Conferences and Meetings on Mathematical Physics

International Association of Mathematical Physics (IAMP)

On behalf of the International Association of Mathematical Physics (IAMP), the International Scientific Committee, and the Local Organizing Committee we invite you to participate in the XX International Congress on Mathematical Physics to be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 2-7 August 2021. The International Congress on Mathematical Physics (ICMP), on its three year cycle, is the most important conference of the International Association of Mathematical Physics. It will be a major event, where new results and future challenges will be discussed, illustrating the richness and vitality of Mathematical Physics. ICMP 2021 will be preceded by the Young Researchers Symposium (YRS) from 29-31 July 2021.

Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley

Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley

This workshop will focus on cutting-edge research in random matrices and integrable probability. We will explore connections with other branches of mathematics and applications to sciences and engineering. The workshop will feature presentations by both leading researchers and promising newcomers.

Algebra,    Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers

Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley

The introductory workshop aims at providing participants with an overview of some of the recent developments in the topics of the semester, with a particular emphasis on universality and applications. This includes universality for Wigner matrices and band matrices and quantum unique ergodicity, universality for beta ensembles and log/coulomb gases, KPZ universality class, universality in interacting particle systems, the connection between random matrices and number theory.

Algebra,    Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers

This school is intended for young researchers (master students, PhD students and young postdocs) involved in the global effort of investigating the large excess of the measured value of the muon anomalous magnetic moment over the Standard Model prediction. The lecture schedule will be complemented by dedicated sessions for discussions, exercises and posters along with social activities to encourage networking and a vivid exchange of ideas.

Courses and Events for Physics Students,    High Energy Physics, Particles and Fields

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

Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers,    Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

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

Several communities of experimental and theoretical physics are devoted to studying the problem of transport and energy conversion in quantum systems away from equilibrium. In statistical physics, these topics have been traditionally addressed mainly in the classical realm. In condensed matter and atomic physics, the traditional context has been quantum charge and spin transport. Recent progress includes the application of ideas from quantum information to understand the emergence of thermodynamical concepts and the creation in experiments of quantum coherent systems of various scales with a novel degree of control. These developments motivate work on fundamental challenges like the creation of optimal protocols for energy/information transport as well as state preparation. The aim of this conference is to provide a survey of the most recent advances in the area, bringing together experts across all these fields.

When many quantum particles interact, they can organize themselves into highly entangled states with unexpected properties that transcend those of the individual constituents. The description of those states and their properties is typically rather challenging - not only from a mathematical point of view. In the last 15 years, concepts and tools from quantum information theory (QIT) have proven highly useful in investigating such systems. This new perspective aims to characterize and classify the complexity in large quantum systems.

Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University

Recently, there has been great interest in determining criteria which differentiate between effective low-energy field theories which can be consistently completed in the ultraviolet into quantum gravity, said to be in the ‘Landscape’, from theories which appear consistent but nonetheless defy such a coupling to quantum gravity, the so-called ‘Swampland’. A number of such criteria, or Swampland Conjectures, have been proposed in the literature and attracted considerable interest in the high energy physics community. If confirmed, they have far-reaching consequences for physics and cosmology, such as for the structure of large field inflation in early time cosmology or for the mechanism responsible for the observed late-time acceleration of the universe, to name but the most striking ones. On the other hand, the Swampland Conjectures translate, in the context of string theory, into conjectures regarding the structure of possible compactifications, or string geometries. String theory is therefore in a unique position to quantitatively test - and possibly refine - such general Swampland Conjectures. This Scientific Program proposes to study these intriguing connections between general properties of quantum gravity and the geometry of string compactifications. It aims to bring together world experts working at the forefront of research in string theory, field theoretic aspects of quantum gravity, and geometry at this unique time in which our understanding of the Swampland is quickly evolving.

Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (IASM) in Hangzhou, China, and the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) in Banff, Canada

Subfactors and vertex operator algebras are mathematical structures that at first glance appear very different, but both are used in the mathematical study of quantum field theory. In particular, vertex operator algebras are algebraic structures arising in two-dimensional conformal field theory (CFT), a quantum field theory with applications ranging from string theory to condensed matter physics to quantum computing. On the other hand, subfactors are closely related to conformal nets, which are a functional-analytic approach to CFT. Because they are both mathematical descriptions the same quantum field theory, the theories of vertex operator algebras and conformal nets are widely believed to be equivalent, but only in the last few years has there been substantial progress in establishing an equivalence. As many important results in conformal field theory have been established for either vertex operator algebras or conformal nets, but not necessarily both, developing connections and equivalences will be useful for answering open questions in both mathematical formulations of CFT.

Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers,    Algebra

ICERM

The workshop will be devoted to the analysis of wave phenomena from different perspectives: mathematical modeling and analysis, experimental physics, and numerical analysis. One of the goals of this event is to gather scientists coming from a priori distant communities but sharing a common interest in wave propagation phenomena in a broad sense (fluid mechanics, quantum mechanics, plasma physics, rigorous analysis). We plan to focus on various themes representing topical problems in these fields, from experimental reproduction of physical phenomena, numerical issues, to the most recent rigorous mathematical results.

