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Seminar
John Baez
Here are notes from my seminar. It was originally called
the Quantum Gravity Seminar, but it's always
covered a wide range of topics in mathematical physics.
There's a huge amount of stuff here! — including notes
from more elementary classes that I've
taught. If you're interested in LaTeXing any
of these notes, let me know. We've already done this with some of the
'00-'01
and
'06-'07 notes.
- Fall 2000 -
introduction to spin networks and the Lagrangian approach to
gauge theories and gravity. Includes another appearance
of Oz and the Wizard!
- Winter 2001 -
continuation of the Fall 2000 session, covering topological
quantum field theories and quantum electromagnetism in 2d spacetime.
Also, still more tales featuring Oz and the Wizard!
- Spring 2001 -
continuation of the Winter 2001 session,
covering the representation theory of quantum SU(2) and its
application to a 3d topological quantum field theory called
the Turaev-Viro model.
- Fall 2001 - continuation of
the Spring 2001 session, covering the basics of loop quantum gravity.
- Winter 2002 - beginning of a
course on categorified gauge theory. An introduction to
n-categories, with a special emphasis on 2-groups and their
application to categorified electromagnetism, also known as
2-form electromagnetism.
- Spring 2002 - continuation
of the course on categorified gauge theory. Groups and 2-groups,
bundles and 2-bundles!
- Fall 2002 -
introduction to diagrammatic methods in
group representation theory, leading up to the theory of
Feynman diagrams.
- Winter 2003 - no seminar: I was on sabbatical.
- Spring 2003 - a course on
Clifford algebras, spinors, the Dirac equation, and algebraic
patterns in the Standard Model of particle physics, leading up
to the SU(5) grand unified theory.
- Fall 2003 -
beginning of a course on quantization
and categorification, which explains how Feynman diagrams and
a wealth of other combinatorics fall out as a natural consequence
of categorifying the harmonic oscillator.
- Winter 2004 -
continuation of the course on quantization
and categorification. Lots of fun combinatorics: counting
things with generating functions!
- Spring 2004 -
conclusion of the course on quantization
and categorification. Stuff types, stuff operators
and categorified Feynman diagrams.
- Fall 2004 -
beginning of a course on gauge theory and
topology, starting with a history of n-categorical
physics and moving on to the construction of 2d
topological quantum field theories.
- Winter 2005 -
continuation of the course on gauge theory and
topology. 3d topological quantum
field theories, Dijkgraaf-Witten models and group
cohomology!
- Spring 2005 -
conclusion of the course on gauge theory and
topology.
- Fall 2006 - the seminar
this quarter covers two subjects:
quantization
and cohomology, and
classical versus
quantum computation. Now with blog entries where you can
ask questions!
- Winter 2007 - continuation
of the courses on
quantization
and cohomology and
classical versus
quantum computation.
- Spring 2007 - continuation
of the courses on
quantization
and cohomology and
cohomology and
computation.
- Fall 2007 - beginning of
of a seminar on geometric representation theory, taught by
John Baez and James Dolan. With videos of the lectures.
- Winter 2008 - continuation of
the seminar on geometric representation theory. With videos.
- Fall 2008 - a course on
Lie theory through examples.
- Fall 2015 - how category theory
makes it easier to learn lots of mathematics.
- Winter 2016 - an introductory course on
category theory.
- Fall 2016 - an introduction to linear
algebraic groups.
- Fall 2018 - how category theory helps
us to understand the essence of mathematics.
- Fall 2019 - combinatorics through
species and their generating functions.
Here are notes from some more elementary classes:
The mathematician does not dig for lost artifacts of a
vanished civilization but for the fundamental patterns that
undergird the universe, and like the archaeologist we usually
find only small fragments. - David M. Bressoud
© 2005 John Baez
baez@math.removethis.ucr.andthis.edu