TITLE: The AGT Duality and Beilinson-Drinfeld's Original Formulation of Geometric Langlands Duality via CFT ABS: The original mathematical formulation of geometric Langlands duality by Beilinson-Drinfeld involved CFT, not gauge theory. It was therefore an outstanding question how Kapustin-Witten's gauge-theoretic approach is related to Beilinson-Drinfeld's CFT approach. We will shed light on this question via string/M-theory. In particular, we first consider a modification of our physical setup manifesting the Braverman-Finkelberg geometric Langlands duality to arrive at an AGT duality which relates gauge theory to affine W-algebras. Then, it can be explained that the KW and BD formulations are just string-dual to each other.

TITLE: Braverman-Finkelberg Generalization of Geometric Langlands Duality in String Theory ABS: Braverman-Finkelberg considered a generalization of the geometric Satake isomorphism to involve not Lie but Kac-Moody groups, and in so doing, arrived at a formulation of geometric Langlands duality which involves not complex curves, but complex surfaces. Specifically, the formulation relates the intersection cohomology of the moduli space of G-instantons on orbifold complex surfaces, to modules of a Langlands-dual affine Lie algebra with level determined by the order of the singularity. We will furnish a string/M-theoretic derivation of their mathematical conjecture.

TITLE: An introduction to Geometric Langlands Duality: from Faraday to Montonen-Olive to Hitchin to Kapustin-Witten ABS: As the first two of a four-part Bragg Lecture Series, we will furnish a pedestrian introduction to geometric Langlands duality via its manifestation in physical gauge theory. To this end, we will first explain what the arithmetic Langlands duality is, and its geometric version. Then, we will cover the underlying physics and math ideas starting with Faraday and electromagnetism, on to Montonen-Olive and the Langlands duality of electric-magnetic charges, then to Hitchin and the mirror symmetry of his moduli spaces, and finally, to Kapustin-Witten and S-duality of 4d N=4 topological gauge theory.

TITLE: An introduction to Geometric Langlands Duality: from Faraday to Montonen-Olive to Hitchin to Kapustin-Witten ABS: As the first two of a four-part Bragg Lecture Series, we will furnish a pedestrian introduction to geometric Langlands duality via its manifestation in physical gauge theory. To this end, we will first explain what the arithmetic Langlands duality is, and its geometric version. Then, we will cover the underlying physics and math ideas starting with Faraday and electromagnetism, on to Montonen-Olive and the Langlands duality of electric-magnetic charges, then to Hitchin and the mirror symmetry of his moduli spaces, and finally, to Kapustin-Witten and S-duality of 4d N=4 topological gauge theory.

We are hosting a half-day symposium for scientists, innovators and policymakers to debate the framework within which genius flourishes. Speakers include Chinyelu Onwurah (Shadow Minister for Science), George Freeman (former Minister for Science), Sir Martyn Poliakoff (Faraday Medalist), et al https://lims.ac.uk/event/organising-genius-scientific-progress-and-international-cooperation/

For matrix models and QFT, we discuss how holographic emergent geometry appears from matrix degrees of freedom (specifically, adjoint scalars in super Yang-Mills theory) and how operator algebra that describes an arbitrary region of the bulk geometry can be constructed. We pay attention to the subtle difference between the notions of wave packets that describe low-energy excitations: QFT wave packet associated with the spatial dimensions of QFT, matrix wave packet associated with the emergent dimensions from matrix degrees of freedom, and bulk wave packet which is a combination of QFT and matrix wave packets. In QFT, there is an intriguing interplay between QFT wave packet and matrix wave packet that connects quantum entanglement and emergent geometry. We propose that the bulk wave packet is the physical object in QFT that describes the emergent geometry from entanglement. This proposal sets a unified view on two seemingly different mechanisms of holographic emergent geometry: one based on matrix eigenvalues and the other based on quantum entanglement. Further intuition comes from the similarity to traversable wormholes.

These lectures will summarise mathematical aspects of classical General Relativity that are helpful in understanding current developments in the field. Lecture I will focus on Lorentzian-signature geometry, with an emphasis on causal structure. Some topological notions will also be introduced. In Lecture II we will go on to study the behaviour of geodesics in General Relativity and derive the famous Raychaudhuri equation. The null version of this equation, due to Sachs, will also be derived. Lecture III will focus on the "Hawking singularity theorem", namely that cosmological spacetimes with positive local Hubble constant are geodesically incomplete in the past under suitable conditions. In Lecture IV we will discuss the "Penrose singularity theorem" for black holes.

