A “spin glass” is a special form of matter that atoms can arrange themselves in, much to the initial surprise of physicists. Earlier this week, the French mathematician Michel Talagrand received the Abel Prize for proofing the Parisi formula for free energy of spin glasses.
As glass in a window, spin glass is amorphous, a random arrangement of magnetic moments. Although examples exist of materials showing this behavior, the experiments are difficult to interpret, puzzling physicists for years. Is there a parallel to glass viscosity in a spin glass? What is the probability of each random arrangement to exist? Diana Quintero will give insights into these questions in this presentation.
Eirik Eik Svanes will then explain why the theoretical physics framework of Quantum Field Theory has had enormous success in describing phenomena in both modern particle physics and condensed matter physics. Indeed, theoretical computations made in quantum electro dynamic have given us the most accurate agreement between theory and experiment, equivalent to measuring the width of the United States to an accuracy less than a human hair.
It was Michel Talagrand, winner of the Abel prize 2024, who helped solving some of the puzzles
towards a more complete mathematical understanding of the theory governing the very foundations of our universe. Michel Talagrand will be visiting Stavanger on May 24. His public lecture takes place on the UiS campus in Arne Rettedalshus Ø-120 at 14.00.