Department of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, presents

                          The 2008 Chern Lectures

Speaker: Dennis Sullivan
          Department of Mathematics
          SUNY, Stony Brook, New York

Title:  Strings in a Manifold

Abstract: In the first lecture, strings on a surface will be 
discussed in an elementary manner. An interesting algebraic structure 
emerges discovered in the 80's by Goldman and Turaev.  Certain 
problems and conjectures about curves on surfaces that were expressed 
in this algebraic structure have recently been treated successfully. 
If time permits we will survey briefly what will be discussed in the 
second and third lectures:

To discuss strings in general manifolds heuristically physicists use 
action functionals and path integrals. We will discuss a rigorous 
string theory that instead makes use of algebraic topology. Families 
of strings are made to interact using the classical intersection of 
chains due to Lefschetz. Again interesting algebra emerges. This 
algebra includes a derived version of the algebra that appears for 
surfaces. This piece fits with symplectic or contact topology 
invariants of the cotangent bundle of the manifold. If time permits 
we will speculate on a more precise version of this string theory 
using differential forms on a Riemannian manifold. This version of 
our string theory should link up with other state of the art 
discussions out there.

Talk 1: April  8, Sibley Auditorium, 4:00-5:00pm

Talk 2: April  9, Sibley Auditorium, 5:00-6:00pm (NOTE CHANGE OF TIME)

Talk 3: April 10, Sibley Auditorium, 4:00-5:00pm


Sibley Auditorium is on the Berkeley Campus.  There will be a 
reception following Talk 1 in 1015 Evans Hall.


For more details see
http://math.berkeley.edu/index.php?module=announce&ANN_user_op=view&ANN_id=116

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