Speaker: Yi-Zhi Huang (Rutgers Univ.)

Title: A program to construct and study conformal field theories

Time/Date: 4:30-6:00, Wed. November 26, 2014

Room: 122

Abstract: In this talk, I will give a survey on a program to construct and study conformal field theories using the representation theory of vertex operator algebras. This program has achieved great progress during the past 25 years. Except for a convergence problem in the higher-genus case, rational conformal field theories have been essentially constructed. Many conjectures in conformal field theory have been proved. In this talk, I will discuss the basic ideas, the progress achieved, the major problems solved and the conjectures still to be proved in this program.