Hao Zheng

Liang Kong

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

1131

Tencent 660 7557 3050 ()

The study of the gapless edges of 2+1D topological orders demands a mathematical theory of 1+1D conformal field theories far beyond those covered in the famous yellow book (Di Francesco et al. 1997). Some crucial parts of this theory were developed after 2000. In this talk and its sequels, we will review the mathematical theory of 2D rational conformal field theories (RCFT) based on the representation theory of vertex operator algebras. We will focus on the classification of open-closed RCFT’s and open-closed duality. After this preparation, we will explain the mathematical theory of the gapless edges of 2+1D topological orders developed jointly with Hao Zheng.

Liang Kong is a mathematical physicist at the Shenzhen International Quantum Academy. His research focuses on topological quantum field theory, two-dimensional conformal field theory, category theory, representation theory, and topological phases of matter. He received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China, his M.S. in Physics from the University of Houston, and his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Rutgers University. He subsequently held research positions at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS), and the California Institute of Technology. He later held positions at the Institute for Advanced Study at Tsinghua University, the University of New Hampshire, Harvard University’s Center of Mathematical Sciences and Applications, the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University, and the Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering at the Southern University of Science and Technology. He joined the Shenzhen International Quantum Academy in 2025.