Categorical symmetries in Quantum Field Theory Summer School

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Categorical symmetries in Quantum Field Theory Summer School

 10 - 14 Jun 2024

ICMS, 5th Floor, Bayes Centre

 Enquiries

Link of recordings of lectures has been added, please scroll down.
  • David Jordan, University of Edinburgh
  • Iordanis Romaidis , University of Edinburgh
  • Iñaki García Etxebarria, University of Durham
  • Mathew Bullimore, University of Durham
  • Constantin Teleman, University of California, Berkeley
  • Michele Del Zotto, Uppsala University

About:

The past decade has seen a remarkable evolution of the central notion of symmetry in mathematical physics.  The new framework that has emerged encompasses not only symmetries captured by a discrete or continuous group, but also more general notions of symmetry encoded in more sophisticated mathematical structures such as higher groups and fusion categories and employs state of the art developments in topological quantum field theory (TQFT). This emerging viewpoint is known as "categorical symmetry" and has led to a paradigm shift in how researchers from disparate fields organise and classify quantum field theories.

The aim of this workshop was to bring together researchers from both physics -- in topological quantum field theory, high energy physics, and condensed matter -- and mathematics -- higher categories, representation theory, and topology -- to report on recent progress and open questions in the study of generalised notions of symmetry.

Schedule

Summer school: Monday 10 - Friday 14 June. 

Workshop: Monday 17 - Friday 21 June.

*Please note the following programme is subject to change. For workshop porgramme please visit this webpage

Programme

MONDAY 10 JUNE 2024
Registration and Refreshments
Welcome and Housekeeping
Graeme Segal, All Souls College, Oxford Lecture I: A point of view on quantum field theory
Refreshments
Nitu Kitchloo, Johns Hopkins University Lecture I: Symmetry breaking, surface defects and link homologies
Lunch
Nitu Kitchloo, Johns Hopkins University Lecture II: Symmetry breaking, surface defects and link homologies
Refreshments
Graeme Segal, All Souls College, Oxford Lecture II: A point of view on quantum field theory
TUESDAY 11 JUNE 2024
Ibou Bah, Johns Hopkins University Lecture I: Lagrangian methods for categorical symmetries
Refreshments
Nitu Kitchloo, Johns Hopkins University Lecture III: Symmetry breaking, surface defects and link homologies
Ibou Bah, Johns Hopkins University Lecture II: Lagrangian methods for categorical symmetries
Lunch
Graeme Segal, All Souls College, Oxford Lecture III: A point of view on quantum field theory
Welcome reception
Gong show talk
WEDNESDAY 12 JUNE 2024
Graeme Segal, All Souls College, Oxford Lecture IV: A point of view on quantum field theory
Refreshments
Ibou Bah, Johns Hopkins University Lecture III: Lagrangian methods for categorical symmetries
Ibou Bah, Johns Hopkins University Lecture IV: Lagrangian methods for categorical symmetries
Lunch
Nitu Kitchloo, Johns Hopkins University Lecture IV: Symmetry breaking, surface defects and link homologies
Gong show talk
Ibou Bah, Johns Hopkins University Public lecture - Black holes in the sky and fundamental physics
THURSDAY 13 JUNE 2024
Claudia Scheimbauer, TU Munich Lecture I: Higher Categories for QFT
Refreshments
Claudia Scheimbauer, TU Munich Lecture II: Higher Categories for QFT
Lunch
Ryan Thorngren, UCLA Lecture I: Symmetry breaking, higher berry phase, and the long exact sequence
Refreshments
Ryan Thorngren, UCLA Lecture II: Symmetry breaking, higher berry phase, and the long exact sequence
Dialogue
Workshop Dinner
FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2024
Claudia Scheimbauer, TU Munich Lecture III: Higher Categories for QFT
Refreshments
Ryan Thorngren, UCLA Lecture III: Symmetry breaking, higher berry phase, and the long exact sequence
Claudia Scheimbauer, TU Munich Lecture IV: Higher Categories for QFT
Lunch
Ryan Thorngren, UCLA Lecture IV: Symmetry breaking, higher berry phase, and the long exact sequence