Geometry and String Theory
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This is the homepage for the UT Geometry and String Theory Seminar.

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	?
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
4/1	Xi Yin	?
4/8	Graeme Segal	?
4/15	Graeme Segal	?
4/22	Aswin Balasubramanian	Constraints on 2d CFTs and consequences for 2+1 AdS gravity .
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

For Aswin’s talk : * A Universal Inequality for CFT and Quantum Gravity, S. Hellerman 0902.2790 * The String Landscape, Black Holes and Gravity as the Weakest Force, Arkani-Hamed et al hep-th/0601001

Etc 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]