Phone: [401-863-5030];     Email: info@icerm.brown.edu

wave phenomena, modeling and analysis, experimental physics, and numerical analysis.

Modeling and Simulation,    Computational Physics and Numerical Simulation

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

The advent of quantum simulators have ushered a new era of non-equilibrium many-body physics and has sparked a dialogue between seemingly disparate fields. This conference will explore universal aspects of many-body systems far from equilibrium at the interface of statistical physics, AMO, condensed matter and high-energy physics, by bringing together scientists from these diverse communities. Our focus is on novel phases of matter far from equilibrium and their associated universality classes that emerge beyond equilibrium paradigms. Diverse topics will be covered including short-time universality, entanglement dynamics, and mapping between classical and quantum non-equilibrium systems. Our goal is to identify aspects of high-energy physics that can inform non-equilibrium condensed and AMO systems and vice versa, with an eye towards realizing experiments which can sharpen our understanding of far-from-equilibrium universality.

Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University

Boundaries and defects have been at the heart of crucial developments in theoretical physics in the last 20 years: holography (field theories could live at the boundary of a higher- dimensional gravitational theory), entanglement (the entangling surface can be treated as a defect), black holes (the horizon is a boundary), topological insulators and semi-metals (the topologically-protected massless modes live at the boundary), and non-local operators such as Wilson and ‘t Hooft lines (defects defined by appropriate boundary conditions). Additionally, many other areas have made major advances in recent years whose implications for quantum field theory with boundaries and defects have yet to be explored fully: the conformal bootstrap, dualities among (2+1)d quantum field theories, supersymmetric localization, integrability, and so on. However, progress in these areas has largely been carried out by separated communities working in isolation from the others. This scientific program thus aims to bring together a diverse group of leading theorists interested in boundaries and defects in quantum field theory, from the formal/mathematical to the applied, to forge collaborations between different areas, identify common subjects and complementary approaches, and set the agenda for future developments and new applications.

The three broad focus areas will be: Conformal field theories with boundaries and defects Supersymmetry and Duality with boundaries and defects Curved space, gravity and entanglement

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

Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers,    Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory

ETH Zürich - EPF Lausanne - Universität Bern - Université de Genève

Understanding quantum gravity is one of the main open questions in modern theoretical physics. Holographic duality constitutes a major advance in this direction linking together quantum field theory and quantum gravity and in particular string theory. This meeting aims to bring together a diverse set of international experts working on the intersecting fields of string theory, quantum field theory and holography.

Strings, Branes and Holograms

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

ICERM

The large-time behavior of (generic) solutions of nonlinear dispersive equations set on bounded domains is almost completely open as far as rigorous analysis goes, and fairly mysterious, even from a less rigorous viewpoint. Under the assumption of weak nonlinearity, physicists and applied mathematicians have devised a theory to approach this question, known as weak turbulence, a branch of statistical physics. Weak turbulence theory predicts that the equation will enter a chaotic regime, where the exchange of energy in phase space is governed by the so-called kinetic wave equation. Justifying the derivation of the kinetic wave equation is a fascinating mathematical task, for which some results are already known, but whose solution will likely require input from nonlinear PDEs, but also probability theory. Intimately related questions are the question of Sobolev growth (how much can or does, the Sobolev norm of a nonlinear dispersive equation grow over time), as well as the analysis of nonlinear dispersive equations with random data. These questions have already generated a lot of interest, but much remains to be discovered: our understanding is extremely lacunar.

Phone: [4018635030];     Email: info@icerm.brown.edu

Casa Matemática Oaxaca (CMO) in Mexico, and the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) in Banff, Canada

In this workshop, experts in the physics and mathematics of string theory shall gather together to discuss the current progress on the study of the physical consequences (for particle physics and cosmology) of string models, and to explore new exciting formal (and informal) proposals that may constitute important tools to gain a better understanding of string theory and its possible predictions. Besides traditional overview talks and seminars on the ongoing research in this field, the workshop will provide an adequate environment for fruitful discussion and collaboration.

Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers,    Conventional and Renewable Energy Production

CIRM – Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques

CIRM – Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques

Calculus, Differential Equations and Integration,    Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory

ICERM

Recent progress in the analysis of dispersive PDE's has revealed various aspects of long-time dynamics or behavior of solutions, from the basic three types (scattering, blow-up, and solitons) to more complicated combinations, transitions, and oscillations among them, and so on. The goal of this workshop is for the participants to draw integrated landscapes of those diverse phenomena, aiming towards more a complete description, classification, and prediction of global dynamics, as well as new phenomena and methods.

Phone: [4018635030];     Email: info@icerm.brown.edu

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

Understanding how color is confined in QCD, and the binding of quarks into hadrons, is one of the major unresolved challenges in fundamental physics. The central piece in this puzzle is the chromoelectric flux tube, or confining string, which holds quarks together. In recent years, tantalizing new insights into the dynamical properties of confining strings have been obtained using various theoretical tools such as effective string theory, integrability, the modern S-matrix bootstrap, and gauge/gravity duality. Lattice gauge theory supplies important information about the spectrum of flux tube excitations. Finally, the recent experimental discovery of heavy flavor tetraquarks provides a direct observational probe of flux tube junctions. This conference will bring together experts in these different fields to initiate the exchange of ideas and stimulate future cross-disciplinary developments.

