Conferences  >  Physics  >  Mathematical Physics

The mathematics and physics around gauge theory have, since their first interaction in the mid 1970's, prompted tremendous developments in both mathematics and physics. Deep and fundamental tools in partial differential equations have been developed to provide rigorous foundations for the mathematical study of gauge theories. This led to ongoing revolutions in the understanding of manifolds of dimensions 3 and 4 and presaged the development of symplectic topology. Ideas from quantum field theory have provided deep insights into new directions and conjectures on the structure of gauge theories and suggested many potential applications. The focus of this program will be those parts of gauge theory which hold promise for new applications to geometry and topology and require development of new analytic tools for their study.

Computational Physics and Numerical Simulation,    Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers

The Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS)

Egyptian Center for Theoretical Physics (ECTP)

We are witnessing a profound rapid change in our understanding of the phenomenon of Gravitation. We are exploring various implications of the general theory of relativity, and of its modified versions, in which gravitation is a consequence of the curvature of spacetime and also various investigations into the mathematical foundations of the general theory of relativity, the nature of spacetime, and the imprints of quantum mechanics. We have been commissioning sophisticated high energy experiments aiming at understanding the elementary particles that are the fundamental constituents of baryonic and leptonic matter and their underlying forces.

Event Secretariat;     Phone: [+201002390604];     Email: a.tawfik@cern.ch

High-Energy Physics (Theory, Experiment, Phenomenology, and Simulation), Astronomy (General Relativity, Quantum Gravity, Nature of Spacetime, Nature of Time, Gravity and Modified Gravity Theories, EM/GW Observations, Simulations, Singularities, Black holes, Early Universe, Ultra high-energy cosmic rays).

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology,    High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields

The XIX workshop on Statistical Mechanics and non Perturbative Field Theory

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

The primary goal of the annual Christmas workshop in Theoretical Physics held at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, is to bring together established and young researchers, in order to present their recent research results and to stimulate scientific interaction.

CIRM – Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques

Relativistic Quantum Mechanics is central in Physics and Mathematical Physics. It plays a very important role in the analysis of many relevant topics in that field. The basic operator for relativistic models is the Dirac operator. Contrary to the case of the non-relativistic Schrödinger operator, the Dirac operator is not semi-bounded, its spectrum being real and unbounded in both directions, for positive and negative values having a gap (−m, m), m the mass of the particle, in the middle of the essential spectrum. This property has many consequences, both for the physical interpretation of the solutions of the models based on the Dirac operator as for the much more difficult mathematical analysis of those models. These difficulties arise already at the level of one-particle systems. For N-particle systems, the difficulties arising from the total unboundedness of the operator together with the usual difficulties for N-particle systems in Quantum Mechanics are very stimulating mathematically, since they are the source of a large number of very interesting and difficult problems that are far from being understood at the moment. Various groups of mathematicians and mathematical physicists have specialized on these topics in the past two or three decades and have produced already a good amount of important results. But much remains to be understood and proved. The aim of this workshop is to stimulate the interaction of researchers in all those groups, researchers who have different approaches, points of view and methodologies. Also many of them have so far specialized on a part of the theory, and open discussions about the models, the difficulties to analyze them, the existing methods, the new perspectives to tackle more difficult problems out of reach at the moment, among all of them should be a great opportunity for making progress and opening new perspectives for the future.

Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory,    High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields

Chulalongkorn University

Gravitation and Cosmology, Math and Math Physics, Theory-HEP, Lattice

High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields,    Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University

We organise a 3-week programme bringing together theoretical physicists and mathematicians working in the areas of gravity, dualities, extended geometry, field theory, higher homotopy structures, and other infinite-dimensional superalgebras. The overarching goal is to make progress in constructing “exotic” field theories, where conventional notions of spacetime break down, and thus traditional methods fail. These include exotic forms of gravity, extended (double and exceptional) geometry, string/M-theory and its dualities, and higher spin theories. The common feature of these theories is the appearance of higher symmetry algebras, generalising the notion of Lie algebras. In this programme, we will bring physicists and mathematicians together working on these “higher structures” in order to better understand the fundamental structures of physical theories and develop a bootstrap based on higher structures.

