Author
Geometry and Topology Seminar: November 8, 2024
Nov. 8, 2024—Speaker: Valentina Zapata Castro (University of Virginia) Title: A monoid can be interpreted as a category with a single object, where the morphisms correspond to the elements of the monoid. Extending this concept to higher categories, in this talk I will explore the relationship between complete Segal spaces with a monoidal structure and complete Segal Theta_2-spaces, considering an approach...
Colloquium – Talk by Jean-Francois Paquet: November 7, 2024
Nov. 7, 2024—November 7, 2024 (Thursday), 4:10 p.m. Jean-Francois Paquet, Vanderbilt University Special relativity meets fluid dynamics: the transformative role of nucleus colliders Quark-gluon plasma is an exotic phase of nuclear matter that can be produced by colliding large nuclei at velocities close to the speed of light. This plasma is the smallest and hottest liquid ever...
Number Theory Seminar: November 5, 2024
Nov. 5, 2024—Speaker: Eleanor McSpirit (Vanderbilt University) Title/Abstract: TBA
Colloquium – Detection and characterization of chirps and oscillating singularities in datas: October 31, 2024
Oct. 31, 2024—October 31, 2024 (Thursday), 4:10 p.m. Stephane Jaffard- University Paris Est Creteil Many types of signals display a very oscillatory behavior in the neighborhood of singularities. It is for example the case for gravitational waves, fully developed turbulence, or brain data. A major issue is to detect such behaviors (referred to as “oscillating singularities” or...
Geometry and Topology Seminar: October 25, 2024
Oct. 25, 2024—Speaker: Yifan Chen (UC Berkeley) Title: More Complete Calabi-Yau Metrics of Calabi Type Abstract: We construct more complete Calabi-Yau metrics asymptotic to Calabi ansatz. They are the higher-dimensional analogues of ALH* gravitational instantons in two dimensions. Our work builds on and generalizes the results of Tian-Yau and Hein-Sun-Viaclovski-Zhang, creating Calabi-Yau metrics that are only polynomially close to the model...
Colloquium – Curve graphs and totally geodesic subvarieties of moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces: October 24, 2024
Oct. 24, 2024—October 24, 2024 (Thursday), 4:10 p.m. Alex Wright- University of Michigan Given a surface, the associated curve graph has vertices corresponding to certain isotopy classes of curves on the surface, and edges for disjoint curves. Starting with work of Masur and Minsky in the late 1990s, curve graphs became a central tool for understanding objects...
Number Theory Seminar: October 21, 2024
Oct. 21, 2024—Location: 12 p.m. in Buttrick Hall, room 206 Speaker: Hui Xue (Clemson University) Title: Subspaces spanned by eigenforms with nonzero central L-values Abstract: In this talk, we discuss explicit spanning sets for two vector spaces. One is the subspace generated by integral-weight Hecke eigenforms with nonzero central L- values. The other is a subspace generated by...
Number Theory Seminar: October 18, 2024
Oct. 18, 2024—Location: 12:10 p.m. in Stevenson Center, room 1310 Speaker: Walter Bridges (University of North Texas) Title: Zero attractors and sign changes in partition polynomials Abstract: I will discuss new methods in the asymptotic theory of integer partitions with applications to the following two problems. The first problem concerns secondary terms in asymptotic equidistribution. For example, if $p(a,b,n)$ denotes...
Colloquium – Talk by Darren Creutz and Mike Neamtu: October 17, 2024
Oct. 17, 2024—October 17, 2024 (Thursday), 4:10 p.m. Darren Creutz, Vanderbilt University Mike Neamtu, Vanderbilt University Darren Creutz, Symbolic Dynamics: Connecting short-term and long-term complexity in dynamical systems Given a dynamical system and a (reasonable) partition of the space, there isa natural map from the system to a symbolic system: assign each element of the partition a...
Geometry and Topology Seminar: October 4, 2024
Oct. 7, 2024—Speaker: Sofia Martinez Alberga (Purdue University) Title: Modeling Equivariant Simplicial Sets with Simplicial Coalgebras Abstract: Given a commutative ring R, a $\pi_1$-R-equivalence is a continuous map of spaces inducing an isomorphism on fundamental groups and an R-homology equivalence between universal covers. When R is an algebraically closed field, Raptis and Rivera described a full and faithful model for the homotopy...
Colloquium – Talk by Mark Ellingham and Rares Rasdeaconu: October 3, 2024
Oct. 3, 2024—October 3, 2024 (Thursday), 4:10 pm Mark Ellingham and Rares Rasdeaconu, Vanderbilt University “Maximum genus directed embeddings of digraphs” Mark Ellingham, Vanderbilt University In topological graph theory we often want to find embeddings of a given connected graph with minimum genus, so that the underlying compact orientable surface of the embedding is as simple as...
