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UPCOMING TALKS

Take a look below for the schedule for Prairie Mathematics Colloquiums this year. If you have any questions about specific activities or event timing, please don’t hesitate to get in touch - we’ll be happy to help.

Keep watch for event links to upcoming events hosted via online platforms.

## NOVEMBER 24, 2022

SPEAKER:   Ebrahim Samei, Associate Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

TITLE:   "Hermitian Groups are Amenable"

ABSTRACT:   In this talk, we will first review the concept of inverse-closedness for a pair of algebras and its connection with an important property of groups  known as being Hermitian (or symmetric). This property appears when one considers inverse-closedness for a particular pair of algebras associated to a group G. After recalling and reviewing some known facts, we will aim to show how this concept relates to another important property of groups known as amenability. Our final goal is to give an affirmative answer to the long-standing conjecture that Hermitian groups are amenable. This solution is a based on a joint work with Matthew Wiersma (University of Winnipeg).

TIME:  All in the Central Time Zone

Meet and Greet:

• 2:00pm-2:30pm CST

Talk:

• 2:30pm-3:20pm CST

Questions:

• 3:20pm-3:30pm CST

LOCATION:

The event will take place via Zoom

## JANUARY 26, 2023

SPEAKER:   Payman Eskandari, Assistant Professor, University of Winnipeg, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

TITLE:   "Periods in Number Theory and Algebraic Geometry"

ABSTRACT:  Periods are numbers that arise as integrals of rational functions with coefficients in $\mathbb{Q}$ over sets that are cut out by polynomial inequalities with coefficients in $\mathbb{Q}$. More conceptually, periods are numbers that arise from the natural isomorphism between the singular and algebraic de Rham cohomologies of algebraic varieties (or more generally, singular and de Rham realizations of motives) over $\mathbb{Q}$.

Examples of periods include algebraic numbers, $\pi$, $\log(2)$ and other special values of the logarithm function, and special values of the Riemann zeta function (or more generally, multiple zeta values). It is expected that every algebraic relation between periods should "come from geometry": this is the moral of Grothendieck's period conjecture, a very deep and fascinating conjecture of Grothendieck that connects number theory with geometry.

The goal of this talk is to give an introduction to periods and Grothendieck's period conjecture. In the final part of the talk we will describe some recent related work (joint with K. Murty).

TIME:  All in the Central Time Zone

Meet and Greet:

• 2:00pm-2:30pm

Talk:

• 2:30pm-3:20pm

Questions:

• 3:20pm-3:30pm

LOCATION:  The event will take place via Zoom

Zoom Meeting Details:

Meeting ID:  926 2224 0845

Passcode:  37641920

## MARCH 9, 2023

SPEAKER:

Michael Kozdron, Associate Professor at the University of Regina in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics

TITLE:  "A Quantum Martingale Convergence Theorem"

ABSTRACT:   It is well-known in quantum information theory that a positive operator valued measure (POVM) is the most general kind of quantum measurement. A quantum probability is a normalised POVM, namely a function on certain subsets of a (locally compact and Hausdorff) sample space that satisfies the formal requirements for a probability and whose values are positive operators acting on a complex Hilbert space. A quantum random variable is an operator valued function which is measurable with respect to a quantum probability. In this talk, we will discuss a quantum analogue of the classic Lebesgue dominated convergence theorem and use it to prove a quantum martingale convergence theorem (MCT). In contrast with the classical MCT, the quantum MCT exhibits non-classical behaviour; even though the limit of the martingale exists and is unique, it is not explicitly identifiable. Fortunately, a partial classification of the limit is possible through a study of the space of all quantum random variables having quantum expectation zero.  Based on joint work with Kyler Johnson. Note that this general audience talk will assume only a basic understanding of undergraduate probability and graduate real analysis (i.e., Lebesgue integration).

TIME:   All in The Central Time Zone

Meet and Greet:

• 2:00pm-2:30pm CST

Talk:

• 2:30pm-3:20pm CST

Questions:

• 3:20pm-3:30pm CST

LOCATION:

The event will take place via Zoom

Zoom Meeting Details:

Meeting ID:  668 9362 9644

Passcode:  355598

## PREVIOUS TALKS

Take a look at our previous speakers, and their talks at various institutions. Follow this links to watch their past live-stream from the event.

### COMING SOON

Welcome to the 2022-2023 Academic Year! Our first talks of the year have yet to take place, come back soon to review their recordings and discussions. In meantime, check out last years events below.

Rewatch, rewind and review last years speakers from the previous academic year!

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