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology,    High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields

The Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS)

Algebra,    Group Theory

UC Santa Barbara, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP)

The last several years have seen rapid development of a new language for conformal field theory(CFT), including insights from the conformal bootstrap program. This conference will bring to bear the modern arsenal of conformal field theory on the foundations of holography and quantum gravity. A theme of the conference will be the extent to which consistency conditions on quantum gravity are inherited from those of CFT, and whether they naturally lead to string/M-theory. By bringing together scientists on both sides of holographic duality, we hope to explore these issues in a broad way.Topics to be covered include large N bootstrap and the structure of holographic CFTs dual to general relativity; CFT sum rules and gravitational effective field theory; aspects of supersymmetry in holography; low-dimensional holography, modularity and quantum chaos; black holes from strongly-coupled finite temperature physics; symmetry constraints on gravitational path integrals and AdS vacua; S-matrices, their relation to CFT correlators, and holography away from AdS.

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology,    Algebra

Chulalongkorn University

The workshop will focus on mathematical physics of discrete systems, and in particular its applications to random geometries. Real-life motivations for such studies range from attempts to quantize gravity to problems in condensed matter physics to mathematical modelling of cooperative phenomena in macroscopic communities.

1) Discrete random geometries with applications to gravity quantization, 2) Discrete mathematical models in equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics (the Ising model and its relatives, percolation, lattice gases, etc), 3) Random matrix and tensor models, 4) Random graphs and dynamics of complex networks, 5) Topics in lattice gauge theory (especially with emphasis on analytic approaches), 6) Conformal field theories (especially with connections to the above subjects), 7) Discrete dynamics (cellular automata, spin chains, etc).

Graph Theory and Combinatorics,    Complex Networks

Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI)

A large collection of inverse problems involve using waves scattered or emitted from an object to image its interior or to determine some of its material properties. Applications including radar and microwave imaging, astronomy, sonar, ultrasound, and geophysics, may share many characteristics. These applications also cover a spectrum of problems and length scales from low to high frequency, near to far field, static to highly dynamic, and from imaging discrete isolated objects to the interior of a continuously varying medium. Through this spectrum, different computational and theoretical challenges in inverse problems will arise – and understanding the transition through regimes can also provide new insights in and of itself.

This workshop will put a spotlight on the mathematical similarities of Rich and Non-linear Tomography across these applications in order to catalyse rapid development of new tomographic methods. As part of a highly interdisciplinary programme, the aim is for real-world problems in these applications to motivate a breadth of theoretical and practical mathematical research challenges – from microlocal analysis through to Bayesian methods. It will also help to break down communication barriers between disciplines and applications.

Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI)

This workshop aims to showcase the most up-to-date developments in the theoretical and numerical treatment of wave scattering. The word canonical refers to wave scattering by simple obstacles. These include, but are not restricted to, infinite scatterers with a distinct geometric feature (half-planes, wedges, etc.) or simple smooth scatterers (cylinders, spheres, etc.). Canonical problems are excellent for developing innovative mathematical and numerical approaches and illustrating their strengths. The purpose of the workshop is to inspire participants to apply the advanced theoretical techniques presented to significant practical problems. It will bring together recognised international leaders and early career researchers to maximise the visibility of this theoretical work to the more applied community.

ICTP

The main scientific theme of the workshop is counting BPS states in physical systems associated to 3-manifolds or links, and interpretation of these counts as old or new topological invariants.

Although the ideas behind such relations appeared already in the late 90s, the recent years have seen some dramatic new developments. The goal of this learning workshop is to bring together physicists and mathematicians who are experts in the subject and also those who would like to enter the field. In particular, the talks will be given both by senior scientists and junior ones, including PhD students who only recently began working on the subject. The talks will be supplemented by dedicated discussion sessions where experts can answer questions that will be submitted by participants to the moderator in advance, or asked directly during the session.

"Z-hat" and F_K invariants counting BPS states in 6d superconformal field theory compactified on 3- manifolds, and their relation to known invariants of 3-manifolds and links -- Knots-quivers correspondence and its generalization to knot complements -- Properties of generating functions counting BPS states, including: modularity, relation to characters of (logarithmic) Vertex Operator Algebras, GW/DT invariants

Geometry and Topology,    High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields

ICMS - International Centre for Mathematical Sciences

There is a history of fruitful links between low-dimensional topology and number theory, going back at least to Mazur's observation that primes in number rings can be viewed as analogues of knots in a 3-manifold. More recently, the introduction of arithmetic gauge theory by M. Kim and collaborators paves the way to further bring ideas from theoretical physics to bear on fundamental problems in number theory and arithmetic geometry. This conference aims to explore this exciting new direction, and the links between number theory, topology and physics in general, with a particular focus on the role played by gauge fields as a unifying framework.

