Symmetry breaking in Representation Theory
Organizers
Speaker
Michael Pevzner
Time
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Venue
A6-101
Online
Zoom 388 528 9728
(BIMSA)
Abstract
Restricting a group representation to a subgroup is a central problem in representation theory, concerned with understanding how symmetries decompose when passing to a smaller group. This perspective, commonly referred to as the branching problem, offers a unifying framework
for a range of seemingly disparate phenomena, including fusion rules, Clebsch–Gordan coefficients, Pieri rules for integer partitions, Plancherel-type formulas, the theta correspondence, and, more recently, the Gross–Prasad–Gan conjectures.
Beyond the study of abstract branching laws, a major challenge is the explicit construction of operators that realize symmetry breaking in concrete geometric models of infinite-dimensional representations of real reductive groups. In this talk, we will illustrate these ideas through key examples and outline the guiding principles underlying the emerging theory of symmetry breaking operators.
for a range of seemingly disparate phenomena, including fusion rules, Clebsch–Gordan coefficients, Pieri rules for integer partitions, Plancherel-type formulas, the theta correspondence, and, more recently, the Gross–Prasad–Gan conjectures.
Beyond the study of abstract branching laws, a major challenge is the explicit construction of operators that realize symmetry breaking in concrete geometric models of infinite-dimensional representations of real reductive groups. In this talk, we will illustrate these ideas through key examples and outline the guiding principles underlying the emerging theory of symmetry breaking operators.