Department of Mathematics
The Florida State University

This Week in Mathematics

17 - 21 November 1997

Monday: 17 November 1997

Graduate Seminar, 1:30 p.m., 204B Love Building

Denise Szecsei, Florida State University

An Analytical Ditty

Tuesday: 18 November 1997[Veteran's Day --- FSU closed]

Applied Seminar, 3:35 p.m., 204 Love Building

Nathaniel Gay and Beth Cory, Florida State University

[title tba]

Knot Theory Seminar, 3:35 p.m., 104 Love Building

Mariel Vasquez, Florida State University

Tangle Analysis of DNA Site-Specific GIN Recombination

Wednesday: 19 November 1997

Complex/Symbolic Coffee, 3:15 p.m., 105 Love Building
Complex/Symbolic, 3:35 p.m., 102 Love Building
Dissertation Defense, 3:35 p.m., 204B Love Building
Douglas Xiaozhong Liao, Florida State University

Compact Riemann Surfaces with Symmetry using Symbolic Computation

major professor: J.R. Quine

Thursday: 20 November 1997

(Real) Analysis Seminar, 2:30 p.m., 102 Love Building

Informal Seminars this Semester

[contact oberlin@math.fsu.edu for additional information]

Algebra Seminar, 2:00 p.m., 104 Love Building

Warren Nichols, Florida State University

Algorithms in Invariant Theory

Topology Tea Time, 3:00 p.m., 204 Love Building
Topology Seminar, 3:35 p.m., 104 Love Building

Victor Nunez, CIMAT, Mexico

Universal Links

Physics Colloquium, 3:45 p.m., 101 UPL

Alexei M.Fridman, Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Physics Of Planetary Rings

The theory of collisional, collective, and resonance phenomena in planetary rings - the celestial mechanics of a continuous medium - can explain the formation of the hierarchical structure of Saturn's rings discovered by Voyager 1. It can also be used explain the structure of the Uranian rings which are much narrower than those of Saturn. In fact the theory predicted the positions of then-unknown satellites of Uranus prior to the Voyager 2 flyby which found them. This is the second instance in the History of Astronomy in which the existence of new celestial bodies was successfully predicted on the basis of observations of orbits, the first being the discovery of Neptune by Galle in 1846, based on the calculations of Leverrier and Adams.

Friday: 21 November 1997

Colloquium Coffee, 3:00 p.m., 204 Love Building
Colloquium, 3:30 p.m., 101 Love Building

Alexei M.Fridman, Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

The Prediction and Discovery of Giant Anticyclones in the Disks of Spiral Galaxies

An elementary explanation is proposed for why wave-like spiral arms must always be accompanied by vortex structure. The dynamical equations for gaseous self-gravitating galactic disks are shown to be equivalent to those for rotating shallow water. Laboratory studies with rotating shallow water were carried out to simulate the generation of spiral structure. They showed for the first time that anticyclones can occur between spiral arms, and assisted the observational search for vortex structures in spiral galaxies at the 6-meter telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Zelenchukskaya, Russia. Giant anticyclones have now been detected in the gaseous disks of the following five spiral galaxies: the Milky Way, Markarian 1040, NGC 157, NGC 6181, and NGC 1365.

Mathematical Biophysics, 3:30 p.m., NHMFL A336

Ken Sales, Florida State University

An Introduction to Hilbert Spaces

Scientific Computing Seminar, 4:30 p.m., 200 Love Building

Leon Van Dommelen, Florida State University

[title tba]

Seminars and colloquia at "that other" university [a.k.a. the University of Florida]

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