Oxford

In "Higher Operations in Perturbation Theory", Gaiotto, Kulp, and Wu discussed Feynman integrals that control certain deformations in quantum field theory. The corresponding integrands are differential forms in Schwinger parameters. Specifically, the integrand $\alpha$ is associated to a single topological direction of the theory.
I will show how the combinatorial properties of graph polynomials lead to a relatively simple, explicit formula for $\alpha$, that can be evaluated quickly with a computer. This is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, knowing the explicit formula leads to an elementary proof of the fact that $\alpha$ squares to zero, which asserts the absence of quantum corrections in topological field theories of two (or more) dimensions, known as Kontsevich's formality theorem. Secondly, the underlying constructions and proofs are not intrinsically limited to topological theories. In this sense, they serve as a particularly instructive example for simplifications that can occur in Feynman integrals with numerators.

A well-known problem in algebraic geometry is to construct smooth projective Calabi--Yau varieties $Y$. In the smoothing approach, we construct first a degenerate (reducible) Calabi--Yau scheme $V$ by gluing pieces. Then we aim to find a family $f\colon X \to C$ with special fiber $X_0 = f^{-1}(0) \cong V$ and smooth general fiber $X_t = f^{-1}(t)$. In this talk, we see how infinitesimal logarithmic deformation theory solves the second step of this approach: the construction of a family out of a degenerate fiber $V$. This is achieved via the logarithmic Bogomolov--Tian--Todorov theorem as well as its variant for pairs of a log Calabi--Yau space $f_0\colon X_0 \to S_0$ and a line bundle $\mathcal{L}_0$ on $X_0$.
 

I will present a notion of spin structure on a perfect complex in characteristic zero, generalizing the classical notion for an (algebraic) vector bundle. For a complex $E$ on $X$ with an oriented quadratic structure one obtains an associated ${\mathbb Z}/2{\mathbb Z}$-gerbe over X which obstructs the existence of a spin structure on $E$. This situation arises naturally on moduli spaces of coherent sheaves on Calabi-Yau fourfolds. Using spin structures as orientation data, we construct a categorical refinement of a K-theory class constructed by Oh-Thomas on such moduli spaces.

We introduce a notion of refined Harder-Narasimhan filtration, defined abstractly for algebraic stacks satisfying natural conditions. Examples include moduli stacks of objects at the heart of a Bridgeland stability condition, moduli stacks of K-semistable Fano varieties, moduli of principal bundles on a curve, and quotient stacks. We will explain how refined Harder-Narasimhan filtrations are closely related both to stratifications and to the asymptotics of certain analytic flows, relating and expanding work of Kirwan and Haiden-Katzarkov-Kontsevich-Pandit, respectively. In the case of quotient stacks by the action of a torus, the refined Harder-Narasimhan filtration can be computed in terms of convex geometry.

This will be an informal discussion seminar based on https://arxiv.org/abs/2211.07592:

The constrained Hamiltonian analysis of geometric actions is worked out before applying the construction to the extended Bondi-Metzner-Sachs group in four dimensions. For any Hamiltonian associated with an extended BMS4 generator, this action provides a field theory in two plus one spacetime dimensions whose Poisson bracket algebra of Noether charges realizes the extended BMS4 Lie algebra. The Poisson structure of the model includes the classical version of the operator product expansions that have appeared in the context of celestial holography. Furthermore, the model reproduces the evolution equations of non-radiative asymptotically flat spacetimes at null infinity.

The moduli space of torsion-free $G_2$-structures on a compact $7$-manifold $M$ is a smooth manifold, locally diffeomorphic to an open subset of $H^3(M)$. It is endowed with a natural metric which arises as the Hessian of a potential, the properties of which are still poorly understood. In this talk, we will review what is known of the geometry of $G_2$-moduli spaces and present new formulae for the fourth derivative of the potential and the curvatures of the associated metric. We explain some interesting consequences for the simplest examples of $G_2$-manifolds, when the universal cover of $M$ is $\mathbb{R}^7$ or $\mathbb{R}^3 \times K3$. If time permits, we also make some comments on the general case.

In this joint work with Filip Zivanovic, we construct symplectic cohomology for a class of symplectic manifolds that admit ${\mathbb C}^*$-actions and which project equivariantly and properly to a convex symplectic manifold. The motivation for studying these is a large class of examples known as Conical Symplectic Resolutions, which includes quiver varieties, resolutions of Slodowy varieties, and hypertoric varieties. These spaces are highly non-exact at infinity, so along the way we develop foundational results to be able to apply Floer theory. Motivated by joint work with Mark McLean on the Cohomological McKay Correspondence, our goal is to describe the ordinary cohomology of the resolution in terms of a Morse-Bott spectral sequence for positive symplectic cohomology. These spectral sequences turn out to be quite computable in many examples. We obtain a filtration on ordinary cohomology by cup-product ideals, and interestingly the filtration can be dependent on the choice of circle action.