Monday, February 4, 2008
Mathematical Sciences Colloquium
Speaker: Dr. Seth Major (Hamilton College) "The Attractiveness of Loops and Ribbons"
Host: Analee Miranda

Joint colloquium held with the RPI chapter of SIAM.

I will describe an approach to quantizing general relativity that yields states of three dimensional geometry - loop quantum gravity. This quantum geometry may be represented by knotted, "spin networks". Adding a cosmological constant to the theory, I will ask how the spin networks of quantum geometry might be generalized.