Novel approaches to the finite simple groups (12frg158)

The "Revolutionary approaches to the finite simple groups" workshop will be hosted at The Banff International Research Station.

We study the building blocks of finite symmetries, the finite simple groups. These include the monster group with about 10**54 elements. It is one of the 26 so-called sporadic simple groups. We are unsure of their natural 'home'. There are astonishing connections with what were once believed to berndisparate parts of mathematics. We focus on understanding better the underlying bridges between areas provided by studying the groups. The arithmetic of integers, the dynamics of fluid flows, and even the behaviour in mathematical physics of a cooling universe all seem related to one another.

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).