ADS Seminar
The ADS Seminar is the main public seminar stream for AdS/CFT, quantum gravity, conformal field theory, scattering amplitudes, topological phases, and related mathematical physics. The entries below collect the practical details visitors usually need: speaker, time, room, and an abstract summary.
Official source for last-minute changes and full announcements: YMSC ADS seminar page. Email reminders are available via ymscstrings@gmail.com.
Upcoming Talks
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Jun 11, 2026
13:30-14:30 A new conformal interface between the 2D Ising CFT and the tricritical Ising CFT Abstract summary: The talk studies a phase transition on the interface between the 2D Ising CFT and the tricritical Ising CFT, extending Cardy's boundary phase-transition picture. Annulus partition functions constrain the boundary state, and the setup may have a realization in Rydberg atom arrays.
Recent 2026 Talks
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Jun 9, 2026
10:00-12:00 Dynamics as Intersection Theory II: Charged Fluids, Anomalies, and Self-Dual Fields Abstract summary: The second lecture extends the intersection-theoretic formulation to charged fluids, magnetohydrodynamics, anomalous transport, and superfluids. It also discusses self-dual fields and possible links to deformation quantization, Poisson sigma models, and topological field theory. -
Jun 8, 2026
13:00-15:00 Dynamics as Intersection Theory I: From Poisson Geometry to Relativistic Fluids Abstract summary: The first lecture reformulates classical dynamics using intersection theory, starting from Hamiltonian and Poisson geometry. Relativistic ideal hydrodynamics is presented as an intersection problem on an auxiliary symplectic manifold, recovering circulation, helicity, and generalized Ertel invariants. - Jun 5, 2026 About analytic continuation of quantum field theories in non-integer dimensions Abstract summary: The talk discusses what it means to continue quantum field theories away from integer spacetime dimension, beyond its original use in perturbative regularization. It also describes conceptual puzzles that arise in O(N) models near two dimensions.
- Jun 4, 2026 Bootstrapping Banana Loops via Unparticles: from differential equations to kinematic flow Abstract summary: The talk explains how cosmological banana-loop correlators can be reorganized as tree-level unparticle exchange problems, giving a bootstrap route to loop-level questions. The method uses symmetry, singular behavior, differential equations, and graph rules to control families of master integrals.
- May 21, 2026 Carrollian amplitudes and flat limit of AdS correlators Abstract summary: This talk relates flat holography to the flat-space limit of AdS correlators. It studies Carrollian amplitudes in low-dimensional Minkowski space, connects them to Witten diagrams, and explains how scattering-equation methods extend the correspondence.
- May 14, 2026 Quantum Phase Transitions in Open Quantum Systems Abstract summary: The talk introduces a framework for mixed-state phases based on imaginary-time Lindbladian evolution. Phase transitions are detected through a gap closing in the imaginary-Liouville spectrum and are illustrated in open systems with discrete symmetry.
- May 13, 2026 Nonlinear symmetry fragmentation of nonabelian anyons in symmetry-enriched topological phases Abstract summary: The talk develops exactly solvable models for symmetry-enriched topological phases with nonabelian anyons. The focus is how symmetry acts on internal gauge spaces and produces a fragmentation of nonabelian anyon Hilbert spaces.
- May 12, 2026 Fourier Transformation in 2d and 3d Models of Topological Orders Abstract summary: The talk explains a finite-group Fourier transform between gauge-group and representation-category descriptions of exactly solvable topological orders. It also describes boundary charge condensation and excited-state data in this dual language.
- Apr 29, 2026 Refined invariants and quantum curves from supersymmetric localization Abstract summary: The talk uses supersymmetric gauge theory to study refined open BPS invariants for toric Calabi-Yau geometries with Lagrangian branes. Defect observables and qq-characters provide a refined perspective on quantum mirror curves and their integrable-system limits.
- Apr 23, 2026 Intermediate vertex algebras and the 3d N=4 minimal SCFT Abstract summary: The talk gives a three-dimensional origin for vertex algebras associated with intermediate Lie algebras. Boundary conditions and twists of the minimal 3d N=4 SCFT lead to affine and W-algebra structures connected to rational conformal field theory.
- Apr 13, 2026 Critical Phenomena from the perspective of Fuzzy Sphere Abstract summary: The talk presents fuzzy-sphere regularization as a way to study phase transitions on S^2 x R and extract conformal data. A quantum Hall transition is used as an example where emergent conformal symmetry can be tested quantitatively.
- Apr 9, 2026 2d Conformal Field Theories on Magic Triangle Abstract summary: The talk identifies rational two-dimensional CFTs associated with the magic triangle, including WZW models, minimal models, compact bosons, and modular-invariant structures. Modular differential equations and coset relations organize the resulting character systems.
- Mar 26, 2026 Defect Approach to Giant Graviton Dynamics Abstract summary: The talk uses zero-dimensional defects to analyze heavy-light correlators, with applications to giant gravitons in N=4 super Yang-Mills. The approach combines defect kinematics, analytic bootstrap, and hidden symmetry constraints.
- Mar 19, 2026 From Weyl Anomaly to Universal Defect Energy and Entropy Abstract summary: The talk derives compact formulas for defect contributions to entanglement-related observables and Casimir energy. The main point is a direct relation between surface-defect Weyl anomaly data and universal defect thermodynamic quantities.
- Mar 12, 2026 On the phase of the de Sitter density of states Abstract summary: The talk studies the complex phase in the Euclidean de Sitter one-loop path integral and how an observer can alter the interpretation. A two-dimensional dilaton-gravity reduction is used to analyze charged black-hole observers in equilibrium with the de Sitter horizon.