A nonspecialist’s introduction to the Langlands Program
When
Where
Speaker: Chapman Howard, Department of Mathematics, University of Arizona
Title: A nonspecialist’s introduction to the Langlands Program
Abstract: Of the many recognizable names and research areas in mathematics, “Langlands” remains one of the most mysterious for nonspecialists. In this talk we present an introduction to the main ideas and objects, beginning with the classical theory of modular forms and the results of global class field theory and eventually “defining” abstract automorphic forms and representations. Our goal is to present these objects in an intuitive way, to avoid as much as possible the technical definitions that make the theory so impermeable to outsiders, and with this strategy be able to describe in broad strokes what researchers in the Langlands Program really do.