The Twenty-Sixth Annual Bowen Lectures were delivered by Edward Witten on November 13, 14, and 15.
The Bowen lectures are supported by an anonymous donor, who was an undergraduate student of Professor Bowen.
Department of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, presents
The 2006 Bowen Lectures
Edward Witten
The Charles Simonyi Professor of Mathematical Physics
Institute for Advanced Study Princeton
(Photo at right provided by IAS.)
Gauge Theory and the Geometric Langlands Program
Abstract:
These talks will discuss how electric-magnetic duality of four-dimensional gauge theory can be used to describe the geometric Langlands Program. The Associated two-dimensional picture is mirror symmetry of the moduli space of Higgs bundles. The 't Hooft operators of gauge theory become the geometric Hecke operators of the geometric Langlands program, and the basic statements about these operators come from electric-magnetic duality applied to Wilson and 't Hooft operators. Ramified flat bundles are incorporated by allowing impurities in the four-dimensional gauge theory that are supported on a submanifold of codimension two.
Lecture I: Overview
Monday, November 13
120 Latimer - 4:10pm-5:00pm
Reception in 1015 Evans at 5:15 pm following Monday's lecture.
Lecture II: 't Hooft and Hecke Operators
Tuesday, November 14
10 Evans - 4:10pm-5:00pm
Lecture III: Gauge Theory and Ramification
Wednesday, November 15
Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Hall - 11:10am-12:00pm
To download PDF files of the slides for these lectures, click on the corresponding link at the bottom of this page.