Revised

Week of October 4 - 8, 1999

Analysis Seminar Monday 4:30 Fine 314

Title: Smoothing effects for the Schr\"odinger evolution October 4

Presenter: Igor Rodnianski, Princeton University

Abstract: We study the spatial regularity of the solutions of the linear time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation. The first case considered is the motion of a quantum particle in the electric field of a subquadratic potential. We describe the connection between the decay of the initial data at infinity and the consequtive improvement of regularity. We then consider the periodic Schr\"odinger equation and establish that the "smoothness" of the propagator at time $\,t\,$ depends upon the diophantine properties of $\,t$. The formation of "quantum fractals" is also discussed.

PACM Seminar Monday 4:30 Fine 224

Title: Dynamics of Pattern Formation in a Binary Epilayer October 4

Presenter: Zhigang Suo, Princeton University

PACM Seminar Tuesday 2:30 Fine 801

Title: Numerical Determination of Chaotic Transfers; or, Orbit Design October 5

for Cheap Spaceflight

Presenter: Edward Belbruno, PACM & IOD

Abstract: Over the past decade, a simple method has been developed which numerically estimates regions in the Newtonian three and four-body problems, and in the solar system, which give rise to an interesting unstable chaotic motion with applications to spaceflight and astronomy. The boundaries of these regions are not well defined, and are 'fuzzy'. Orbits passing through these regions, called 'weak stability boundaries' (WSB's) have interesting properties for applications to the motions of spacecraft and natural objects such as asteroids. They can be used to construct very low energy, ie cheap, transfers to the moon and other destinations, which are different from standard routes. One of these routes for going to the moon was operationally demonstrated in 1991. NASA is planning to incorporate WSB transfers for a new mission to Europa of Jupiter, and to Mars. Resonance properties of WSB transfers have interesting applications to the motions of Kuiper belt objects outside the orbit of Neptune, and for short period comets passing

near Jupiter. Up to very recently, the WSB approach has been slowly catching on, and now it is gaining more acceptance. The purpose of this seminar is to describe how to numerically determine WSB transfers. That is, what are the actual details of doing this. There will be fun computer simulations, and interesting applications. WSB Theory represents the first systematic application of unstable chaos to spacecraft motion for transfers. The end result is that spaceflight can be made cheap in a number of cases.

Algebra and Algebraic Geometry Seminar Tuesday 4:15 Fine 322

Title: Equidistribution of Hecke orbits on GL(n) and GSp(2g) October 5

Presenter: Emmanuel Ullmo, Princeton University

Statistical Mechanics Seminar Wednesday 2:00 Jadwin 343

Title: Adiabatic limit for charged particles and their radiation fields October 6

Presenter: Herbert Spohn, Technical University Munich

Ergodic Theory & Statistical Mechanics Seminar Thursday 2:00 Fine 110

Title: Integrable Geodesicd I-laws with positive topological entropy October 7

Presenter: I. Taimanov, Rutgers University

Topology & Symplectic Geometry Seminar Thursday 4:30 Fine 314

Title: Introduction to Symplectic Field Theory I October 7

Presenter: Y. Eliashberg, Princeton University & Stanford University

Geometry Seminar Friday 2:30 Fine 314

Title: Bounded cohomology of lattices in semisimple groups October 8

Presenter: Marc Burger, ETH

 

Week of October 11 - 15, 1999

Analysis Seminar Monday 4:00 Fine 314

Title: Critical metrics for special values of spectral zeta functions October 11

Presenter: Kate Okikiolou, UC San Diego & Princeton University

Geometry Seminar Wednesday 3:00 TBA

Title: Extremals for sharp Sobolev inequalitie October 13

Presenter: Emmanuel Hebey, University Cergy-Pontoise

Ergodic Theory & Statistical Mechanics Seminar Thursday 2:00 Fine 110

Title: A New Rigidity of Furstenberg Entropy October 14

Presenter: Amos Nevo, Princeton University

Topology & Symplectic Geometry Seminar Thursday 4:30 Fine 314

Title: Introduction to Symplectic Field Theory II October 14

Presenter: Y. Eliashberg, Princeton University & Stanford University

PACM Seminar Friday 12:45 Fine 801

Title: Numerical Determination of Chaotic Transfers; or, Orbit October 15

Design for Cheap Spaceflight

Presenter: Edward Belbruno, PACM & IOD

Statistical Mechanics Seminar Friday 2:00 Jadwin 343

Title: Mathematical diffraction theory October 15 (special day)

Presenter: Michael Baake, University of Tuebingen

Geometry Seminar Friday 2:30 Fine 314

Title: To Be Announced October 15

Presenter: Steve Altschuler and Lani Wu, Microsoft

 

Week of October 18 - 22, 1999

Analysis Seminar Monday 4:00 Fine 314

Title: Gromov's a-T-menable groups: non-rigidity in representation theory October 18

Presenter: Alain VALETTE (Neuchatel, Switzerland)

Abstract: A locally compact group is a-T-menable, or satisfies the Haagerup property, if it admits a continuous, isometric, proper action on some affine Hilbert space. We shall give other equivalent definitions (in representation theory and in ergodic theory), all showing that a-T-menability is a strong negation of Kazhdan's property (T). After discussing the interest of this class of groups, we shall prove that the following groups are a-T-menable: amenable groups, SO(n,1) and SU(m,1), groups acting properly on trees. Finally, we classify connected Lie groups which are a-T-menable.

 

Statistical Mechanics Seminar Wednesday 2:00 Jadwin 343

Title: Structure of clusters near percolation threshold October 20

for 2D continuum percolation

Presenter: Madeleine Sirugue, University of Marseille

Topology & Symplectic Geometry Seminar Thursday 4:30 Fine 314

Title: TBA October 21

Presenter: Jack Morava, John Hopkins University

 

PACM Seminar Friday 2:30 Fine 801

Title: Numerical Determination of Chaotic Transfers; or, Orbit Design October 22

for Cheap Spaceflight

Presenter: Edward Belbruno, PACM & IOD

 

Week of October 25 - 29, 1999

No seminars scheduled at this time

 

Week of November 1 - 5, 1999

PACM Seminar Tuesday 2:30 Fine 801

Title: Numerical Determination of Chaotic Transfers; or, Orbit Design November 2

for Cheap Spaceflight

Presenter: Edward Belbruno, PACM & IOD