Differential Schemes and Differential Cohomology (12w2151)

The "Differential Schemes and Differential Cohomology" workshop will be hosted at The Banff International Research Station.

The mathematical disciplines of algebraic geometry and differential algebra are both concerned with solutions of equations, but the "equations" to be solved seem, at least on casual inspection, to be of a completely different nature since the former involves only polynomials and the latter involves derivatives and polynomials, and one might therefore expect the same to be true of their "solutions." However, when one studies these disciplines at a deeper level, one begins to see striking similarities. A great deal of work on these connections was initiated in the middle of the past century, particularly by two mathematicians: J.F. Ritt and E.R. Kolchin, and that work continues to this day, much in the spirit of these two pioneers. However, over the past half century there has been a complete reformulation of algebraic geometry which, although certainly not ignored by differential algebraists, has not realized its true potential in that area. The purpose of the workshop is to promote cross-fertilization between the two fields.

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 Tecnologí255a (CONACYT).