Mathematical Physics Webinar
Upcoming Events
- Oct 14 2026
M. Cristina Marchetti – Active nematic solids and morphogenesis
- Information
- Wednesday, October 14, 2026 - Wednesday, October 14, 2026
- 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
- Zoom
M. Cristina Marchetti – UC Santa Barbara
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Zoom opens: 10:30AM EDT
Seminar begins: 10:45AM EDT
Active nematic solids and morphogenesis
Orientational order of elongated cells or muscle fibers is observed ubiquitously in biology and is known to play an important role in the organization of biological tissue. While most previous work has modeled living tissue as active fluids, in many circumstances both cell neighbor exchanges and cell divisions are suppressed and the tissue behaves more like an active solid. A striking example of this is the freshwater polyp Hydra, where topological defects in the muscle fiber orientation have been shown to localize to key features of the body plan. In this talk I will examine the behavior of active nematic solids, where the feedback between alignment, elasticity and biochemical signaling controls shape and structure.
- Oct 21 2026
Lai-Sang Young - Neuroscience meets dynamical systems: building a model of primary visual cortex
- Information
- Wednesday, October 21, 2026 - Wednesday, October 21, 2026
- 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
- Zoom
Lai-Sang Young - NYU
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Zoom opens: 10:30AM EDT
Seminar begins: 10:45AM EDT
"Neuroscience meets dynamical systems: building a model of primary visual cortex"
In this talk, I would like to discuss some modeling work in which simple mathematical ideas were used to shed light on neural mechanisms. The model in question simulates a small region of the primary visual cortex (V1) of the Macaque monkey, whose visual system is very similar to that of humans. Our model is a dynamical network of spiking neurons capable of reproducing dozens of V1 function and is (to a degree) built to "compute like the real brain". I will attempt to clarify/propose answers to some basic questions in visual neuroscience, such as how exactly orientation selectivity (OS) works, and the origin of direction selectivity (DS). OS and DS are visual functions enjoyed by neurons in V1 but not by their LGN afferents.
- Oct 28 2026
Sourav Chatterjee – Some exact calculations in timelike Liouville field theory
- Information
- Wednesday, October 28, 2026 - Wednesday, October 28, 2026
- 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
- Zoom
Sourav Chatterjee – Stanford University
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Zoom opens: 10:30AM EDT
Seminar begins: 10:45AM EDT
Some exact calculations in timelike Liouville field theory
Timelike Liouville field theory is a toy model of 2D gravity that has received attention in the recent literature. Most of the conjectures about this theory are currently beyond the reach of rigorous mathematics. I will present a recent work where I was able to perform some exact calculations for certain parameter values. No background is necessary.