Number Theory, Arithmetic,    Geometry and Topology

Optimal Transport theory contains the core of the solutions to diverse problems in science, in applied mathematics, physics and astrophysics. Recent advances and developments of fast new algorithms have paved the way for major breakthroughs in different domains of research. Optimal transport bears deep-rooted connections with mechanics and physics through variational calculus. The goal of this workshop is to describe recent developments, highlight connections with physical phenomena and harbour discussions to define new challenges, help start projects between participants and draw new research path in the field. The aim is to exploit applications of optimal transport theory to physics and bring together different expertise, from mathematics, Physics and computational science.

Phone: [0033695753862];     Email: mohayaee@iap.fr

OPTIMAL TRANSPORT THEORY, FLUID MECHANICS, STATISTICAL PHYSICS, ASTROPHYSICS, DATA SCIENCE

Applied Mathematics (in general),    Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

ICMS - International Centre for Mathematical Sciences

The past several years have seen landmark progress in the interplay between representation theory, geometry and mathematical physics. Particularly notable have been Braverman, Finkelberg and Nakajima's definition of the Coulomb branch of an N=4 supersymmetric (SUSY) 3d gauge theory, and Mellit's proof of the Hausel-Letellier-Rodriguez-Villegas conjecture on the Poincar\'e polynomials of character varieties. The area has also seen exciting connections to other fields, such as significant progress on the conjectures of Gorsky, Negut and Rasmussen relating coherent sheaves on Hilbert schemes to Khovanov-Rozansky homology. The goal of this conference is to push forward research in areas at the nexus between these results: affine Springer theory, double affine Hecke algebras and Coulomb branches, creating new connections between experts, and exposing young mathematicians to this fast-progressing and exciting research area.

Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI)

Waves propagating in complex and random media are key to many areas of physics and engineering. These media include gases, emulsions, powders, porous and polycrystalline materials, to name just a few. The theoretical tools to understand wave phenomena can be applied to all linear waves, such as elastic and electromagnetic. Yet, the community and the tools used are quite disconnected. This workshop aims to bridge the gaps between us, better understand our connections, and share recent advances.

UC Santa Barbara, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP)

Recent developments in several disparate areas make it a pressing and opportune time to confront the interplay between topology, symmetry and interactions. This conference will catalyze the discussion on this broad topic by highlighting a burst of recent advancements, both theoretical and experimental, along this direction. An important goal is to enhance cross-talk between the weakly and strongly correlated communities interested in topology that have not yet had adequate interactions with each other. The conference will bring participants up to speed in this rapidly growing field and sharpen the central questions that will be discussed in the remainder of the associated program.

Condensed Matter Physics and Materials,    Geometry and Topology

EuroStrings 2023 is part of a cycle of yearly conferences gathering researchers from all over Europe and elsewhere, working in the areas of quantum field theory, string theory, quantum gravity and related topics. We hope that this conference will be an opportunity for having exciting scientific discussions and fostering new collaborations. Everybody interested in participating in the workshop is happily invited to register and participate.

Zouhaïr Mouayn (chair)

The conference will bring together leading experts and research scholars to exchange and share their experience and research results on all aspects of mathematical physics and to promote transference of knowledge at the crossroads of mathematics and physics. There will be plenary sessions (30 to 40min), short talks and posters for student presentations. The scope of the conference will be quite broad, including in particular the following topics: polyanalytic function theory, harmonic analysis, representation theory and quantization, Clifford analysis and applications, coherent states, time-frequency analysis and wavelets, orthogonal polynomials, special functions and q-analogues, Hopf algebras and quantum groups, geometric mechanics and symmetry, exact solvable systems, spectral theory and quantum systems, topological methods. With the goal of encouraging communication and collaborative research between the participants, a feature of ICMMP2023 will be the inclusion of specific time-slots for scientific discussion.

