Speaker: Mboyo Esole
Title: F-theory and Topological Invariants of Singular Varieties
Affiliation: Harvard University
Date: Friday, March 28, 2008
Place and Time: Room 101, Love Building, 3:35-4:30 pm
Refreshments: Room 204, Love Building, 3:00 pm

Abstract. String theory is well known to be a regular provider of non-trivial conjectures in mathematics. This has generated along the years a rich interaction between theoretical physics and some esoteric parts of mathematics that are traditionally no playgrounds for physicists like for example number theory and algebraic geometry. Mirror symmetry and enumerative problems for rational curves are well known examples of such interactions.
F-theory is a geometric description of string theory with a particular type of extended objects called D7-branes. The F-theory description is based on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau four-folds with a section.
I will explain how the consistency of the F-theory description in a particular regime known as "Sen's weak coupling limit" implies a non-trivial conjecture relating topological invariants of different loci that appear naturally in such a setting. This will be an opportunity to see an application of the theory of topological invariants of singularity varieties to a concrete physical situation.