Recent Progress in Computational String Geometry (26w5653)

The Chennai Mathematical Institute will host the "Recent Progress in Computational String Geometry" workshop in Chennai, India from January 26 to January 31, 2026. Participants will check in at the hotel starting on the evening of the Monday prior to the start of the workshop, and check out before noon of the following Saturday.

String theory offers an intriguing interplay between physics and geometry by providing testable predictions derived solely from mathematical structures like complex manifolds, homology groups, and group representations, among others. The different formulations of ten-dimensional string theory are seen as particular limits of a single eleven-dimensional M-theory. Six more dimensions need to be compactified in order to realize an effective field theory for our four-dimensional universe. However, a vast array of potential four-dimensional theories are possible. These are characterized by the compactification space and other non-geometric data (such as fluxes, branes, and vector bundles), producing a large collection of theories known as the string landscape. Finding our universe in this landscape is the vacuum selection problem.

Calabi-Yau manifolds are the most broadly studied alternative as compactification spaces for string theory, with many of their properties being translated into physical features of their associated “universe”. The study of these stringy geometries centers either on constructing new Calabi-Yau spaces or in the development of techniques to work out their geometric and topological properties. Either of these paths is a formidable computational challenge. This workshop aims to bring together researchers working in various aspects of string compactifications to discuss the most recent results in the different areas of computational string geometry. This includes explorations beyond typical lampposts and the possibility of AI aided discovery in mathematics and theoretical physics.

The Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) in Chennai, India, and the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) in Banff, are collaborative Canada-US-Mexico ventures that provide 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 in Banff is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and Alberta's Advanced Education