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 (128.83.114.62)