University of Georgia
Department of Mathematics

Seminar Schedule
March 22-26, 2004

All Seminars are held in Boyd Graduate Studies Bldg. unless otherwise noted.

MONDAY, March 22, 2004

VIGRE - Algebra
2:30p.m., Room 410
Speaker: Daniel Nakano, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Support varieties for Weyl modules II

Topology
2:30p.m., Room 322
Speaker: Aaron Abrams, University of Georgia
Titleof talk: Some manifolds arising as configuration spaces
Abstract: I will define combinatorial configuration spaces and give some examples. Specifically, discrete motions of points on certain graphs give rise to hyperbolic manifolds. I will also discuss some basic hyperbolic geometry, in an effort to understand these examples.

Faculty and Graduate Social
3:00p.m., Room 409
Coffee, Tea, Cookies

Lie Theory
3:30p.m., Room 303
No Meeting this week

Stochastic Processes
3:30p.m., Room 410
Speaker: Dan Kannan, University of Georgia
Title of talk: 'Diffusion Processes.'

TUESDAY, March 23, 2004

VIGRE Graduate Student Seminar/Special Geometry Seminar
2:00p.m., Room 304
Speaker: R. Andrew Hicks, Drexel University
Title of talk: The Hodge Theorem for Panoramic Camera Design
Abstract: When viewing a curved mirror, it is apparent that some non-linear transformation is at work, which depends upon the mirror shape. In this talk I will address the problem of determining the mirror shape given a prescribed transformation. The prescribed transformation determines a vector field which should be normal to the sought after mirror, but generally this vector field is not exact. Appealing to the Hodge theorem allows one to find "best fit" surfaces normal to the vector field. We will describe several applications, including several mirror based panoramic cameras, a passenger-side car mirror with no blindspot, and a means of experimentally measuring the shape of the cornea. On closer inspection one finds that the underlying object of consideration should not be a vector field, but one of several other candidates. One, for example, is a planar distribution in R3, and the best fit functional in this model then gives rise to the mean curvature equation. Finally I will describe an alternative technological approach to the problem, namely to use silicon-based micromirror arrays that can "integrate" a non-integrable distribution.

Special Seminar in Analysis
2:00-4:00p.m., Ga Tech, Rm 255
No Meeting this week

Wavelet Analysis
2:00p.m., Room 326
Speaker: Haipeng Liu, University of Georgia
Title of talk: A Constructive Algorithm for Polynomial Matrix Extension, continued

WEDNESDAY, March 24, 2004

Berkovich Spaces Seminar
11:00a.m., Room 410
Organizers: Matthew Baker and Robert Rumely

Algebra
2:30p.m., Room 410
No Meeting this week

Algebraic Geometry Seminar
2:30p.m., Room 303
Speaker: Klaus Hulek (University of Hanover)
Title of talk: Modularity of Calabi-Yau varieties
Abstract: A celebrated result of Wiles says that every elliptic curve which is defined over the rationals is modular. Calabi-Yau threefolds are a natural class of varieties where one can hope for a generalisation of this result. In the case of rigid Calabi-Yau threefolds a result of Dieulefait and Manoharmayum says that this is indeed true in many cases.

The first part of the talk is expository in nature, in the second part I will discuss some non-rigid Calabi-Yau threefolds where one can verify modularity. This is joint work with H. Verrill.

Faculty and Graduate Social
3:00p.m., Room 409
Coffee, Cookies, Tea

Numerical Analysis
3:30p.m., Room 303
No Meeting this week

Number Theory
3:45p.m., Room 304
Speaker: Tom Tucker, CUNY Graduate Center
Title of talk: Computing local heights via equidistribution
Abstract: We will use diophantine approximation, specifically Roth's theorem, to show that the v-adic local height of a point can be computed by evaluating the log of the v-adic absolute value of its minimal polynomial on periodic points or on families of backwards iterates of a fixed non-exceptional point.

THURSDAY, March 25, 2004

VIGRE - Cardiac Physiology
2:30p.m., Room 304
Speakers: TBA
Activity: TBA

VIGRE - Contact Topology
2:00p.m., Room 410
Organizer: Gordana Matic, University of Georgia

Student Number Theory
3:30p.m., Room 303
No Meeting this week

FRIDAY, March 26, 2004

CATS
1:25-2:15pm, Room 306
Speaker: TBA
Title of talk: TBA

Electrodynamics Seminar
2:30p.m., Room 322
Speaker: Cal Burgoyne, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Introduction to the quantization of the Maxwell and Dirac fields, continued

Geometry
2:30p.m., Room 326
Speaker: Ted Shifrin, University of Georgia
Title of talk: When is the path of steepest ascent the shortest way to the top?