Found at least 20 result(s)

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

TP' style='color:#f0ad4e'>TP 102678' style='color:#f0ad4e'>A is for the ANEC

Regular Seminar Gregoire Mathys (EPFL, Lausanne)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL Strand
room: S0.12
abstract:

In this talk, I will discuss a connection between the ANEC (Averaged Null Energy Condition) operator and monotonicity of the renormalization group. In particular, I will show how the 2d c-theorem and 4d a-theorem can be derived using the ANEC. This derivation relies on contact terms appearing in specific ANEC correlators. I will also review a new infinite set of constraints that can be derived from the ANEC in 2d QFT. This program hints at a more general role for light-ray operators in QFT, which I will argue for.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

ME' style='color:#f0ad4e'>ME 308' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Some Tools in Undergrad Maths Teaching: Student-Authored Exam Questions and Insights from TEFL

regular seminar Antonio d'Alfonso del Sordo (UCL)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: UCL, 188 Tottenham Court Road, Room 03
abstract:

By the end of their degree, we expect our students to be independent learners who can read and understand mathematical texts (e.g. textbooks/papers) and study to understand the course material rather than trying to learn the exam. In practice, many of our students do not meet this expectation, in large part because we rarely teach these skills directly â they form part of the so-called hidden curriculum.

In this talk, I will present some activities I employed during an undergraduate calculus course which aimed to address these issues. I will also discuss how I borrow tools and techniques from my experience as a qualified English as a foreign language teacher to design my teaching sessions. Part of this was developed jointly with David Sheard (KCL).

Keywords: Student-authored exams, TEFL, mathematical reading

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

GE' style='color:#f0ad4e'>GE 305' style='color:#f0ad4e'>An equator theorem for the 2-sphere

regular seminar Richard Webb (University of Manchester )

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S4.29
abstract:

In this talk, we will focus on the group of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms (and area-preserving homeomorphisms) of the 2-sphere. A tremendous amount of progress has been made in the study of these groups in the last few years, but many problems remain, including the Equator Conjecture. An equator on the 2-sphere is a simple closed curve whose complementary components have equal area. The Equator Conjecture predicts that for any positive K, there are pairs of equators such that any Hamiltonian diffeomorphism sending one equator to the other must have Hofer norm larger than K. We will prove an alternative conjecture, by replacing "Hofer norm" with "quantitative fragmentation norm". To prove this, we construct new quasimorphisms defined on all area-preserving homeomorphisms on the 2-sphere, coming from methods inspired from mapping class groups and geometric group theory. Joint work with Yongsheng Jia.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

PR' style='color:#f0ad4e'>PR 259' style='color:#f0ad4e'>KCL Probability Seminar: Weak coupling scaling of critical SPDEs

regular seminar Giuseppe Cannizarro (University of Warwick)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S4.29
abstract:

The study of stochastic PDEs has known tremendous advances in recent years and, thanks to Hairer's theory of regularity structures and Gubinelli and Perkowski's paracontrolled approach, (local) existence and uniqueness of solutions of subcritical SPDEs is by now well-understood. The goal of this talk is to move beyond the aforementioned theories and present novel tools to derive the scaling limit (in the so-called weak coupling scaling) for some stationary SPDEs at the critical dimension. Our techniques are inspired by the resolvent method developed by Landim, Olla, Yau, Varadhan, and many others, in the context of particle systems in the supercritical dimension. Time allowing, we will explain how it is possible to use our techniques to study a much wider class of statistical mechanics models at criticality such as (self-)interacting diffusions in random environment.

Keywords: SPDEs, Regularity structures, resolvent method, statistical mechanics

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

TP' style='color:#f0ad4e'>TP 278' style='color:#f0ad4e'>TBA

journal club Biswajit Sahoo (KCL)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: Norfolk Building 342N
abstract:

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

ST' style='color:#f0ad4e'>ST 303' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Confounding and immortal time bias in trial emulation: application to cardiac surgery

regular seminar Linda Sharples (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S5.20
abstract:

It is joint work with Caroline Chessang, Tom Cowling and Ruth Keogh.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

ST' style='color:#f0ad4e'>ST 301' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Women in Maths Panel Discussion

regular seminar Panel Chair: Olga Egorova Panel members: Urte Adomaityte, Isabel Rendell and Stefania Vassiliadis (KCL)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: K0.16
abstract:

You are invited to a lunch panel discussion and Q&A with early carreer researchers in mathematics. During this event, our panel members are going to discuss opportunities and challenges that a female mathematician has to face nowdays and how these might affect a career path. Information about the Women in Number Theory and Geometry spring retreat and the work of Piscopia local community at King's College London will also be provided.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-in-maths-panel-discussion-tickets-803873827257?aff=oddtdtcreator

Lunch will be provided.

