-
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 |