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HKU to hold Shaw Prize Lecture on Mathematical Sciences 2015

23 Sep 2015

 

Shaw Laureates in Mathematical Sciences 2015 Professor Gerd Faltings, Managing Director, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics; and Professor Henryk Iwaniec, New Jersey Professor of Mathematics, Rutgers University will give a lecture at the University of Hong Kong on September 25 (Friday).

Number theory concerns whole numbers, prime numbers, and polynomial equations involving them. The central problems are often easy to state but extraordinarily difficult to resolve. Success, when it is achieved, relies on tools from many fields of mathematics. This is no coincidence since some of these fields were introduced in attempts to resolve classical problems in number theory. Professors Faltings and Iwaniec have developed many of the most powerful modern tools in algebra, analysis, algebraic and arithmetic geometry, automorphic forms, and the theory of zeta functions. They and others have used these tools to resolve longstanding problems in number theory.

Lecture details:
Date: September 25, 2015 (Friday)
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:45 pm
Venue: Wang Gungwu Lecture Hall, Graduate House, Main Campus, HKU
Medium: English

Talk 1
"Diophantine Equations" by Professor Gerd Faltings

Abstract
Diophantine equations are equations in integers or rational numbers, and we search for solutions which are also integers or rational numbers.  In this lecture, Professor Faltings will describe his contributions to the subject, mainly the proof of conjectures of Mordell, Shafarevitch, and Tate, and his work on Diophantine approximation.  These lead to research also in other fields (toroidal compactifications, p-adic Hodge theory), and Professor Faltings will explain the connection among them. 

Talk 2
"Analytic Methods in Modern Number Theory" by Professor Henryk Iwaniec

Abstract
The early idea of Euler, Dirichlet and Riemann of using analysis for studying properties of natural numbers captured the minds of many great mathematicians.  Modern analytic number theory utilizes diverse areas of mathematics, and it contributes to their development (in particular, non-abelian harmonic analysis on the hyperbolic plane).  In this talk, Professor Iwaniec will describe current investigations and show some specific results about L-functions and prime numbers. 

For enquiries, please call Faculty of Science at 3917 2683.