Residual properties and the profinite competion of 3-manifold groups.
14:15
Quantitative Liouville theorems for equations of the Schouten tensor in conformal geometry.
Abstract
The classical Yamabe problem asks to find in a given conformal class a metric of constant scalar curvature. In fully nonlinear analogues, the scalar curvature is replaced by certain functions of the eigenvalue of the Schouten curvature tensor. I will report on quantitative Liouville theorems and fine blow-up analysis for these problems. Joint work with Yanyan Li.
14:15
Contracting (-1) curves on noncommutative surfaces
Abstract
We give a noncommutative analogue of Castelnuovo's classic theorem that (-1) lines on a smooth surface can be contracted, and show how this may be used to construct an explicit birational map between a noncommutative P^2 and a noncommutative quadric surface. This has applications to the classification of noncommutative projective surfaces, one of the major open problems in noncommutative algebraic geometry. We will not assume a background in noncommutative ring theory. The talk is based on joint work with Rogalski and Staffor
Enhancement of propagation in reaction-diffusion equations by a line of fast diffusion
Abstract
we study a new mechanism of reaction-diffusion involving a line with fast diffusion, proposed to model the influence of transportation networks on biological invasions.
We will be interested in the existence and uniqueness of traveling waves solutions, and especially focus on their velocity. We will show that it grows as the square root of the diffusivity on the line, generalizing and showing the robustness of a result by Berestycki, Roquejoffre and Rossi (2013), and provide a characterization of the growth ratio thanks to an hypoelliptic (a priori) degenerate system.
Finally we will take a look at the dynamics and show that the waves attract a large class of initial data. In particular, we will shed light on a new mechanism of attraction which enables the waves to attract initial data with size independent of the diffusion on the line : this is a new result, in the sense than usually, enhancement of propagation has to be paid by strengthening the assumptions on the size of the initial data for invasion to happen.
The wrinkling of a twisted ribbon
Abstract
We explore a specific system in which geometry and loading conspire to generate fine-scale wrinkling. This system -- a twisted ribbon held with small tension -- was examined experimentally by Chopin and Kudrolli
[Phys Rev Lett 111, 174302, 2013].
There is a regime where the ribbon wrinkles near its center. A recent paper by Chopin, D\'{e}mery, and Davidovitch models this regime using a von-K\'{a}rm\'{a}n-like
variational framework [J Elasticity 119, 137-189, 2015]. Our contribution is to give upper and lower bounds for the minimum energy as the thickness tends to zero. Since the bounds differ by a thickness-independent prefactor, we have determined how the minimum energy scales with thickness. Along the way we find estimates on Sobolev norms of the minimizers, which provide some information on the character of the wrinkling. This is a joint work with Robert V. Kohn in Courant Institute, NYU.
T-duality and the condensed matter bulk-boundary correspondence
Abstract
This talk will start with a brief historical review of the classification of solids by their symmetries, and the more recent K-theoretic periodic table of Kitaev. It will then consider some mathematical questions this raises, in particular about the behaviour of electrons on the boundary of materials and in the bulk. Two rather different models will be described, which turn out to be related by T-duality. Relevant ideas from noncommutative geometry will be explained where needed.
Probabilistic Time Series Forecasting: Challenges and Opportunities
Abstract
Over the years, nonlinear and nonparametric models have attracted a great deal of attention. This is mainly due to the fact that most time series arising from the real-world exhibit nonlinear behavior, whereas nonparametric models, in principle, do not make strong prior assumptions about the true functional form of the underlying data generating process.
In this workshop, we will focus on the use of nonlinear and nonparametric modelling approaches for time series forecasting, and discuss the need and implications of accurate forecasts for informed policy and decision-making. Crucially, we will discuss some of the major challenges (and potential solutions) in probabilistic time series forecasting, with emphasis on: (1) Modelling in the presence of regime shifts, (2) Effect of model over-fitting on out-of-sample forecast accuracy, and, (3) Importance of using naïve benchmarks and different performance scores for model comparison. We will discuss the applications of different modelling approaches for: Macroeconomics (US GNP), Energy (electricity consumption recorded via smart meters), and Healthcare (remote detection of disease symptoms).
14:15
Untwisted and twisted open de Rham spaces
Abstract
An "open de Rham space" refers to a moduli space of meromorphic connections on the projective line with underlying trivial bundle. In the case where the connections have simple poles, it is well-known that these spaces exhibit hyperkähler metrics and can be realized as quiver varieties. This story can in fact be extended to the case of higher order poles, at least in the "untwisted" case. The "twisted" spaces, introduced by Bremer and Sage, refer to those which have normal forms diagonalizable only after passing to a ramified cover. These spaces often arise as quotients by unipotent groups and in some low-dimensional examples one finds some well-known hyperkähler manifolds, such as the moduli of magnetic monopoles. This is a report on ongoing work with Tamás Hausel and Dimitri Wyss.
14:15
Poncelet's theorem and Painleve VI
Abstract
In 1995 N. Hitchin constructed explicit algebraic solutions to the Painlevé VI (1/8,-1/8,1/8,3/8) equation starting with any Poncelet trajectory, that is a closed billiard trajectory inscribed in a conic and circumscribed about another conic. In this talk I will show that Hitchin's construction is the Okamoto transformation between Picard's solution and the general solution of the Painlevé VI (1/8,-1/8,1/8,3/8) equation. Moreover, this Okamoto transformation can be written in terms of an Abelian differential of the third kind on the associated elliptic curve, which allows to write down solutions to the corresponding Schlesinger system in terms of this differential as well. This is a joint work with V. Dragovic.