Keywords: Organised by the departmental EDI committee

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

AN' style='color:#f0ad4e'>AN 304' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Invariants associated with complete Nevanlinna-Pick spaces

regular seminar Abhay Jindal (IISc, Bangalore)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room:
abstract:

In this talk, we shall talk about two invariants associated with complete Nevanlinna-Pick (CNP) spaces. One of the invariants is an operator-valued multiplier of a given CNP space, and another invariant is a positive real number. These two invariants are called characteristic function and curvature invariant, respectively. The origin of these concepts can be traced back to the classical theory of contractions by Sz.-Nagy and Foias. We will begin by delving into this classical theory, gradually leading into our main subject matter.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

TP' style='color:#f0ad4e'>TP 102669' style='color:#f0ad4e'>The Come-back of Carroll

Regular Seminar Eric Bergshoeff (University of Groningen)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL Strand
room: S0.12
abstract:

Carroll symmetries were introduced many years ago by Levy-Leblond and Gupta as a possible contraction of the Lorentz symmetries in which effectively the speed of light is sent to zero. The name was inspired by the bizarre property that Carroll particles cannot move. After many years of silence Carroll symmetries have returned to the stage since they have been recognized as symmetries that do occur in several special situations such as the horizon of a black hole. In this presentation I will discuss some of the basic properties and mysteries of Carroll symmetries.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

ME' style='color:#f0ad4e'>ME 291' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Student-Staff Partnerships in a First Year Introduction to Proof Module

regular seminar Dr Gihan Marasingha (University of Exeter)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: UCL, 188 Tottenham Court Road, Room 03
abstract:

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

ST' style='color:#f0ad4e'>ST 265' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Epidemics, ethics and uncertainty: the roles of statistics versus mathematics

colloquium Jane Hutton (Warwick)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S-1.06
abstract:

A few mathematicians had considerable influence during the covid-19 epidemic. Some mathematicians have focussed on designing and implementing mathematical models which only consider a single illness. Applied statisticians know that it is critical to first decide what the question is: "Minimise deaths from Covid-19?" or "Minimise deaths due to Covid-19 and our decisions this year?" or "Minimise the impact of Covid-19 on well-being over ten years?" The ethical status of an expert who gives a simple answer to the first question, without uncertainty or alternatives, will be examined.

Mathematical predictions were used to justify lockdowns even in countries where people would starve as a consequence. Some publications by influential mathematics groups were directly misleading or disparaging of African scientists. Some statisticians have tried to estimate the damage to children's education and wellbeing, and illness and deaths due lockdown.

I argue that such mathematical modelling cannot be justified within virtue, deontological, utilitarian or care ethics, though Zoroaster or Nietzsche might be invoked. It is always necessary to consider the wider context, and the probable consequences of actions, as explained in the International Statistics Institute Code of Professional Ethics. Assessment of the validity of model assumptions, data quality, adequacy of the fit of models and accuracy of predictions is essential, and essentially statistical.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

GE' style='color:#f0ad4e'>GE 302' style='color:#f0ad4e'>How to compute divergent integrals using logarithmic geometry

regular seminar Clément Dupont (Institut Montpelliérain Alexander Grothendieck (IMAG))

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S4.29
abstract:

One is sometimes faced with the task of assigning finite values to divergent integrals in a consistent and meaningful way. Since differential forms and integrals play a central role in geometry, how to think about divergent integrals in geometric terms? The goal of this talk will be to answer this question in the case of logarithmic divergences (such as the integral of 1/x near x=0).
The idea is to pass from manifolds to slightly more general objects called manifolds with log corners. They are the differential geometerâs version of logarithmic varieties in algebraic geometry. A key ingredient of our construction is a new notion of morphism between manifolds with log corners (or logarithmic varieties) which is more flexible than the obvious one and faithfully records the geometric information needed to regularize divergent integrals.
This is joint work with Erik Panzer and Brent Pym.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

PR' style='color:#f0ad4e'>PR 258' style='color:#f0ad4e'>KCL Probability Seminar: Free probability via entropic optimal transport

regular seminar Samuel Johnston (King's College London)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S4.29
abstract:

The basic operations of free probability - additive free convolution, multiplicative free convolution, and free compression - describe how the eigenvalues of large random matrices interact under the basic matrix operations, such as addition, multiplication, and taking minors.

In this talk we discuss how these free probability operations can be formulated in terms of an âœentropic optimal transportâ problem â an optimal transport problem but with an entropy penalty for the coupling measure.

Our proof of this formulation uses the quadrature formulas of Marcus, Spielman and Srivastava, which relate the expected characteristic polynomial of matrices under random unitary vs symmetric conjugation. The approach involves an asymptotic analysis of the quadrature formulas using a large deviation principle on the symmetric group.

This is joint work with Octavio Arizmendi (CIMAT).

