Workshop on Deligne Cohomology and differential characters

University of Copenhagen

 August 2-6, 2010

 

Topics and purpose:

Differential characters were originally introduced by Cheeger and Simons: they refine integral cohomology classes of higher degree in the same way that complex line bundles with connection refine cohomology classes of degree 2. They have many applications in mathematics and theoretical physics: in algebraic geometry, they are important under the name Deligne cohomology classes, they allow a refinement of the Chern-Weil homomorphism, and they increasingly arise in the formulation of classical field theories with higher gauge fields (and in supergravity). This meeting will bring together a number of experts in different parts of mathematics and physics who use differential characters in their work.

The following will attend:

  • Alexander Berglund (Copenhagen)
  • Paul Bressler (MPIM)
  • Ulrich Bunke (Regensburg)
  • Johan Dupont (Aarhus)
  • Helene Esnault (Essen)
  • Ezra Getzler (Northwestern)
  • Sebastian Goette (Freiburg)
  • Chris Hull (Imperial)
  • Alex Kahle (Goettingen)
  • Jens Kaad (Copenhagen)
  • Franz Kamber (UIUC)
  • Ulf Lindstrom (Uppsala)
  • Jouko Mickelsson (Helsinki)
  • Ryszard Nest (Copenhagen)
  • Urs Schreiber (Utrecht)
  • Sandro Valentino (Goettingen)
  • Maxim Zabzine (Uppsala)

Registration: Monday, 11:00-12:30

The lectures will be held at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Copenhagen.

All lectures will be in Auditorium 10

Organizers:

  Ezra Getzler (Northwestern), Johann Dupont (Aarhus), Ryszard Nest (Copenhagen)