The aim of this program is to pave the way towards practical and error-controlled quantum-mechanical calculations with tens of thousands (or even millions) of quantum particles. This IPAM program is based on the premise that by systematically analyzing the structure and topology of Hilbert spaces of different systems and methods, as an interdisciplinary community we can overcome the bottlenecks of existing approximations, and move towards quantum multiscale methods based on Hilbert space embedding, model order reduction, and complementary mathematical and statistical techniques. This program will bring together physicists, mathematicians, chemists, engineers, and computer scientists interested in pushing the boundaries of theory and methods based on quantum mechanics.

Courses and Events for Physics Students,    Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory

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

Binary systems are ubiquitous in nature, from stars to the supermassive black holes expected to reside in galactic nuclei. In many circumstances, the binary system is enveloped by circumbinary gas. How does circumbinary gas evolve and influence the embedded binary? What observational signatures of this gas are most informative? What novel numerical techniques must we deploy to better model these systems? This conference will bring together two distinct communities: those working on massive black hole binaries with those working on stellar binaries. Because recent years have seen remarkable progress in observations of stellar binaries, and numerical modeling of both stars and black holes, now is the ideal time to bring together these two groups. The conference will highlight the remarkable similarities of problems at such varied astrophysical scales, and shed light on the crucial next steps for pushing the boundaries of our knowledge.

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

The goal of this conference is to survey the interdisciplinary avenues in modern neutrino physics, with a threefold overarching set of aims: (1) to maximize the new physics potential of present and upcoming experimental data, (2) to understand new directions in the quest for high-precision neutrino cross sections, including synergy with lattice QCD; and, (3) to ensure that the impact of neutrinos on astrophysical and cosmological processes is comprehensively addressed. Particular attention will be given to exploring connections between neutrinos and gravitational waves, cosmological data, sources for IceCube’s astrophysical neutrino events, implications of the latest sterile searches for cosmology and astrophysics, and an assessment of the role of the neutrino detectors as astrophysical observatories.

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

The detection of gravitational waves by Advanced LIGO/Virgo has opened a new frontier in physics, with impact on areas ranging from field theory through stellar evolution and cosmology. It has also seeded new connections between theoretical communities, especially between field theorists and classical relativists. An even brighter future lies ahead, with more sensitive ground-based detectors and, eventually, a space-based observatory. Current and future experiments demand precision modelling of gravitational-wave signals in order to interpret the strongest gravitational-wave events and to enable sensitive searches for new physics which may be embedded in these signals. The conference will bring together experts from three communities: classical relativity, effective field theory, and scattering amplitudes. Building on the current state of the art, we will discuss the needs of the next generation of gravitational-wave experiments; identify which challenges theory must overcome; highlight recent advances in gravitational wave modelling for more detailed study; and uncover the most promising emerging tools and techniques from classical and quantum field theory for further development.

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

This conference will bring together a diverse set of scientists interested in the broad topic of few-body physics, providing a snapshot of the current status of few-body physics near unitarity, where the two-body scattering length is the largest length scale in the problem. Successes and open challenges in the area of atomic and nuclear physics, which are--despite the vastly different length and energy scales--intimately linked through, e.g., the three-body Efimov effect, will be highlighted. A major objective is to provide a platform for cross-fertilization between theory and experiment as well as between different research areas (such as nuclear, atomic, molecular, condensed matter, high-energy, and mathematical physics), with universality and its implied organizing principles as a unifying connection.

At the conference we will be celebrating the 65th birthday of Paul Terwilliger. As such, the general theme of this conference will be the mathematical topics that Paul has worked on over the years (which all have relationships to the q-Onsager algebra).

distance-regular graphs, association schemes, the subconstituent algebra, Leonard pairs, tridiagonal pairs, billiard arrays, lowering-raising triples, the tetrahedron algebra, the Onsager algebra, the equitable presentation of Uq(sl2), the q-tetrahedron algebra, the q-Onsager algebra in mathematical physics, the universal Askey-Wilson algebra

Graph Theory and Combinatorics,    Algebra

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

This conference will explore many aspects of classical and quantum fluctuating electromagnetic fields in the presence of matter, which impact a wide range of fundamental and practical phenomena in domains of physics, chemistry end engineering. Building upon the significant milestones achieved in the realms of the Casimir interactions between bodies, and the role of quantum field fluctuations in heat transfer in the near- and far-fields, we plan to address a plethora of novel questions and remaining puzzles: the ramifications of 2D (topological) and non-reciprocal materials, the possibility of detecting quantum friction, the discord between different experimental and theoretical results. Unraveling these puzzles will have profound impacts from fundamental science to novel applications of materials. The conference will bring together theorists and experimentalists who will address unsettled topics and possible new experimental directions that could elucidate them.

Photonics, Optoelectronics and Display Devices,    Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory

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

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

Courses and Events for Math Students and Early Career Researchers,    Numerical Analysis and Computational Mathematics