Geometry and Topology Seminar: Friday, September 27th
Sep. 27, 2024—Speaker: Garrett Michael Brown (UC Berkeley) Title: The sign of scalar curvature on Kaehler blowups Abstract: In Kaehler geometry there is a compelling interaction between the curvature of the metric and the underlying algebro-geometric structure. One example is that positivity of the scalar curvature forces the the Kodaira dimension to be negative. I will explain a recent resolution to the...
Math Department Spurs Nashville SC to Victory
Sep. 20, 2024—On September 18, eighteen members of the Department of Mathematics got the royal treatment as special guests at the Chancellor’s Suite in Geodis Park. Home club Nashville SC defeated visiting Chicago Fire in a 1 to nil thriller. Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge scored on a header, which came off a long-distance cross from NSC...
Math Department Sponsors Yoga Event
Sep. 20, 2024—The Department of Mathematics hosted a free yoga class for the campus community on Friday, September 20. A baker’s dozen yogis were led by Highland Yoga instructor Kelly Swanton in an invigorating session of vinyasa-style yoga. Free yoga mats were distributed to all undergraduates who needed one. Department Chair Dan Margalit participated. In his words,...
Colloquium – Amenability, optimal transport and abstract ergodic theorems : September 19, 2024
Sep. 19, 2024—September 19, 2024 (Thursday), 4:10 pm Christian Rosendal, University of Maryland The concept of amenability is ubiquitous in functional analysis, group theory and logic. In general, amenability of, for example, a group allows one to integrate bounded real valued functions on the group in a translation invariant manner, which is of great utility in many...
Tea + Cookies brings Faculty and Students Together
Sep. 14, 2024—On Friday, September 13, 2024, the Department of Mathematics held a Tea + Cookies event, open to the Vanderbilt community. While we did not count attendees, we can confidently announce that over 400 Crumbl (and Christie’s) cookie units were consumed (1 large Crumbl cookie = 4 cookie units). Aside from the cookies, tea, and a...
Colloquium – Local Topological Quantum Codes: September 12, 2024
Sep. 12, 2024—September 12, 2024 (Thursday), 4:10 pm David Penneys- The Ohio State Quantum information is encoded in a state vector of a tensor product of Hilbert spaces. Quantum error correction codes are useful for correcting errors when transporting quantum information through a noisy channel. In this talk, we will discuss a family of 2D ‘‘local topological’’...
Prof. Webb named Centennial Professor
Sep. 10, 2024—Prof. Glenn Webb has recently been named Centennial Chair of Mathematics by Vanderbilt. Prof. Webb has been a dedicated member of the Department for 56 years, beginning in 1968. Prof. Webb received his Bachelor’s degree in 1965 at Georgia Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. from Emory University in 1968. Centennial Professorships were created during...
Colloquium – The Black Hole Photon Ring: August 29, 2024
Aug. 29, 2024—August 29, 2024 (Thursday), 4:10 pm Alex Lupsasca – Vanderbilt University What does a black hole look like? The first images of the supermassive black hole M87* display a bright ring encircling the event horizon, which appears as a dark patch in its surrounding emission. But Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicts that within this...
Ryan Matzke is co-recipient of 2024 Alexanderson Award
Aug. 12, 2024—Dr. Ryan Matzke, a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mathematics, has recently been announced as a co-recipient of the 2024 Alexanderson Award. This award is presented by the American Institute of Mathematics, an NSF-sponsored mathematics institute in Pasadena, California. Gerald Alexanderson was Professor of Mathematics at Santa Clara University and founding...
Prof. Bohmann hosts Collaborative Research Workshop on K-theory and Scissors Congruence
Jul. 26, 2024—Vanderbilt University’s Math Department is hosting the Collaborative Research Workshop on K-theory and Scissors Congruence during the week of July 29 to August 2, 2024. The theory of scissor congruence starts with the classical fact that if we have two polygons of the same area, we can cut the first one into pieces and reassemble...
Prof. Rolen Teaches Summer Course on Number Theory for Talented Youth
Jul. 25, 2024—As part of the VSA summer program offered by Vanderbilt’s Program for Talented Youth, Larry Rolen taught a 2 week course called “Exploring Number Theory: Unveiling the Queen of Mathematics.” This was an intensive introduction to number theory for 12 gifted high schoolers from across the country and the world. Students met from 8:45-3:45 every...
Anna Marie Bohmann named Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow
Jun. 12, 2024—We are delighted to share the news that Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Anna Marie Bohmann, was named as a 2024 Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow. This is a highly prestigious award that comes with a $40K research fund. This year only 13 faculty were chosen from across the university. You can read the official...
Bohmann named Chancellor Faculty Fellow
Jun. 11, 2024—
Shuxian Song Wins First Departmental Ping Pong Tournament
Apr. 28, 2024—The first annual departmental ping pong tournament, which took place over nine grueling months of pinging, ponging, and heroic scheduling achievements, came to a thrilling close on April 25, in front of a packed common room, as Shuxian Song, first-year graduate student, was awarded the championship belt by PP Commish Nate Tenpas, with a 3...