University of Texas at Austin
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics

The Geometry and String Theory Seminar
Wednesdays, 12pm - 1pm, RLM 9.166

Fall 2006


Proposed topics and references
1.

Differential cohomology theories

i)
M. J. Hopkins & I. M. Singer, Quadratic functions in geometry, topology,and M-theory.  math.AT/0211216

ii)
Jeff Cheeger & James Simons, Differential characters and geometric invariants, Geometry and topology (College Park, MD, 1983/84), 50--80, Lecture Notes in Mathematics, 1167, Springer, Berlin, 1985.

iii)
Pierre Deligne, Théorie de Hodge: III, Publications mathématiques de l'I.H.É.S., tome 44 (1974), p. 5 - 77.

iv)
Section 2 of Daniel S. Freed, Gregory W. Moore, Graeme Segal, Heisenberg Groups and Noncommutative Fluxeshep-th/0605200

v)
Daniel S. Freed, Dirac Charge Quantization and Generalized Differential Cohomology. hep-th/0011220

vi)
F. Reese Harvey & H. Blaine Lawson, Jr., The de Rham-Federer Theory of Differential Characters and Character Duality. math.DG/0512251

vii)
Daniel S. Freed, Pions and Generalized Cohomology. hep-th/0607134

viii)
Edward Witten, Five-Brane Effective Action In M-Theory. hep-th/9610234

ix)
Daniel S. Freed, Gregory W. Moore, Graeme Segal, The Uncertainty of Fluxes. hep-th/0605198



2.

Locality in Quantum Field Theory



3.

D-branes in Landau-Ginzburg Models



4.

Fibered Conformal Field Theories (Nongeometric compactifications)

i)
Alex Flournoy, Brian Wecht, Brook Williams, Constructing Nongeometric Vacua in String Theoryhep-th/0404217

ii)
C. M. Hull, A Geometry for Non-Geometric String Backgroundshep-th/0406102

iii)
Simeon Hellerman, John McGreevy, Brook Williams, Geometric Constructions of Nongeometric String Theorieshep-th/0208174

iv)
Atish Dabholkar, Chris Hull, Generalised T-Duality and Non-Geometric Backgroundshep-th/0512005

v)
Simeon Hellerman, Johannes Walcher, Worldsheet CFTs for Flat Monodrofoldshep-th/0604191



5.

Generalized complex geometry

Please send references to Ken Chu (chu@math.utexas.edu).


Schedule
Date Speaker
Topic
References
Sep 6
Kevin Klonoff
1.

Sep 13
Kevin Klonoff
1.

Sep 20
Daniel Robbins
4.

Sep 27
Jacques Distler
1.

Oct 4
Dan Freed
1.
1(vii)
Oct 11
Dan Freed
1.
1(i, viii, ix)
Oct 18
David Ben-Zvi


Oct 25
David Ben-Zvi

Nov 1



Nov 8



Nov 15
Graeme Segal


Nov 29



Dec 6



Dec 13
Sergei Gukov


Entries in gray are subject to change.