to follow

to follow

When it comes to the nonlinear heat equation u_t - \Delta u = u^p, a sharp condition for the stability of positive radial steady states was derived in the classical paper by Gui, Ni and Wang.  In this talk, I will present some recent joint work with Daniel Devine that focuses on a more general system of reaction-diffusion equations (which is also also known as the parabolic Henon-Lane-Emden system).  We obtain a sharp condition that determines the stability of positive radial steady states, and we also study the separation property of these solutions along with their asymptotic behaviour at infinity.

In recent years, a novel approach to studying integrable models has emerged which leverages a higher-dimensional gauge theory, specifically a holomorphic-topological theory. This new framework provides alternative methods for investigating quantum aspects of integrability and for constructing integrable models in more than two dimensions. This talk will review the foundations of this approach, its applications, and the exciting possibilities it opens up for future research in the field of integrable systems. 

 While extremal black hole microstates are reproduced by index calculations, the study of near-BPS black holes requires special care to account for quantum fluctuations. A semiclassical analysis indicates that the spectrum of such black holes has a large extremal degeneracy followed by a mass gap up to a continuum of non-BPS states. The inclusion of a theta angle term alters the properties of the spectrum (Witten effect shifting the mass gap and mixed 't Hooft anomaly). This journal club will study two papers by Toldo and Heydeman, [2412.03695] and [2412.03697] where they study 4d near-BPS black holes. As we shall see, a key point of their derivation is the reduction to 2d JT gravity. The dual CFTs are ABJM and some class R (non lagrangian) theories. Since these theories are strongly coupled, the gravity analysis offers a powerful tool to describe their specturm at finite temperature.

I will introduce basic concepts from category theory that are relevant to the study of generalized symmetries. Then, I will focus on constructions known as equivariantization and de-equivariantization, which allow one to move between categories with a group G-action and those with a Rep(G)-action. I will also discuss their relation to the concept of gauging, if time permits.

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.