Mon, 24 Feb 2014

17:00 - 18:00
L6

On the low weissenberg limit for non-newtonian flows

Didier Bresch
(Universite Savoie)
Abstract

In this talk, we will discuss low Weissenberg number

effects on mathematical properties of solutions for several PDEs

governing different viscoelastic fluids.

Mon, 24 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:00
C5

Solving equations

Bryan Birch
(Oxford University)
Mon, 24 Feb 2014

15:45 - 16:45
Eagle House

Constrained rough paths

THOMAS CASS
(Imperial College London)
Abstract

I present some recent work with Bruce Driver and Christian Litterer on rough paths 'constrained’ to lie in a d - dimensional submanifold of a Euclidean space E. We will present a natural definition for this class of rough paths and then describe the (second) order geometric calculus which arises out of this definition. The talk will conclude with more advanced applications, including a rough version of Cartan’s development map.

Mon, 24 Feb 2014

15:30 - 16:30

Operads and the Tree of Life

John Baez
(UC Riverside)
Abstract

Trees are not just combinatorial structures: they are also

biological structures, both in the obvious way but also in the

study of evolution. Starting from DNA samples from living

species, biologists use increasingly sophisticated mathematical

techniques to reconstruct the most likely “phylogenetic tree”

describing how these species evolved from earlier ones. In their

work on this subject, they have encountered an interesting

example of an operad, which is obtained by applying a variant of

the Boardmann–Vogt “W construction” to the operad for

commutative monoids. The operations in this operad are labelled

trees of a certain sort, and it plays a universal role in the

study of stochastic processes that involve branching. It also

shows up in tropical algebra. This talk is based on work in

progress with Nina Otter [www.fair-fish.ch].

Mon, 24 Feb 2014

14:15 - 15:15
Eagle House

The splitting method for SPDEs: from robustness to applications in financial engineering, nonlinear filtering and optimal control

HARALD OBERHAUSER
(University of Oxford)
Abstract

The splitting-up method is a powerful tool to solve (SP)DEs by dividing the equation into a set of simpler equations that are easier to handle. I will speak about how such splitting schemes can be derived and extended by insights from the theory of rough paths.

Finally, I will discuss numerics for real-world applications that appear in the management of risk and engineering applications like nonlinear filtering.

Mon, 24 Feb 2014
14:00
C6

Elementary submodels in topology

Richard Lupton
(Oxford)
Abstract

We explore the technique of elementary submodels to prove 
results in topology and set theory. We will in particular prove the 
delta system lemma, and Arhangelskii's result that a first countable 
Lindelof space has cardinality not exceeding continuum.

Mon, 24 Feb 2014

12:00 - 13:00
L5

World-Sheet Form Factors in AdS/CFT

Tristan McLoughlin
(Trinity College Dublin)
Abstract
The study of the world-sheet S-matrix for AdS_5 x S^5 strings was a key step in the complete determination of the spectrum of anomalous dimensions for planar N=4 super-Yang-Mills. To go beyond the spectral problem it is important to consider higher-point worldsheet correlation functions and, as is standard in many integrable models, one approach is the study of form factors. We will discuss the all-order functional equations that these objects must obey, their perturbative computation and their connection to four-dimensional gauge theory three-point functions.
Fri, 21 Feb 2014
14:00
Comlab

"Network theory: an overview"

John Baez
(University of California)
Abstract

Nature and the world of human technology are full of
networks. People like to draw diagrams of networks: flow charts,
electrical circuit diagrams, signal flow diagrams, Bayesian networks,
Feynman diagrams and the like. Mathematically-minded people know that
in principle these diagrams fit into a common framework: category
theory. But we are still far from a unified theory of networks.

Fri, 21 Feb 2014

13:00 - 14:00
L6

Particle methods and the pricing of American options

Peng Hu
Abstract

The aim of this lecture is to give a general introduction to

the interacting particle system and applications in finance, especially

in the pricing of American options. We survey the main techniques and

results on Snell envelope, and provide a general framework to analyse

these numerical methods. New algorithms are introduced and analysed

theoretically and numerically.

Thu, 20 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:00
C6

Doctor, I look at complex and symplectic structures and I see the same!

Roberto Rubio
Abstract

This talk will give an introduction to generalized complex geometry, where complex and symplectic structures are particular cases of the same structure, namely, a generalized complex structure. We will also talk about a sister theory, generalized complex geometry of type Bn, where generalized complex structures are defined for odd-dimensional manifolds as well as even-dimensional ones.

Thu, 20 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:30
L2

Backward Stochastic Differential Equations with mean reflection

Ying Hu
(Université de Rennes 1 France)
Abstract

In this work, we want to construct the solution $(Y,Z,K)$ to the following BSDE

$$\begin{array}{l}

Y_t=\xi+\int_t^Tf(s,Y_s,Z_s)ds-\int_t^TZ_sdB_s+K_T-K_t, \quad 0\le t\le T, \\

{\mathbf E}[l(t, Y_t)]\ge 0, \quad 0\le t\le T,\\

\int_0^T{\mathbf E}[l(t, Y_t)]dK_t=0, \\

\end{array}

$$

where $x\mapsto l(t, x)$ is non-decreasing and the terminal condition $\xi$

is such that ${\mathbf E}[l(T,\xi)]\ge 0$.

