Conferences  >  Physics  >  Mathematical Physics  >  United States

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

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

Gauged linear sigma models (GLSMs) have provided key insights into numerous aspects of string theory and supersymmetric field theory and have been a bridge to various fields in mathematics such as enumerative and algebraic geometry and category theory. The aim of this workshop is to bring together experts from mathematics and physics to celebrate 30 years of GLSMs by addressing topical research questions and identifying new applications. Topics include: GLSMs in the context of mirror symmetry, new types of stringy (Calabi-Yau) geometries, homological projective duality and generalisations thereof, SUSY gauge theories in more than two dimensions, generalized cohomology, quantum K-theory, and mathematical invariants stemming from a rigorous mathematical definition of GLSMs.

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

Oberlin College

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