#
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.

Date | Speaker | Topic
--- | --- | ---
1/28 | Jacob Lurie | Discussion with Lurie about ETQFT and the Cobordism Hypothesis
2/4 | Distler | Recursion relations for scattering amplitudes in gauge theory and gravity
2/11 | Jaume Gomis | M2 branes
2/18 | David Ben-Zvi | Factorization and OPE
2/25 | Eric Sharpe | Non-birational twisted derived equivalences and Gauged Linear σ-models
3/4 | Sean Keel | K3 surfaces and torus fibrations (part I)
3/11 | Sean Keel | K3 surfaces and torus fibrations (part II)
3/25 | Anindya Dey | Modular Differential Equations and Null Vectors (part I)
4/1 | Xi Yin | Partition Functions for 3D Gravity
4/8 | Graeme Segal | ?
4/15 | Graeme Segal | ?
4/22 | Anindya Dey | Modular 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]

Created on August 28, 2009 11:48:14 by Jacques Distler