Brandeis-Harvard-MIT-Northeastern

JOINT MATHEMATICS COLLOQUIUM


 
The Langlands Program and Quantum Physics

 

Edward Frenkel

UC Berkeley
 
 

MIT

Wednesday, October 23, 2013


Talk at 4.30 p.m. in Room 10-250

Tea from 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. in Room 6-104


 
 

Abstract:   A geometric version of the Langlands Program has been linked, in the works of Witten and others, to the electromagnetic duality of four-dimensional quantum gauge theories. But where does that duality come from? It turns out that it has a natural geometric explanation from the point of view of a mysterious six-dimensional quantum field theory, whose existence is predicted in string theory and M-theory and which appears to have no Lagrangian description. Although they are still conjectural, various properties of this theory have been recently used to reveal surprising connections between 4D and 2D quantum field theories, some of which have now been rigorously proved. I will review some of these connections and their implications for the geometric Langlands Program.


There will be a book reading and signing event for Edward Frenkel's new book "Love and Math" at the Harvard Coop (1400 Mass Ave, Cambridge) on the same day,10/23, at 7 pm.


 

Home Web page:  Alexandru I. Suciu Comments to:  i.loseu@neu.edu 
Posted: October 10, 2013    URL: http://www.northeastern.edu/iloseu/bhmn/frenkel13.html