Student Probability Seminar

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Spin Glasses, the Parisi Formula, and Guerra's Replica Symmetry Breaking Interpolation Scheme

Speaker: Aukosh Jagannath

Location: Warren Weaver Hall 1314

Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013, 3:30 p.m.

Synopsis:

I will begin by presenting an introduction to Spin Glass theory starting from scratch (i.e. what is a spin glass). I will then move on to describe the Parisi Picture: the ultrametricity of overlaps, its implications, and the Parisi Formula. From there I will begin developing the basic machinery to prove the Parisi Formula with the hopes of proving the upper bound. I will give details of proofs when they are enlightening (though I will avoid proving results that (I think) are of apparently only technical interest), and I will motivate the major ideas whenever I can.

Prerequisites: The talk should only require a basic (graduate) knowledge of probability, though you should know what a point process is.