisted sigma models have been used to probe the geometry of variations of the (complexified) Kaehler class and the complex structure of the target spaces in supersymmetric world-sheet quantum field theories. These two "topological" models are twisted versions of the original supersymmetric field theory, which focus on the two structures of interest and were introduced in

E. Witten, "Mirror manifolds and topological field theory"
Mirror Symmetry (S.-T. Yau, ed.), vol. I. AMS, 1991.
[hep-th/9112056]
AMS/IP Stud. Adv. Math. 9 (1998) 121–160.

My aim is to describe the relation of these two models both to the original supersymmetric field theory, and also to the geometry of the target space and its (Kaehler class and complex structure) moduli.


Ricci-flat Kahler metrics

When: Thu, April 27, 2017 - 3:30pm
Where: PHYS 1117
Speaker: Matt Dellatorre (UMCP) -
Abstract: We'll start to talk about Ch. 7 of the book.