Student Probability Seminar

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Beyond the Gaussian Universality Class

Speaker: Ivan Corwin, Microsoft Research and MIT

Location: Warren Weaver Hall 512

Date: Friday, October 21, 2011, 3:30 p.m.

Synopsis:

The Gaussian central limit theorem says that for a wide class of stochastic systems, the bell curve (Gaussian distribution) describes the statistics for random fluctuations of important observables. In this talk I will look beyond this class of systems to a collection of probabilistic models which include random growth models, polymers ,particle systems, matrices and stochastic PDEs, as well as certain asymptotic problems in combinatorics and representation theory. I will explain in what ways these different examples all fall into a single new universality class with a much richer mathematical structure than that of the Gaussian. No background necessary and questions during and after the talk are greatly encouraged!