Student Probability and Mathematical Physics Seminar

Sphere packing and minimizing discrepancy with random walks

Speaker: Jacob Shkrob, CIMS

Location: Warren Weaver Hall 202

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 12:30 p.m.

Synopsis:

We'll discuss two algorithms that use effectively the same "walking on the constraints" type of argument: Klartag's recent sphere-packing bound using a stochastically evolving ellipsoid and Lovett-Meka's constructive algorithm for discrepancy minimization. Both are clever examples of constructive methods in computer science which probabilists may enjoy.