Seminars & Events for 2010-2011

November 24, 2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Rounding of 1st Order Quantum Phase Transitions in Low- Dimensional Systems with Quenched Disorder
Statistical Mechanics Seminar

The addition of quenched disorder has a rounding effect on 1st order phase transition in systems of sufficiently low dimension (d=2, and up to d=4 in case of continuous symmetry).

Speaker: Michael Aizenman, Princeton University
Location:
November 29, 2010
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Linear PDEs in critical regularity spaces: Hierarchical construction of their nonlinear solutions
Analysis Seminar

We construct uniformly bounded solutions of the equations $div(U)=f$ and $curl(U)=f$, for general $f$ in the critical regularity spaces $L^d(R^d)$ and, respectively, $L3(R3)$. The study of these equations was motivated by recent results of Bourgain & Brezis. The equations are linear but construction of their solutions is not.

Speaker: Eitan Tadmor, University of Maryland
Location:
Fine Hall 314
November 29, 2010
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Some Inverse problems on Riemann surfaces
Analysis Seminar

We show how to identify a potential $V$ or a connection $\nabla^X=d+iX$ up to gauge on a complex vector bundle from boundary measurements (Cauchy data on the boundary) on a fixed Riemann surface with boundary.

Speaker: Colin Guillarmou, Universite de Nice Sophia-Antipolis
Location:
Fine Hall 314
November 30, 2010
4:30pm - 6:30pm
The tautological ring of $M_g$
Algebraic Geometry Seminar

I will talk about an approach to the ring generated by the kappa classes via the moduli space of stable quotients. The main new result (with A. Pixton) is a proof of a conjecture by Faber and Zagier of an elegant set of relations. Whether these are all the relations is an interesting question. I will discuss the data on both sides.

Speaker: Rahul Pandharipande, Princeton University
Location:
Fine Hall 322
December 1, 2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Hidden Symmetries at the Percolation Point in Two Dimensions
Statistical Mechanics Seminar

Percolation is perhaps the simplest non-trivial model in statistical mechanics, but has remained under active study for more than forty years. In 2-D it exhibits a second-order phase transition, at which a number of interesting and little-understood symmetries manifest themselves.

Speaker: Peter Kleban, University of Maine
Location:
December 1, 2010
4:30pm - 6:30pm
Natural maps old and new
Department Colloquium

In 1995, G. Courtois, S. Gallot and myself constructed a family of maps with very good properties regarding volume elements between certain manifolds. We used it to give an alternative proof of Mostow's rigidity for rank one closed symmetric spaces as well as a rigidity result for their geodesic flow, conjectured by A. Katok.

Speaker: Gerard Besson, Université de Grenoble
Location:
Fine Hall 314
December 2, 2010
1:30pm - 3:30pm
A conjecture of Arnold
Joint PU/IAS Symplectic Geometry Seminar

The chord conjecture of Vladimir Arnold is a contact-geometry analogue of his well-known Lagrangian intersections conjecture in symplectic geometry.  It proposes that, for each Legendrian submanifold of a contact form on a compact manifold, there should be a integral curve of the Reeb vector field which crosses the Legendrian submanifold at least twice.  I will present the

Speaker: Heather Macbeth, Princeton University
Location:
Fine Hall 601
December 2, 2010
2:00pm - 4:30pm
Higher-order Fourier analysis of $F_p^n$ and the complexity of systems of linear forms
Discrete Mathematics Seminar

We study the density of small linear structures (e.g. arithmetic progressions) in subsets $A$ of the group $F_p^n$. It is possible to express these densities as certain analytic averages involving $1_A$, the indicator function of $A$.

Speaker: Shachar Lovett, Tel-Aviv University and IAS
Location:
Fine Hall 224
December 2, 2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Two results on rigidity of commutative actions by toral automorphisms
Ergodic Theory & Statistical Mechanics

In 1983 Berend proved rigidity of higher-rank commutative actions by toral automorphisms under some hyperbolicity and irreduciblity assumptions. We will present two rigidity results that respectively extend Berend's theorem to certain non-hyperbolic and reducible cases. We will also discuss some counterexamples of non-homogeneous orbit closures. This is joint work with Elon Lindenstrauss.

Speaker: Zhiren Wang, Princeton University
Location:
Fine Hall 401
December 2, 2010
3:00pm - 5:00pm
The EHP sequence and the Goodwillie tower
Algebraic Topology Seminar

The EHP sequence and the Goodwillie tower of the identity give two different spectral sequences for computing the unstable homotopy groups of spheres. I will explain how the two can be mixed, so that each provides information about the differentials in the other.