Email: mouayn@gmail.com

• Harmonic analysis, Representation theory & Quantization • Clifford algebras, Clifford analysis & applications • Coherent states & Wavelets • q-deformation, Hopf algebras & Quantum groups • Geometric mechanics & Symmetry • Orthogonal Polynomials, Special functions & Exact solvable systems • Probabilistic & Stochastic methods • Spectral theory & Quantum systems • Topological methods

UC Santa Barbara, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP)

Nanoparticle assembly is a hierarchical approach to functional materials. It operates at the mesoscale where elementary building blocks still feel their atomic nature and can profit from quantum function but at the same time are flexible enough in shape and interaction to permit high structural complexity. The realization of nanoparticle assemblies requires the convergence of and communication among several scientific disciplines: chemistry for synthesis, materials science for characterization, chemical engineering for up-scaling, and physics for a theoretical description and quantum phenomena. The goal of the conference will be to provide a coherent view of the current state of the field, bringing together researchers with different expertise and background. It should catalyze the development of new methods, both theoretical, computational and experimental, and define the basic science in this field. A focus will be recent developments but also a look forward: What should be the focus for the next decade and beyond? What are they key physics concepts that need to be developed and from where will the new game-changing technological advances emerge?

Clusters, Nanomaterials, Graphene and Fullerenes,    Geometry and Topology

ICMS - International Centre for Mathematical Sciences

Quantum technology is a vibrant discipline of research with numerous applications in all areas of science. The particular interest for this workshop lies in the area of quantum information and the control of quantum systems. While traditionally these disciplines have worked with finite-dimensional mathematical models for the sake of simplicity and since it has appeared sufficient, ever-growing physical systems and progress in experimental realisations make it natural to ask what happens in infinite dimensions: in the end, for large systems, infinite-dimensional approximations can often simplify the description of the finite-dimensional system; moreover, many systems are simply not finite-dimensional and hence a reliable mathematical description is needed. In this research workshop we would like to look at a number of current research themes in the wider area of quantum information such as robust quantum control, long-term stability of quantum systems, entanglement breaking channels and the divisibility of channels. By gathering experts from these areas, this workshop will stimulate discussions and cross-pollination, to look at common structures and frameworks, and to study the transition from finite to infinite dimensions and convergence properties in all of them.

Banff International Research Station (BIRS) / UBCO

The workshop will tackle four of the main directions in which Higgs bundles have recently taken a leading role within the mathematics and physics communities, following the breakthroughs of the last years. Bringing together leaders in the area both in mathematics and physics, as well as young researchers in the subfields of the workshop, the meeting will present the ideal setting for novel discoveries and understanding of the uses that Higgs bundles and Hitchin systems may have.

ICMS - International Centre for Mathematical Sciences

This workshop aims to bring together experts on singularity formation from mathematical general relativity as well as from dispersive PDE to map out the current frontiers of the fields, stimulate the transfer of ideas, foster discussions and new collaborations, and to inspire the new generation of researchers to take up the challenges this field holds. On the side of general relativity the workshop focuses on the topics of naked singularities, singularities inside black holes, as well as cosmological singularities. On the side of dispersive PDE the workshop aims to discuss the characterisation of general singularities and blow-up dynamics.

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology,    Calculus, Differential Equations and Integration

Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University

Recent work by physicists has uncovered a conjectural relationship between the enumerative invariants of noncompact Calabi-Yau geometries and the spectra of quantum curves. In certain limits, this connection may be recast in terms of zeroes and limits of higher normal functions, which are generalized periods arising from algebraic K-theory. Other interpretations and applications abound, in contexts ranging from integrable systems to resurgence theory. This workshop will be the first time that an interdisciplinary group of researchers working on this topic from various perspectives has been convened. The organizers expect it to generate new insights and new research liaisons among the attendees.

Algebra,    Geometry and Topology

Dept. of Mathematics, Stockholm University, SWEDEN

Marcus Wallenberg Symposium in memory of SERGEY NABOKO

Applied Mathematics (in general),    Analysis

The meeting covers the whole field of Lie Theory in its widest sense together with its applications in many facets of physics. As interface between mathematics and physics the workshop serves as a meeting place for mathematicians and theoretical and mathematical physicists.

