New developments in tensor categories (26w5586)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "New developments in tensor categories" workshop in Banff from January 25 - 30, 2026.

A tensor category is a category with a tensor product that satisfies properties similar to the tensor product of vector spaces. A typical example is given by the representation category of a group with the usual tensor product. While the most important examples of tensor categories arise from representation theory, the theory has outgrown its origins and has emerged into a vast and complex theory on its own, providing a unified language for many phenomena in different fields. Tensor categories are now ubiquitous in areas such as representation theory, invariants of links and 3-manifolds, algebraic geometry, higher category theory, quantum computing and mathematical physics. All in all the abstract theory of tensor categories along with its applications has seen a rapid growth over the last 10 - 20 years.

The aim of this workshop is to bring together researchers whose work involves tensor categories in different ways, such as symmetric tensor categories, fusion categories, interpolation categories, their appearance in representation theory and the connection with higher categories. The meeting will promote an exchange of ideas within researchers at different stages of their careers, with ample time for open-ended conversation and collaborative discussion.

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 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology.