Fourth International Symposium: Quantum Theory and Symmetries

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

This award furnishes travel support for U.S. participants in the Fourth International Symposium "Quantum Theory and Symmetries" (QTS-4), held near Varna, Bulgaria, August 15-21, 2005. The Symposium is a biannual meeting of physicists, mathematicians, and engineers studying mathematical aspects of symmetry relevant to physical applications. Topics of the meeting include Lie groups and Lie algebras, superalgebras, and quantum groups. The Symposium will include a workshop on "Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics," the sixth in a series of international workshops on the topic. The meeting provides an opportunity for interaction between leading experts and junior researchers in important areas of mathematical physics. A special panel, "Quantum Theory and Symmetry in the XXI Century," is designed specifically to provide guidance to new researchers. The conference will provide a valuable opportunity for postdocs and students to learn about open problems in these areas and to establish international research collaborations. This award allocates significant funding to support participation of U.S. students and young researchers. Symmetry is arguably the most important concept that guides science in its exploration of nature. Symmetry ideas from mathematics provide structure in a wide range of physical theories. The periodic table of the elements, atomic spectral analysis, classifications of crystal structure, and models of elementary particles are all based on symmetries. Engineering applications such as tomography and signal processing, including wavelets, radar, and sonar, are intimately related to harmonic analysis, the expansion and analysis of functions on groups that reflect symmetry properties. This meeting will foster international research collaboration in this interdisciplinary field. Conference web page: http://theo.inrne.bas.bg/~dobrev/qts-4.htm