Algebra,    Applied Mathematics (in general)

Banff International Research Station (BIRS) / UBCO

This workshop will study this question for systems of geometric origin. One example of this is a particle bouncing inside a region -- think of a ball bouncing around a billiard table, or a light beam bouncing around a room whose walls are mirrors. If the walls are flat then the behavior is fairly predictable, but if they are curved then one often observes random-looking behavior in the long run. Or imagine walking in a straight line along a surface; if the surface is flat then changing the starting point a little will lead to a predictable change in the trajectory. However, if the surface is curved like a saddle then different trajectories will spread out and your location after walking for a long time will eventually seem to be random. The task of giving precise descriptions of systems such as these requires a more complete development of the theory of thermodynamic formalism for systems of geometric origin, which is precisely the goal of this workshop.

The next European conference on few-body problems in physics (EFB25) will be held in Mainz, Germany, from July 30th to August 4th, 2023. This will be the 25th edition of this conference series, which has previously taken place in Guildford (2019), Aarhus (2016), Krakow (2013), Salamanca (2010), and Pisa (2007). Like the previous conferences, this conference will give the possibility to present and discuss recent developments in the field of few-body systems, i.e., systems which can be understood in terms of a few degrees of freedom.

This Conference will focus on recent developments in the field of few-body systems in the following areas: Hadron physics; Nuclei and hypernuclei ; Electroweak processes; Nuclear astrophysics; Cold atoms and quantum gases; Atoms and molecules; Few-body methods; Few-body aspects of many-body systems

Nuclear Physics,    Atomic and Molecular Physics

Casa Matemática Oaxaca (CMO)

This workshop on pathological behaviors of solutions to fluid equations brings together experts in mathematical fluid mechanics to discuss recent exciting developments in this direction from the mathematical point of view, as well as their relevance to turbulence.

Galileo Galilei Institute For Theoretical Physics

High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields,    Particle Accelerators

Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (MFO, Oberwolfach Research Institute for Mathematics)

Modeling and Simulation,    Computational Physics and Numerical Simulation

Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (MFO, Oberwolfach Research Institute for Mathematics)

Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory,    High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields

Banff International Research Station (BIRS) for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery

Most of the many discrete optimization problems arising in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics are NP-hard, that is, there exist no efficient algorithms to solve them to optimality, assuming the conjecture that P does not equal NP. The area of approximation algorithms focuses on the design and analysis of efficient algorithms that find solutions that are within a guaranteed factor of the optimal one. Loosely speaking, in the context of studying algorithmic problems, an approximation guarantee captures the quality of an algorithm -- for every possible set of input data for the problem, the algorithm finds a solution whose cost is within this factor of the optimal cost. A hardness threshold indicates the difficulty of the algorithmic problem -- no efficient algorithm can achieve an approximation guarantee better than the hardness threshold assuming that P does not equal NP. Over the last two decades, there have been major advances on the design and analysis of approximation algorithms, and on the complementary topic of the hardness of approximation. The goal of the workshop is to focus on a few key topics that could lead to deep new results in the areas of approximation algorithms, combinatorial optimization, hardness of approximation, and proof complexity.

Computational Physics and Numerical Simulation,    Algorithms and Data Structures

Banff International Research Station (BIRS) for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery

The workshop is conceived in response to recent breakthroughs in physics and mathematics. One is the real quantization of Hitchin moduli spaces due to Gaiotto and Witten, and the other is a deformation quantization theory of Kontsevich and Soibelman that has achieved a vast mathematical foundation and generalization of topological recursion of Eynard and Orantin in random matrix theory. The vision of the organizers is that these two theories should be related through mirror symmetry. The workshop is organized to test this vision, and to explore its mathematical consequences.

Banff International Research Station (BIRS) for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery

Motivated by theoretical work that pointed to new opportunities, tremendous progress has been made over the past several years in using moiré superlattices formed from two-dimensional materials as a laboratory for the study of quantum materials. This development has opened up an exciting new scientific opening, one in which mathematics and theoretical physics have a very large role to play by identifying moiré systems that are likely to exhibit new or poorly understood electronic phenomena, by inventing mathematical methods that enable testable predictions of physical properties, and by unravelling the meaning of experimental observations.

Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (IASM) in Hangzhou, China

In 2009 a new direction in variational calculus was proposed, called Lagrangian multiform theory (also referred to as pluri-Lagrangian systems), which breaks with the conventional approach in a fundamental way: in this new theory the Lagrangian is no longer a simple function of the fields, but an extended object (a differential or difference p-form). Furthermore, the Lagrangian is not put in by hand, i.e. chosen on the basis of secondary considerations (such as requiring certain symmetries), but emerges itself as a solution of the principal variational equations. These equations come from varying both the fields (as in the conventional theory) as well as the hyper-surfaces over which the action is integrated in the space of independent variables. The theory forms unique departure from the standard picture, in that it forms the first least-action principle that merges variational calculus with the key integrability notion of 'multidimensional consistency' (which is the key property of integrable systems, comprising the class of remarkable model equations which allow for the coexistence of infinite families of equations on one and the same mathematical functions). The fast development of the theory in the last decade, establishing the basic principles of the classical theory, demonstrating the applications to integrable systems and making the first steps towards a quantum theory, make it very timely to have a meeting on this new subject. The ambition of this novel viewpoint on the least-action principle, possibly as a candidate for a new foundational principle of physics, compel to branch out to researchers working in fundamental physics.

Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (IASM) in Hangzhou, China

The Langlands Programme as we now know it was framed as a research agenda in the late 1960s. At the same time that the Nobel Prize was being awarded to Murray Gell-Mann "for his contributions and discoveries concerning the classification of elementary particles and their interactions," the Langlands Program predicted that the elementary particles of arithmetic -- L-functions -- should be classified by automorphic representations of algebraic groups. One of the pillars of the Langlands Programme is a conjecture, known as the local Langlands Correspondence, which is crucial to attaching complete L-functions to automorphic representations. The local Langlands Correspondence is now a theorem for automorphic representations of quasisplit classical groups by the work of James Arthur, relying on the work of many mathematicians. Arthur packets play a key role in this recent work. This conference gathers together experts on Arthur packets over global and local fields to cross-pollinate ideas and work on open problems.

Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (IASM) in Hangzhou, China

Vortex dynamics is at the heart of many unresolved problems in fluid mechanics and is also central to numerous applications in science and engineering. The goal of the proposed meeting is to survey the recent progress in this field focusing on applied mathematics aspects of both classical and emerging problems. We are planning to bring together about 40 researchers at different career stages working on various aspects of vortex dynamics, spanning applied mathematical analysis, scientific computing, physical modeling as well as scientific and engineering applications. A highlight of the workshop will be events designed to foster cross-fertilization between applied mathematics and different application areas.

Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP)

While it is widely acknowledged that string theory provides a framework for addressing quantum gravitational (and even quantum field theoretic) questions, the precise nature of its organizational principle remains obscure. Nearly three decades ago, when the question “What is string theory?” was asked, the perturbative string worldsheet viewpoint played the starring role. Since then, the discovery of D-branes, string dualities, and the holographic AdS/CFT correspondence has had spacetime dynamics taking center-stage. Much insight has been gleaned from these developments. We now have, for example, a much broader class of string backgrounds with better control over compactifications; strong constraints on the low energy effective field theories; a plethora of gauge-string dualities as well as applications of holographic techniques to a wide class of physical problems; and new angles on semiclassical gravitational physics from a fruitful interplay with quantum information in holography. Together with an influx of new tools and techniques, we have a very rich set of perspectives that illuminate the subject we continue to call string theory. While all these developments are interesting in and of themselves, it is an opportune moment to attempt to synthesize these, often disparate, strands and arrive at a deeper answer to the question in the title.

High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields,    Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

The international conference Loops ‘24 is the most recent in a long tradition of biennial meetings focused on loop quantum gravity and background independent approaches to quantum gravity. The conference will be held from Monday, May 6 through Friday, May 10, 2024, at the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA). The program will feature morning plenary talks complemented by contributed talks. Plenary sessions will be held in the auditorium of the Broward County Main Library one block away from the campus. The conference will highlight recent developments in canonical loop quantum gravity, covariant loop quantum gravity (spin foams), and other approaches to quantum gravity, as well as applications to symmetry-reduced models, quantum cosmology, black holes in quantum gravity, and other topics. Foundational, mathematical, numerical and phenomenological aspects will be covered.

Gravitation and Cosmology

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology,    High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields

The International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory is an annual conference that attracts scientists from around the world. Originally started as a place for physicists to discuss recent developments in lattice gauge theory, the conference is now the largest of its type and has grown to cover strongly interacting phenomena in many contexts such as particle physics phenomenology and nuclear theory, as well as algorithms, code development and machine architectures.