# Seminars & Events for 2008-2009

November 17, 2008
4:00pm - 6:00pm
##### Multiscale Methods for Hydrodynamics of Polymer Chains in Solution
###### PACM/Applied Mathematics Colloquium

The hydrodynamics of complex fluids, such as polymer solutions and colloidal suspensions, has attracted great interest due to recent advances in fabrication of micro- and nano-fluidic devices. I will first review recent advances in mesoscopic numerical methods for simulating the interaction between complex fluid flow and suspended macro molecules and structures.

Speaker: Aleksandar Donev, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Location:
Fine Hall 214
November 18, 2008
4:30pm - 6:30pm
##### Equivalences from geometric $sl_2$ actions
###### Algebraic Geometry Seminar

We explain how $sl_2$ actions on derived categories of coherent sheaves can be used to construct new derived equivalences. The example I will describe in detail is an $sl_2$ action via correspondences on the cotangent bundles of Grassmannians which generalizes the basic Mukai flop.

Speaker: Sabin Cautis, Rice University
Location:
Fine Hall 322
November 19, 2008
2:00pm - 4:00pm
##### Bosons in rapid rotation
###### Statistical Mechanics Seminar

One of the most remarkable manifestations of superfluidity in Bose-Einstein condensates is the way the condensate responds to rotation. In a superfluid the rotation of the container confining the fluid leads to the formation of vortices with quantized circulation. This phenomenon can be studied through the solutions of a nonlinear Schrodinger equation, the Gross-Pitaevskii equation.

Speaker: Jakob Yngvason, University of Vienna
Location:
November 20, 2008
12:30pm - 2:30pm

I will introduce (focusing on the case of elliptic curves) two essential theorems of arithmetic geometry that bind the geometry of an algebraic variety over a local field (or number field) to its arithmetic, Galois-theoretic properties. The l-adic monodromy theorem is in fact entirely elementary (one needn't even know what 'monodromy' means!) but will motivate the subtler p-adic theorem.

Speaker: Stefan Patrikis, Princeton University
Location:
Fine Hall 314
November 20, 2008
4:30pm - 6:30pm
##### Comparison isomorphisms for $p$-adic formal schemes and applications
###### Princeton University/IAS Number Theory Seminar
Location:
Fine Hall 214
November 21, 2008
2:30pm - 4:30pm
##### Quasi-isometries, phase transitions, and other problems in additive number theory
###### Discrete Mathematics Seminar

This is a survey of recent work in combinatorial and additive number theory suggested by a problem of Richard Schwartz in metric geometry and geometric group theory. The central object is a group with an infinite set of generators, and the induced metric. Some results and many open problems will be discussed.

Speaker: Melvyn B. Nathanson, The City University of New York
Location:
Fine Hall 1201
November 21, 2008
3:00pm - 5:00pm
##### An Exotic Sphere with Positive Sectional Curvature
###### Differential Geometry & Geometric Analysis Seminar

I'll discuss joint work with Peter Petersen that shows that the Gromoll-Meyer exotic 7-sphere admits a metric of positive sectional curvature. I'll discuss the history of the problem and give a coarse outline of the proof.

Speaker: Fred Wilhelm, University of California, Riverside
Location:
Fine Hall 314
November 21, 2008
4:30pm - 6:30pm
##### Bordered Heegaard Floer homology
###### Topology Seminar

I will describe a construction of invariants for three-manifolds with (parameterized) boundary. The invariant associates a differential graded algebra to an oriented surface, and a (suitably generalized) module to a three-manifold whose boundary is that surface. This invaraint also enjoys a "pairing theorem" relating it with HF-hat of closed three-manifolds.

Speaker: Peter Ozsvath, Columbia University
Location:
Fine Hall 314
November 24, 2008
4:00pm - 6:00pm
##### Emissions Market Models
###### PACM/Applied Mathematics Colloquium

The main goal of the talk is to introduce a new cap-and-trade scheme design for the control and the reduction of atmospheric pollution. The tools developed for the purpose of the study are intended to help policy makers and regulators understand the pros and cons of the emissions markets at a quantitative level.

