Fri, 23 May 2025
13:00
L5

Stratified learning, cell biophysics, and material structures

Yossi Bokor Bleile
(IST Austria)

Note: we would recommend to join the meeting using the Teams client for best user experience.

Abstract

Geometry and topology call tell us about the shape of data. In this talk, I will give an introduction to my work on learning stratified spaces from samples, look at the use of persistent homology in cell biophysics, and apply persistence in understanding material structures.

Thu, 22 May 2025

15:00 - 16:00
L6

Exploring the $c$ - the conformal anomaly and spaces of field theories

Ludovic Fraser-Taliente
Abstract
$c$ is pretty cool. In two-dimensional critical theories, we are surrounded by it: it appears in the Virasoro central charge, the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, the conformal 'anomaly', the entanglement entropy, and at the endpoints of the Zamolodchikov $C$-function - and, of course, it doesn't appear on the string worldsheet. I will explain these appearances and the tight relationships between them, and discuss how we might use $c$ to chart and classify the space of CFTs and QFTs.


 

Junior Strings is a seminar series where DPhil students present topics of common interest that do not necessarily overlap with their own research area. This is primarily aimed at PhD students and post-docs but everyone is welcome.

Exponential asymptotics for translational modes in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger model
Lustri, C Kevrekidis, P Chapman, S Quarterly of Applied Mathematics (05 Jun 2025)
Optimal transport on null hypersurfaces and the null energy condition
Cavalletti, F Manini, D Mondino, A Communications in Mathematical Physics volume 406 issue 9 (01 Aug 2025)
Visual Prompting Upgrades Neural Network Sparsification: A Data-Model Perspective
Jin, C Huang, T Zhang, Y Pechenizkiy, M Liu, S Chen, T Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence volume 39 issue 4 4111-4119 (11 Apr 2025)
Lagrangian Skeleta and Koszul Duality on Bionic Symplectic Varieties
Bellamy, G Dodd, C McGerty, K Nevins, T International Mathematics Research Notices volume 2025 issue 9 rnaf104 (28 Apr 2025)
EFTofPNG: a package for high precision computation with the effective field theory of post-Newtonian gravity
Levi, M Steinhoff, J Classical and Quantum Gravity volume 34 issue 24 244001 (21 Dec 2017)
Thu, 22 May 2025

17:00 - 18:00
L3

Axioms of Quantum Mechanics in the light of Continuous Model Theory​

Boris Zilber
(University of Oxford)
Abstract

I am going to start by reviewing axioms of quantum mechanics, which in fact give a description of a Hilbert space. I will argue that the language that Dirac and his followers developed is that of continuous logic and the form of axiomatisation is that of "algebraic logic" in the sense of A. Tarski's cylindric algebras. In fact, Hilbert spaces can be seen as a continuous model theory version of cylindric algebras.

Thu, 22 May 2025

11:00 - 12:00
C5

Modal group theory

Wojciech Wołoszyn
(University of Oxford)
Abstract

I introduce modal group theory, where one investigates the class of all groups using embeddability as a modal operator. By employing HNN extensions, I demonstrate that the modal language of groups is more expressive than the first-order language of groups. Furthermore, I establish that the theory of true arithmetic, viewed as sets of Gödel numbers, is computably isomorphic to the modal theory of finitely presented groups. Finally, I resolve an open question posed by Sören Berger, Alexander Block, and Benedikt Löwe by proving that the propositional modal validities of groups constitute precisely the modal logic S4.2.

Understanding antibody-target antigen interactions and the avidity effect using mathematical modelling
Heirene, L Byrne, H Sepp, A Gaffney, E Yates, J Journal of the Royal Society Interface volume 22 issue 228 (09 Jul 2025)
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