Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - 4:30pm to 5:30pm
Cockins Hall 240
Title: Duality and Symmetry in Statistical Mechanics and Random Matrices
Speaker: Thomas Spencer, Institute for Advanced Study
Abstract: I will introduce some basic models of interacting spins on a lattice and describe transitions from order to disorder. Spins will typically take values in a symmetric space such as the circle or sphere. Duality and symmetry play a central role in the description and analysis of phase transitions. Universality at the critical and low temperatures is described.
