Dean of the College Presents
The Mathematics of Supersymmetry
Friday, February 12, 2016
Hegeman 204
12:00 pm EST/GMT-5
12:00 pm EST/GMT-5
Stefan Mendez-Diez, Utah State University
In physics, supersymmetry is a pairing between the carriers of mass and energy appearing in theories of subatomic particles. These physical theories can be described using graphs known as Adinkras. We will tour the mathematics of supersymmetry by illustrating how we can construct Adinkras using binary cubes and error correcting codes. We will discuss recent results that allow us to give a geometric interpretation of these physical theories using Grothendieck’s theory of dessins d’enfants, or “children’s drawings.” This will lead us to consider spin structures and discrete Morse functions as a natural part of supersymmetry.
For more information, call 845-758-7266, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 12:00 pm EST/GMT-5
Location: Hegeman 204