Speaker: Mark Behrens, MIT
Location:
Fine Hall 314
December 2, 2010
4:30pm - 6:30pm
Boundary Value Problems on Planar Graphs and Flat Surfaces with integer cone singularities.
Topology Seminar

Consider a planar, bounded, $m$-connected region $\Omega$, and let $\partial\Omega$ be its boundary. Let $\mathcal{T}$ be a cellular decomposition of $\Omega\cup\partial\Omega$, where each 2-cell is either a triangle or a quadrilateral.

Speaker: Sa'ar Hersonsky, University of Georgia
Location:
Fine Hall 314
December 2, 2010
4:30pm - 6:30pm
The Iwasawa Main Conjectures for Modular Forms
Princeton University/IAS Number Theory Seminar
Speaker: Christopher Skinner, Princeton University and IAS
Location:
Fine Hall 214
December 3, 2010
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Differentiable rigidity with Ricci bounded below
Differential Geometry & Geometric Analysis Seminar

We consider a closed hyperbolic manifold $(N,h)$ of dimension $n\geq 3$ and a manifold $(M,g)$ with a degre one map $f:M \to N$. We will show that if $Ricci_g \geq -(n-1)$ and $Vol (M,g) \leq (1+\epsilon) Vol (N,h)$, then the manifolds $M$ and $N$ are diffeomorphic. The proof relies on Cheeger-Colding theory of limits of Riemannian manifolds under lower Ricci curvature bound.

Speaker: Gilles Courtois, École Polytechnique
Location:
Fine Hall 314
December 6, 2010
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Diffusions Interacting Through Their Ranks, and the Stability of Large Equity Markets
PACM/Applied Mathematics Colloquium

We introduce and study ergodic multidimensional diusion processes interacting through their ranks. These interactions give rise to invariant measures which are in broad agreement with stability properties observed in large equity markets over long time-periods.

Speaker: Ioannis Karatzas, Columbia University
Location:
Fine Hall 214
December 6, 2010
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Periodic DNLS: weighted Wiener measures, gauge transformation and almost global well-posedness
Analysis Seminar
Speaker: Gigliola Staffilani, MIT
Location:
Fine Hall 314
December 8, 2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Nonequilibrium: Thermostats, BBGKY Hierarchy, Fourier's Equation
Statistical Mechanics Seminar

Review of rigorous results on thermostats. Families of exact formal solutions of the BBGKY hierarchy for hard sphere systems with free boundary conditions at collisions and Fourier equation emergence, to first order in the temperature difference, after boundary conditions are imposed.

Speaker: Giovanni Gallavotti, Rutgers University
Location:
December 9, 2010
1:30pm - 3:30pm
Aspects of stringy global quotients, de Rham, singularities and gerbes
Joint PU/IAS Symplectic Geometry Seminar

We discuss stringy functors from the pull back point of view of Jarvis-K-Kimura and the push forward point of view of our orbifold Milnor ring constructions. We show how these approaches merge to give a de Rham theory and apply back to singularity theory. If time allows, we also give results on global gerbe twists and the Drinfel'd Double.

Speaker: Ralph Kaufmann, Purdue University
Location:
Fine Hall 601
December 9, 2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm
On the distribution of gaps for saddle connection directions
Ergodic Theory & Statistical Mechanics

In joint work with J. Chaika, we prove results on the distribution of gaps of angles between saddle connections on flat surfaces. Our techniques draw on the work of Marklof-Strombergsson on the periodic Lorentz gas and that of Eskin-Masur on flat surfaces. We describe some applications to billiards in polygons.

Speaker: Jayadev Athreya, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Location:
Fine Hall 401
December 9, 2010
2:30pm - 4:30pm
Proving the Lovász-Plummer conjecture
Discrete Mathematics Seminar

In the 1970s, Lovász and Plummer conjectured that every cubic bridgeless graph has exponentially many perfect matchings with respect to the number of vertices. The conjecture was proven by Voorhoeve for bipartite graphs and by Chudnovsky and Seymour for planar graphs.

Speaker: Andrew King, Columbia University
Location:
Fine Hall 224
December 9, 2010
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Cohomology of graph products of infinite groups with group ring coefficients
Algebraic Topology Seminar

I will explain a computation of the cohomology of any graph product of infinite groups in terms of the factor groups. For example, this gives a calculation for right-angled Artin groups, which are, by definition, graph products of copies of the infinite cyclic group. The method of proof is a simple spectral sequence argument which I don't think has been used previously.

Speaker: Mike Davis, Ohio State University
Location:
Fine Hall 314