String and M-theory geometries: Double Field Theory, Exceptional Field Theory and their Applications (17w5018)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "String and M-theory geometries: Double Field Theory, Exceptional Field Theory and their Applications (HALF)" workshop from January 22nd to January 27th, 2017.

String theory provides us with a description of nature at its most fundamental level. It arose out of trying to bring together general relativity- Einstein's theory of gravity with quantum mechanics. The result is that the basic building blocks of nature have extension like bits of string. The consequences of this idea are quite deep and are still being worked out today.

This workshop focuses on how the idea of geometry can change when strings are our basic unit. As such, it is about the development of new mathematics inspired by how nature may work at very small distances and how spacetime itself may be very different if viewed from the perspectives of these fundamental strings.

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 disc
iplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineeri
ng Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional
de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).