Tam Family Colloquium
Greg Lawler
University of Chicago
Title: Random Fractals Arising in Probability and Statistical Physics
Date: Friday, April 26, 2024
Place and Time: Love 101, 3:05pm
Abstract.
Many of the mathematical structures arising in statistical physics viewed at phase transitions are fractals that are random but have some kinds of statistical self-similarity. One prototypical model is the self-avoiding walk, a path of a walker who moves randomly except with the restriction that no place is revisited. The last twenty-five years have seen significant advances in the mathematical understanding of these fractals. I will introduce some of these focusing primarily on planar models which have been the focus of most of the successes. This talk is designed for a general mathematical audience and does not assume background in probability or statistical physics.