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The combinatorial commutative algebra of conformal blocks

Algebra & Discrete Mathematics

Speaker: Christopher Manon, University of California, Berkeley
Location: 1147 MSB
Start time: Thu, Feb 2 2012, 3:10PM

Vector spaces of conformal blocks are objects from conformal field theory which have made surprising appearances in several fields of mathematics. We will discuss the combinatorics underlying the formulas for the dimensions of these spaces, and answer some questions about a classical moduli space: the moduli of rank 2 parabolic vector bundles on a projective algebra curve. In particular, we will use a polyhedral description of conformal blocks to construct presentations for the coordinate rings of this space.