Geometry and Topology of String Theory

DMS-0401953Ezra Getzler和Eric Zaslow在西北大学强调弦理论的几何和拓扑方法的背景下，该奖项支持在西北大学举行的围绕膜理论的数学会议。此外，该奖项还支持在会议之前举行的一系列小型研讨会和研讨会，特别是针对学生和博士后。这次会议将促进数学家和物理学家之间的互利互动。此外，这些活动有望在宣传这些新兴方法在几何学和拓扑学的其他领域的潜在应用方面发挥作用。在过去的几年里，几何和同伦理论方法在弦理论和相关物理领域的研究中被证明是越来越重要的：我们可以提到Fukaya和Kontsevich的A1-范畴的引入和G2-完整流形的作用，这只是两个例子。思想的流动也流向了另一个方向。例如，弦对偶为代数簇派生范畴的研究提供了新的方向。

DMS-0401953Ezra Getzler and Eric ZaslowThis award supports a conference at Northwestern University on the mathematics surrounding the theory of branes, in the context of the Emphasis Year on Geometric and Topological Methods in String Theory at Northwestern University.In addition, the award also supports a series of mini-workshops and seminars tobe held before the conference, which is particularly directed at students and post-docs. This conference will foster a mutually beneficial interaction betweenmathematicians and physicists. In addition, the activities are expected to play a role in advertising potential applications of these emerging methods elsewhere in geometry and topology. Geometric and homotopy-theoretic methods have proved of increasingimportance to the study of string theory and associated areas ofphysics in the last few years: we may mention Fukaya and Kontsevich'sintroduction of A1-categories and the role of manifolds of G2-holonomyas just two examples. The flow of ideas has gone in the other directionas well. For example, string duality has suggested new directions ofresearch on derived categories of algebraic varieties.