These lectures will summarise mathematical aspects of classical General Relativity that are helpful in understanding current developments in the field. Lecture I will focus on Lorentzian-signature geometry, with an emphasis on causal structure. Some topological notions will also be introduced. In Lecture II we will go on to study the behaviour of geodesics in General Relativity and derive the famous Raychaudhuri equation. The null version of this equation, due to Sachs, will also be derived. Lecture III will focus on the "Hawking singularity theorem", namely that cosmological spacetimes with positive local Hubble constant are geodesically incomplete in the past under suitable conditions. In Lecture IV we will discuss the "Penrose singularity theorem" for black holes.

These lectures will summarise mathematical aspects of classical General Relativity that are helpful in understanding current developments in the field. Lecture I will focus on Lorentzian-signature geometry, with an emphasis on causal structure. Some topological notions will also be introduced. In Lecture II we will go on to study the behaviour of geodesics in General Relativity and derive the famous Raychaudhuri equation. The null version of this equation, due to Sachs, will also be derived. Lecture III will focus on the "Hawking singularity theorem", namely that cosmological spacetimes with positive local Hubble constant are geodesically incomplete in the past under suitable conditions. In Lecture IV we will discuss the "Penrose singularity theorem" for black holes.

These lectures will summarise mathematical aspects of classical General Relativity that are helpful in understanding current developments in the field. Lecture I will focus on Lorentzian-signature geometry, with an emphasis on causal structure. Some topological notions will also be introduced. In Lecture II we will go on to study the behaviour of geodesics in General Relativity and derive the famous Raychaudhuri equation. The null version of this equation, due to Sachs, will also be derived. Lecture III will focus on the "Hawking singularity theorem", namely that cosmological spacetimes with positive local Hubble constant are geodesically incomplete in the past under suitable conditions. In Lecture IV we will discuss the "Penrose singularity theorem" for black holes.

an informal in-person seminar by Prof. Herman Verlinde

CANCELLED due to an unforeseen speaker emergency.

CANCELLED due to an unforeseen speaker emergency.

CANCELLED due to an unforeseen speaker emergency.

CANCELLED due to an unforeseen speaker emergency.

This is part of HoloUK2. Registration is free but space is limited, so please register at https://sites.google.com/view/holouk/home/holouk-2. Correlators in field theories at finite temperatures have singularities on the light cone. Are there any other singularities? In this talk, I will address this question in the context of holographic theories in the black hole phase. Two points on the AdS boundary can be connected by a null geodesic in the bulk, leading to a so-called bulk-cone singularity. These new singularities were previously conjectured by analyzing the geodesic approximation, but we will derive them in full generality by developing the technology of thermal Regge theory. The functional form of the singularity leads to sharp signatures of the AdS photon sphere in the boundary CFT, including an identification of the boundary dual of the angular velocity and Lyapunov exponent associated with the photon sphere. I will also comment on the resolution of the singularity by stringy effects.

This is part of HoloUK2. Registration is free but space is limited, so please register at https://sites.google.com/view/holouk/home/holouk-2. One of the major insights gained from holographic duality is the relation between the physics of black holes and quantum chaotic systems. This relation is made precise in the duality between two dimensional JT gravity and random matrix theory. In this work, we generalize this to a duality between AdS3 gravity and a random ensemble of approximate CFT's. The latter is described by a combined tensor and matrix model, describing the OPE coefficients and spectrum of a theory that approximately satisfies the bootstrap constraints. We show that the Feynman diagrams of the random ensemble produce a sum over 3 manifolds that agrees with the partition function of 3d gravity. A crucial element of this dictionary is the Virasoro TQFT, which defines the bulk gravitational path integral via the cutting and sewing relations of topological field theory. This TQFT has gravitational edge modes degrees of freedom whose entanglement gives rise to gravitational entropy.

In these lectures we will discuss various aspects of conformal field theories in Lorentzian signature. First, we will study the general properties of Lorentzian correlation functions, including their global conformal structure and the relation to Euclidean correlators. We will then consider the Regge limit of correlation functions and how this limit requires the introduction of complex spin. We will define complex spin using the Lorentzian inversion formula, and interpret it in terms of non-local light-ray operators. Finally, we will discuss applications of light-ray operators to even shape observables.

In these lectures we will discuss various aspects of conformal field theories in Lorentzian signature. First, we will study the general properties of Lorentzian correlation functions, including their global conformal structure and the relation to Euclidean correlators. We will then consider the Regge limit of correlation functions and how this limit requires the introduction of complex spin. We will define complex spin using the Lorentzian inversion formula, and interpret it in terms of non-local light-ray operators. Finally, we will discuss applications of light-ray operators to even shape observables.

In the inaugural Simon Norton Lecture, Prof. Peter Cameron will celebrate the mathematician's achievements and talk about Norton algebras. https://lims.ac.uk/event/a-monstrous-talent/