Keywords: Free probability, optimal transport, random matrix, quadrature formula

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

DS' style='color:#f0ad4e'>DS 297' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Gaussian Level Set Percolation on Random Graphs

regular seminar Reimer Kuehn (KCL)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S4.23
abstract:

In this talk I will present a solution of the so-called Gaussian level set percolation problem on random graphs. It addresses the question whether a multivariate Gaussian defined on the vertices of a random graph (with inverse covariance matrix defined, e.g., in terms of a weighted graph Laplacian) exhibits a macroscopic contiguous cluster of sites on which the Gaussian exceeds a given level h, or whether on the contrary all such clusters are finite. Because of the correlations encoded in the multivariate Gaussian, the problem is considerably more complicated than the case of independent Bernoulli percolation, and a full solution has, to the best of my knowledge, not been available in the literature. It turns out that the solution of the problem requires control over the microscopic heterogeneity of the percolation problem, i.e. , over distributions of node dependent percolation probabilities on random graphs.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

TP' style='color:#f0ad4e'>TP 102648' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Lonti: CFTs in Lorentzian signature (4/4)

Regular Seminar Petr Kravchuk (King's)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL Strand
room: LIMS
abstract:

In these lectures we will discuss various aspects of conformal field theories in Lorentzian signature. First, we will study the general properties of Lorentzian correlation functions, including their global conformal structure and the relation to Euclidean correlators. We will then consider the Regge limit of correlation functions and how this limit requires the introduction of complex spin. We will define complex spin using the Lorentzian inversion formula, and interpret it in terms of non-local light-ray operators. Finally, we will discuss applications of light-ray operators to even shape observables.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

TP' style='color:#f0ad4e'>TP 277' style='color:#f0ad4e'>TBA

journal club Alex Radcliffe ()

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: Norfolk Building 342N
abstract:

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

ST' style='color:#f0ad4e'>ST 295' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Flexible Models for Simple Longitudinal Data

regular seminar Helen Ogden (University of Southampton)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S5.20
abstract:

I will discuss models for longitudinal data, where the data consists of noisy measurements taken at several different time points for each individual, and the aim is to model how each individual's underlying response varies over time. If we assume linear variation of the responses over time, we could use a linear mixed model for this task. In this talk, I will discuss more flexible modelling approaches, which allow the variation of the response over time to be any smooth curve. There is a strong link with models for functional data, and I will describe previous work on adapting methods designed for functional data (where measurements are typically taken very frequently) to longitudinal data (with typically only a few measurements on each individual). However, these existing methods sometimes give fitted mean functions which are more complex than needed to provide a good fit to the data. I will describe a new penalised likelihood approach to flexibly model longitudinal data, with a penalty term to control the balance between fit to the data and smoothness of the subject-specific mean curves. I will show that the new method substantially improves the quality of inference relative to existing methods across a range of simulated examples, and apply the method to data on changes in body composition in adolescent girls.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

ME' style='color:#f0ad4e'>ME 290' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Approaches to feedback in the mathematical sciences: just what do students really think?

regular seminar Prof Michael Grove (University of Birmingham)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: UCL, Torrington Place (1-19), Room 102
abstract:

Within the mathematical sciences there exist particular challenges associated with the provision of timely and detailed feedback, both of which are important given the widespread use of formative, and typically weekly, problem sheet assessments to aid and structure the mathematical development of learners. In this talk I will report on the outcomes from a cycle of action research that was designed to enhance the feedback received by students and their subsequent engagement with it in a large research-intensive mathematical sciences department along with more recent work to explore how students engage with additional opportunities for support and feedback to aid their mathematical learning. Student views on the current feedback they receive will be discussed, but more broadly the findings offer insight into alternative feedback practices that mathematical sciences departments might wish to explore.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

AN' style='color:#f0ad4e'>AN 300' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Hadwiger's problem for convex bodies with enough sub-gaussian marginals

regular seminar Joaquín Singer (University of Buenos Aires)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S5.20
abstract:

Hadwiger's conjecture in convex geometry, formulated in 1957, states that every convex body in $\mathbb{R}^n$ can be covered by $2^n$ translations of its interior. Despite significant efforts, the best known bound related to this problem was $\mathcal{O}(4^n \sqrt{n} \log n)$ for more than sixty years. In 2021, Huang, Slomka, Tkocz, and Vritsiou made a major breakthrough by improving the estimate by a factor of $\exp\left(\Omega(\sqrt{n})\right)$. Further, for $\psi_2$ bodies they proved that at most $\exp(-\Omega(n))\cdot4^n$ translations of its interior are needed to cover it.

Through a probabilistic approach we show that the bound $\exp(-\Omega(n))\cdot4^n$ can be obtained for convex bodies with sufficiently many well-behaved sub-gaussian marginals. Using a small diameter approximation, we present how the currently best known bound for the general case, due to Campos, Van Hintum, Morris, and Tiba can also be deduced from our results.

Keywords:

01.01.1970 (Thursday)

AN' style='color:#f0ad4e'>AN 299' style='color:#f0ad4e'>Hadwiger's problem for convex bodies with enough sub-gaussian marginals

regular seminar Joaquín Singer (University of Buenos Aires)

at:
01:00 - 01:00
KCL, Strand
room: S5.20
abstract:


Through a probabilistic approach we show that the bound $\exp(-\Omega(n))\cdot4^n$ can be obtained for convex bodies with sufficiently many well-behaved sub-gaussian marginals. Using a small diameter approximation, we present how the currently best known bound for the general case, due to Campos, Van Hintum, Morris, and Tiba can also be deduced from our results.

Keywords: