Workshop on Semiclassical Approximation and Vacuum Energy

Texas A&M University, January 12th through 16th, 2005

Temporary Schedule Page

Please return later (SOON!) for more precise information.

The schedule has been set up to allow as many participants as possible to travel on the opening and closing days. The workshop will begin at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 12) with a series of expository talks aimed at graduate students and other participants who feel like "beginners" in the subject. After a barbecue supper, the main program will start Wednesday evening with a self-contained scientific talk of general interest (Peter Kuchment on quantum graphs). The Thursday program will include a visit to the Offshore Technology Research Center (large waves, unquantized). The program will end at 11:00 a.m. Sunday (Jan. 16). A detailed schedule will be posted imminently.

Featured speakers

Jens Bolte, "Trace Formulas" (Thursday, Friday, Saturday)
Uzy Smilansky, "Nodal Domains, Quantum Chaos, and Percolation" (Friday) and "Isospectrality and Nodal Counts: Can One Count the Shape of a Drum?" (Saturday)

Expository talks (Wednesday afternoon)

Stephen Fulling, some mathematical and physical background (spectral theory for separable partial differential equations, integral kernels, relativistic vs. nonrelativistic interpretations, semiclassical asymptotics, Hamilton-Jacobi equation, stationary phase)
Ricardo Estrada, on distributions and the summability and distributional interpretation of eigenfunction expansions

Regular speakers will include

Gregory Berkolaiko, "Application of Trace Formulae to Spectral Statistics of Billiards"
Gerald Dunne and Hyunsoo Min, "Mass Dependence of the Fermion Determinant in an Instanton Background"
Ricardo Estrada, "Distributional Asymptotic Expansions of Spectral Functions and of the Associated Green Kernels"
Stephen Fulling, "What is Vacuum Energy, that Mathematicians Should Be Mindful of It?"
Ruth Gornet, "Isospectrality of Eigenvalues and Lengths"
Jonathan Harrison, "Spectral Statistics in Quantum Graphs"
Kishore Kapale, "Bose Condensation and Generalized Zeta Functions"
Lev Kaplan, "Semiclassical Accuracy at Large Times"
Klaus Kirsten, "Spectral Functions and Bose Condensation"
Peter Kuchment, "Survey of Quantum Graphs" (Wednesday evening)
Robert Littlejohn, "Quantum Normal Forms, Moyal Star Product, and Torus Quantization"
Kimball Milton, "Surface Divergences and Boundary Energies in the Casimir Effect"
Antonello Scardicchio, "Optical Approach to the Casimir Effect"
Martin Schaden, "Semiclassical Approach to Nonholonomic Constraints and Diffraction"
Christian Schubert, "Worldline Instantons and WKB"
Brian Winn, "Spectral Statistics of Quantum Maps"

All the foregoing talks will be between 30 minutes and 1 hour. In addition, please recall that brief, informal self-introductions are encouraged. In addition to Web pages, papers, and posters, up to 10 minutes will be available for statements by individuals or on behalf of a group. These will not be formally scheduled.

There will be a banquet at a Chinese restaurant on Friday evening (at participants' expense). We are pleased to announce that it has been determined that we will not need to collect a registration fee to pay for the daytime refreshments and the Wednesday barbecue.

Last modified Wed 22 Dec 2004