Events at 402 Classroom Physics South Hall, Campus

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The first direct observations of gravitational waves (GWs) by ground-based interferometers have ushered in the era of GW astronomy. While the central focus of such experiments has been on the Hz − kHz frequency range, an exploration across a much wider spectrum is warranted. The Universe is expected to be populated by GWs over many decades in frequency, analogous to … Read More

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Abstract. I will explain how to associate a spectral network to a Demazure weave via Floer theory. Specifically, the talk will present how spectral networks, as introduced by Gaiotto-Moore-Neitzke, arise when computing J-holomorphic strips associated to augmentations of Lagrangian fillings of Legendrian links. In particular, this provides a Floer-theoretical description of Stokes lines in higher rank and with arbitrary irregular Stokes … Read More

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It has previously been observed that the evolution of entanglement entropies and OTOCs in systems ranging from random unitary circuits to holographic CFTs can be understood within a common framework known as the “membrane picture.” In this talk, we consider a class of Brownian local evolutions, where the Lorentzian evolution of the system on multiple copies can be equivalently described … Read More

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Abstract: How do bulk strings relate to boundary Feynman diagrams? I will give an overview of my work with Rajesh Gopakumar on deriving the closed string dual to the simplest possible gauge theory, a Hermitian matrix integral. Working in the conventional ‘t Hooft limit, we extract topological string theories which replace the minimal string away from the double-scaling limit. We … Read More

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Abstract: I will talk about my recent work (2402.03425) with Netta Engelhardt, Åsmund Folkestad, Adam Levine, and Evita Verheijden. We formulate and take two large strides towards proving a quantum version of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture. We first prove “Cryptographic Censorship”: a theorem showing that when the time evolution operator of a holographic CFT is approximately pseudorandom (or Haar … Read More

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We will review the Hartle Hawking wavefunction of the universe in the context of slow roll inflation. We will explain the motivation behind it, as well as a  problem with the result.   We will also discuss the computation of the density matrix corresponding to the observable region of the universe.

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Abstract: The “Algebra of the Infrared” refers to a collection of homotopical algebra structures (discovered by Gaiotto-Moore-Witten) that one associates to a massive two-dimensional N=(2,2) quantum field theory (subject to certain constraints). This provides a powerful framework for working out the category of boundary conditions of such QFTs. Specializing to the example of massive Landau-Ginzburg models, one is lead to a … Read More

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Abstract: In the first part of the talk, I will recall Kazhdan-Lusztig’s geometric realization of the affine Hecke algebra H_q as well as Bezrukavnikov’s categorification of the statement. One of the fundamental tools of the theory is the so-called asymptotic affine Hecke algebra introduced by Lusztig (it can be thought of as a “limit” of H_q as “q goes to … Read More

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Abstract: A bulge surface, on a time reflection-symmetric Cauchy slice of a holographic spacetime, is a non-minimal extremal surface that occurs between two locally minimal surfaces homologous to a given boundary region. According to the python’s lunch conjecture of Brown et al., the bulge’s area controls the complexity of bulk reconstruction, in the sense of the amount of post-selection that … Read More