This equation is different from the (classical) reflected BSDE. In particular, for a solution $(Y,Z,K)$,

we require that $K$ is deterministic. We will first study the case when $l$ is linear, and then general cases.

We also give some application to mathematical finance. This is a joint work with Philippe Briand and Romuald Elie.

Thu, 20 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:00
L3

Mathematical modelling of abnormal beta oscillations in Parkinson’s disease

Rafal Bogacz
(University of Oxford (Neuroscience))
Abstract

In Parkinson’s disease, increased power of oscillations in firing rate has been observed throughout the cortico-basal-ganglia circuit. In

particular, the excessive oscillations in the beta range (13-30Hz) have been shown to be associated with difficulty of movement initiation. However, on the basis of experimental data alone it is difficult to determine where these oscillations are generated, due to complex and recurrent structure of the cortico-basal-ganglia-thalamic circuit. This talk will describe a mathematical model of a subset of basal-ganglia that is able to reproduce experimentally observed patterns of activity. The analysis of the model suggests where and under which conditions the beta oscillations are produced.

Thu, 20 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:00
L6

From quadratic polynomials and continued fractions to modular forms

Paloma Bengoechea
(York)
Abstract
Zagier studied in 1999 certain real functions defined in a very simple way as sums of powers of quadratic polynomials with integer coefficients. These functions give the even parts of the period polynomials of the modular forms which are the coefficients in Fourier expansion of the kernel function for Shimura-Shintani correspondence. He conjectured for these sums a representation in terms of a finite set of polynomials coming from reduction of binary quadratic forms and the infinite set of transformations occuring in a continued fraction algorithm of the real variable. We will prove two different such representations, which imply the exponential convergence of the sums.

For Logic Seminar: Note change of time and location!

Thu, 20 Feb 2014

13:00 - 14:00
L6

On extremizers for Fourier restriction inequalities

Diogo Oliveira e Silva
(Universitat Bonn)
Abstract

This talk will focus on extremizers for

a family of Fourier restriction inequalities on planar curves. It turns

out that, depending on whether or not a certain geometric condition

related to the curvature is satisfied, extremizing sequences of

nonnegative functions may or may not have a subsequence which converges

to an extremizer. We hope to describe the method of proof, which is of

concentration compactness flavor, in some detail. Tools include bilinear

estimates, a variational calculation, a modification of the usual

method of stationary phase and several explicit computations.

Wed, 19 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:00
C6

Embedding symplectic manifolds in comlpex projective space

Manuel Araújo
(Oxford)
Abstract

I will explain why one can symplectically embed closed symplectic manifolds (with integral symplectic form) into CPn and compute the weak homotopy type of the space of all symplectic embeddings of such a symplectic manifold into CP.

Wed, 19 Feb 2014
10:30
N3.12

Wise Small Cancellation Theory

Lukas Buggisch
Abstract

The classical small cancellation theory goes back to the 1950's and 1960's when the geometry of 2-complexes with a unique 0-cell was studied, i.e. the standard 2-complex of a finite presentation. D.T. Wise generalizes the Small Cancellation Theory to 2-complexes with arbitray 0-cells showing that certain classes of Small Cancellation Groups act properly discontinuously and cocompactly on CAT(0) Cube complexes and hence have codimesion 1-subgroups. To be more precise I will introduce "his" version of small Cancellation Theory and go roughly through the main ideas of his construction of the cube complex using Sageeve's famous construction. I'll try to make the ideas intuitively clear by using many pictures. The goal is to show that B(4)-T(4) and B(6)-C(7) groups act properly discontinuously and cocompactly on CAT(0) Cube complexes and if there is time to explain the difficulty of the B(6) case. The talk should be self contained. So don't worry if you have never had heard about "Small Cancellation".

Tue, 18 Feb 2014

17:00 - 18:00
C5

Rank 3 groups of even type.

Chris Parker
(Birmingham)
Abstract

In this talk, I will explain part of the programme of Gorenstein, Lyons

and Solomon (GLS) to provide a new proof of the CFSG. I will focus on

the difference between the initial notion of groups of characteristic

$2$-type (groups like Lie type groups of characteristic $2$) and the GLS

notion of groups of even type. I will then discuss work in progress

with Capdeboscq to study groups of even type and small $2$-local odd

rank. As a byproduct of the discussion, a picture of the structure of a

finite simple group of even type will emerge.

Tue, 18 Feb 2014

14:30 - 15:00
L5

Conjugate gradient iterative hard thresholding for compressed sensing and matrix completion

Ke Wei
(University of Oxford)
Abstract

Compressed sensing and matrix completion are techniques by which simplicity in data can be exploited for more efficient data acquisition. For instance, if a matrix is known to be (approximately) low rank then it can be recovered from few of its entries. The design and analysis of computationally efficient algorithms for these problems has been extensively studies over the last 8 years. In this talk we present a new algorithm that balances low per iteration complexity with fast asymptotic convergence. This algorithm has been shown to have faster recovery time than any other known algorithm in the area, both for small scale problems and massively parallel GPU implementations. The new algorithm adapts the classical nonlinear conjugate gradient algorithm and shows the efficacy of a linear algebra perspective to compressed sensing and matrix completion.