Geometry and String Theory
Spring 2009

Spring 2009 Schedule

This semester, we will cover a motely collection of topics with no obvios relation between them.

DateSpeakerTopic
1/28Jacob LurieDiscussion with Lurie about ETQFT and the Cobordism Hypothesis
2/4DistlerRecursion relations for scattering amplitudes in gauge theory and gravity
2/11Jaume GomisM2 branes
2/18David Ben-ZviFactorization and OPE
2/25Eric SharpeNon-birational twisted derived equivalences and Gauged Linear σ-models
3/4Sean KeelK3 surfaces and torus fibrations (part I)
3/11Sean KeelK3 surfaces and torus fibrations (part II)
3/25Anindya DeyModular Differential Equations and Null Vectors (part I)
4/1Xi YinPartition Functions for 3D Gravity
4/8Graeme Segal?
4/15Graeme Segal?
4/22Anindya DeyModular Differential Equations and Null Vectors (Part II)
4/29??
5/6??

References

Chiral or Factorization Algebras

  • Frenkel and Ben-Zvi, Vertex Algebras and Algebraic Curves (2nd edition)
  • Gaitsgory, Notes on Factorizable Sheaves
  • Lurie, On the classification of topological field theories
  • Beilinson and Drinfeld, Chiral Algebras

2d CFTs and 2+1 AdS gravity

Aswin’s talk (moved to theory brown bag on Mar 12) :

Modular Differential Equations and Null Vectors

  • Reconstruction of conformal field theories from modular geometry on the torus, Mathur et al, Nucl. Phys. B 318(1989) 483
  • Vertex operator algebra,elliptic functions and modular forms, Y.Zhu,J. Amer. Math. Soc. 9(1996) 237
  • Constraints on extremal self-dual CFTS, M.R. Gaberdiel, arxiv:0707.4073[hep-th]
  • Modular differential equations and null vectors, Gaberdiel et al, arxiv: 0804.0489[hep-th]