Abstract:
If you blow a soap bubble it is perfectly round. That this has to be the case was understood mathematically about 80 years ago by the German mathematician Heinz Hopf. The question then arose whether there exist "soap bubbles" of Medu Vada type? This problem was solved about 40 years ago and showed surprising connections to many areas in mathematics and physics. This talk will explore some of these aspects and point towards ongoing research in this area. Computer generated images and animations will aid the discussion.
About the Speaker:
Franz Pedit is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was co-director of the Geometry, Analysis, Numerics, Graphics lab and founded the GeometrieWerkstatt. His work centers on harmonic maps from Riemann surfaces, using a combination of methods from integrable systems theory, Riemann surface theory, geometric analysis, and gauge theory.
Supported by Arista Networks India Pvt. Ltd