Speaker: René Carmona, PACM & ORFE, Princeton University
Location:
Fine Hall 214
November 24, 2008
4:00pm - 6:00pm
##### Fifth order KdV equations
###### Analysis Seminar

We study the fifth-order KdV equations, which arise in the KdV hierarchy. In this talk, we discuss the initial value problem in Sobolev spaces with low regularity. In the linear part the fifth-order equation has stronger dispersion effect and so better smoothing than KdV equation. But it comes with stronger nonlinear parts compared to dispersion.

Speaker: Soonsik Kwon, Princeton University
Location:
Fine Hall 110
November 25, 2008
4:30pm - 6:30pm
##### Finiteness theorems for algebraic groups over function fields
###### Algebraic Geometry Seminar

If $X$ is a smooth variety over a global field $k$, $G$ is an algebraic group over $k$ equipped with an action on $X$, and $x$ is a point in $X(k)$ then it is natural to ask how the property of $x'$ in $X(k)$ being in the $G(k)$-orbit of $x$ compares with being in the $G(k_v)$-orbit of $x$ for all places $v$ of $k$.

Location:
Fine Hall 322
December 3, 2008
2:00pm - 4:00pm
##### Local and Global Structure of Stationary States of Macroscopic Systems
###### Statistical Mechanics Seminar

The microscopic structure of a macroscopic system in a steady state is described locally, i.e. at a suitably scaled macroscopic point $x$, by a time invariant measure of the corresponding infinite system with translation invariant dynamics.

Speaker: Joel Lebowitz, Rutgers University
Location:
December 3, 2008
2:30pm - 4:30pm
##### Coloring triangle-free graphs on surfaces
###### Discrete Mathematics Seminar

Let S be a fixed surface, and let k and q be fixed integers. Is there a polynomial-time algorithm that decides whether an input graph of girth at least q drawn in S is k-colorable? This question has been studied extensively during the last 15 years. We will briefly survey known results.

Speaker: Robin Thomas, Georgia Institute of Technology
Location:
Fine Hall 224
December 3, 2008
4:30pm - 6:30pm
##### A new proof of Gromov's theorem on groups of polynomial growth
###### Department Colloquium
Speaker: Bruce Kleiner, Yale University
Location:
Fine Hall 314
December 4, 2008
3:30pm - 5:30pm
##### On Khovanov homology and sutured Floer homology
###### Topology Seminar

The relationship between Khovanov- and Heegaard Floer-type homology invariants is intriguing and still poorly-understood. In this talk, I will describe a connection between Khovanov's categorification of the reduced $n$-colored Jones polynomial and sutured Floer homology, a relative version of Heegaard Floer homology developed by Andras Juhasz.

Speaker: Elisenda Grigsby, Columbia University
Location:
Fine Hall 214
December 4, 2008
4:30pm - 6:30pm
##### Mock modular forms
###### Princeton University/IAS Number Theory Seminar

The main motivation for the theory of mock modular forms comes from the desire to provide a framework in which we can understand the mysterious and intriguing mock theta functions, as well as related functions, like Appell functions and theta functions associated to indefinite quadratic forms.

Speaker: Sandors Zwegers, University College Dublin
Location:
IAS - Simonyi Hall Seminar Room SH-101
December 4, 2008
4:30pm - 6:30pm
##### Fibered Knots

A fibered knot is a knot whose complement can be filled "nicely" by copies of an oriented surface bounded by the disk, i.e., is filled by $S^1$ copies of $D^2$ (in fact, this fibration is globally trivial: $S^3-K\wedge S^1\times D^2$).

Speaker: Margaret Doig, Princeton University
Location:
Fine Hall 314
December 5, 2008
2:30pm - 4:00pm
##### Morrison, Mori and Mumford: mirror symmetry, birational geometry, and moduli spaces
###### Algebraic Geometry Seminar

Joint Columbia-Courant-Princeton Algebraic Geometry Seminar

Speaker: Seán Keel, University of Texas at Austin
December 5, 2008
3:00pm - 5:00pm
##### Harmonic maps between singular spaces
###### Differential Geometry & Geometric Analysis Seminar

We will discuss regularity questions of harmonic maps from a simplicial complex to metric spaces of non-positive curvature. We will also discuss the relation with rigidity questions of group actions on these spaces.