Puzzles to unravel the universe with Cumrun Vafa at Science & Cocktails

Science & Cocktails is proud to present a unique episode with superstar award-winning theoretical physicist, mathematician and world-renowned string theorist, author of the book “Puzzles to Unravel the Universe”, Cumrun Vafa, on some of the mysterious of the universe, inspired by string theory, and how to think of it using mathematics. Why are physicists studying string theory? Are symmetries important in nature? How about broken symmetries? What are dualities? Are they powerful in making predictions? Why are mathematical abstractions important in understanding nature? Beneath all of the complex and formidable mathematical structures that formulate physical laws rest simple but deep nuggets of truth. It is these simple truths, and not the complicated technical details, that scientists strive for when uncovering the laws of nature. Fortunately, these core ideas can often be illustrated with simple mathematical puzzles. In this talk, Cumrun Vafa will discuss examples of these simple mathematical puzzles and show how they can shed light on some of the deepest concepts in physics. Audience will be asked to participate in solving the puzzles during the talk. Cumrun Vafa’s talk is based on his recent book Puzzles to Unravel the Universe. Cumrun Vafa is the Hollis Professor of Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy and the Chair of the Physics Department at Harvard University, where he does research and teaches theoretical physics since 1985. Born in Iran in 1960, he moved to the US for higher education where he received his B.S. in math and physics from MIT before moving to Princeton University, where he received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. Professor Vafa is world-renowned for his groundbreaking work in string theory and the mathematical technology needed to explore this field. He is one of the founders of the duality revolution in string theory which has reshaped our understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe. He has uncovered mysteries of black holes using topological aspects of string theory and is the founder of `F-theory’ which is one of the most promising directions in connecting string theory solutions known as the `string landscape’ to particle physics. His ideas related to apparently consistent, but ultimately inconsistent, theories of quantum gravity which he initiated in the `swampland’ project has helped narrow down the vast string landscape and is currently an active area of research with impact on cosmology, as well as particle phenomenology. Professor Vafa has received numerous prizes and recognitions for his work on theoretical physics including the 2021 Mustafa prize, the 2017 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, the 2008 Dirac Medal of ICTP and prizes for his work on mathematical physics from American Mathematical Society, as well as American Physical Society. He is a member of National Academy of Sciences as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. For more science visit: • Website: https://www.scienceandcocktails.org • LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/science-&-cocktails/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scienceandcocktailscph/ • Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/ScienceCocktails • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scienceandcocktailsglobal/