Tom Bridgeland (University of Sheffield)

Stability conditions, BPS states and quadratic differentials

Ideas from homological algebra, such as triangulated categories and stability conditions, appear to provide a useful mathematical language for describing certain phenomena in supersymmetric quantum field theory. There is an important class of examples, which have been intensively studied by both mathematicians and physicists over the last decade, where the key ingredients can be described in concrete terms using familiar ideas from surface topology. In this talk I will describe some of the mathematical results that have emerged from this line of research,  focusing on a simple case where everything can be made quite explicit. I will also try to indicate some possible further directions for research.

Schedule

14:00 - Pretalk with Tom Bridgeland and PhD Students

14:30 - Coffee Break

14:45 - RTG colloquium