Hodge Theory (08w5106)

A number of prominent specialists in Hodge theory will converge at The Banff Centre on April 6 -11, 2008 for the workshop hosted by the Banff International Research Station. Hodge theory is the field of mathematics concerned with integrals of algebraic functions, their values and their properties. For example,the number pi is such an integral because it measures the area of the
unit circle. One of the most important and difficult questions in
mathematics, the Hodge conjecture, asks essentially whether the value
of these integrals determines the algebraic structure of the functions
being integrated. Hodge theory grew out of questions in physics about the
equations of waves and it has many applications to physics. One notable
example is in sting theory.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada\'s Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta\'s Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico\'s Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologí­a (CONACYT).