Tue, 08 Jun 2004
17:00
L1

4-Engel groups

Prof Michael Vaughan-Lee
(Oxford)
Mon, 07 Jun 2004
17:00
L1

Convexity on Grassmannians and calculus of variations

Berck Gautier
(Universite catholique de louvain)
Abstract

The talk will discuss the variationnal problem on finite

dimensional normed spaces and Finsler manifolds.

We first review different notions of ellipticity (convexity) for

parametric integrands (densities) on normed spaces and compare them with

different minimality properties of affine subspaces. Special attention will

be given to Busemann and Holmes-Thompson k-area. If time permits, we will

then present the first variation formula on Finsler manifolds and exhibit a

class of minimal submanifolds.

Mon, 07 Jun 2004
15:45
DH 3rd floor SR

Rough Paths revisited

Arnaud de La Pradelle
(University of Paris VI, France)
Abstract

A version of Lyons theory of rough path calculus which applies to a

subclass of rough paths for which more geometric interpretations are

valid will be presented. Application will be made to the Brownian and

to the (fractional) support theorem.

Mon, 07 Jun 2004
14:15
DH 3rd floor SR

The cut-off phenomenon for finite Markov chains

Laurent Saloff-Coste
(Cornell University)
Abstract

The convergence to stationarity of many finite ergodic Markov

chains presents a sharp cut-off: there is a time T such that before

time T the chain is far from its equilibrium and, after time T,

equilibrium is essentially reached. We will discuss precise

definitions of the cut-off phenomenon, examples, and some partial

results and conjectures.

Thu, 03 Jun 2004

14:00 - 15:00
Comlab

Discontinuous Galerkin methods for time-harmonic Maxwell's equations

Prof Paul Houston
(University of Leicester)
Abstract

In recent years, there has been considerable interest, especially in the context of

fluid-dynamics, in nonconforming finite element methods that are based on discontinuous

piecewise polynomial approximation spaces; such approaches are referred to as discontinuous

Galerkin (DG) methods. The main advantages of these methods lie in their conservation properties, their ability to treat a wide range of problems within the same unified framework, and their great flexibility in the mesh-design. Indeed, DG methods can easily handle non-matching grids and non-uniform, even anisotropic, polynomial approximation degrees. Moreover, orthogonal bases can easily be constructed which lead to diagonal mass matrices; this is particularly advantageous in unsteady problems. Finally, in combination with block-type preconditioners, DG methods can easily be parallelized.

\\

\\

In this talk, we introduce DG discretizations of mixed field and potential-based formulations of

eddy current problems in the time-harmonic regime. For the electric field formulation, the

divergence-free constraint within non-conductive regions is imposed by means of a Lagrange

multiplier. This allows for the correct capturing of edge and corner singularities in polyhedral domains; in contrast, additional Sobolev regularity must be assumed in the DG formulation, and their conforming counterparts, when regularization techniques are employed. In particular, we present a mixed method involving discontinuous $P^\ell-P^\ell$ elements, which includes a normal jump stabilization term, and a non-stabilized variant employing discontinuous $P^\ell-P^{\ell+1}$ elements.The first formulation delivers optimal convergence rates for the vector-valued unknowns in a suitable energy norm, while the second (non-stabilized) formulation is designed to yield optimal convergence rates in both the $L^2$--norm, as well as in a suitable energy norm. For this latter method, we also develop the {\em a posteriori} error estimation of the mixed DG approximation of the Maxwell operator. Indeed, by employing suitable Helmholtz decompositions of the error, together with the conservation properties of the underlying method, computable upper bounds on the error, measured in terms of the energy norm, are derived.

\\

\\

Numerical examples illustrating the performance of the proposed methods will be presented; here,

both conforming and non-conforming (irregular) meshes will be employed. Our theoretical and

numerical results indicate that the proposed DG methods provide promising alternatives to standard conforming schemes based on edge finite elements.

Tue, 01 Jun 2004
12:00
L3

SDYM and heavenly equations in deformation quantition

M Przanowski
(Lodz)
Abstract

Here I would like to present how one can obtain SDYM and

heavenly equations in general Fedosov deformation quantisation scheme. I am

considering some aspects of integrability (conservation laws,Lax pair,dressing

operator and Riemann-Hilbert problem).Then, using an embedding of sl(N,C) in the

Moyal bracket algebra, I am going to show an example of a series of chiral

sl(N,C) fields tending to heavenly spacetime when N tends to infinity (Ward's

question). ( All this is a natural continuation of the works by Strachan and

Takasaki).

Fri, 28 May 2004
16:30
L2

Einstein's legacy in geometry

Nigel Hitchin
(Oxford)
Abstract

Einstein bequeathed many things to differential geometry — a
global viewpoint and the urge to find new structures beyond Riemannian
geometry in particular. Nevertheless, his gravitational equations and
the role of the Ricci tensor remain the ones most closely associated
with his name and the subject of much current research. In the
Riemannian context they make contact in specific instances with a wide
range of mathematics both analytical and geometrical. The talk will
attempt to show how diverse parts of mathematics, past and present,
have contributed to solving the Einstein equations.