Coarse Geometry: a novel approach to the Callias index & topological matter. Coarse geometry is the study of the large-scale structure of metric spaces, in terms of operator algebras. This project aims to use coarse geometry to develop novel approaches to Callias index theory and its applications, and to topological phases of matter, where the Nobel Prize in physics in 2016 was awarded. This will yield new techniques in index theory and other areas, and solutions to several important problems. O ....Coarse Geometry: a novel approach to the Callias index & topological matter. Coarse geometry is the study of the large-scale structure of metric spaces, in terms of operator algebras. This project aims to use coarse geometry to develop novel approaches to Callias index theory and its applications, and to topological phases of matter, where the Nobel Prize in physics in 2016 was awarded. This will yield new techniques in index theory and other areas, and solutions to several important problems. Outcomes include a noncompact generalisation of the famous Guillemin-Sternberg conjecture that quantisation commutes with reduction, and new models of topological phases of matter in terms of K-theory of operator algebras. This project will benefit Australia by reinforcing its position in these highly active areas in science.Read moreRead less
Symmetry and geometric partial differential equations. This project aims to develop tools to assist the study of partial differential equations, which are fundamental to our understanding of the physical world. Symmetries of the Laplace equation are fundamental in both finding and interpreting its solutions and can be traced to the conformal symmetries of the underlying space. Only for the most symmetric of spaces, Euclidean space and the sphere, is this correspondence well understood. Using pow ....Symmetry and geometric partial differential equations. This project aims to develop tools to assist the study of partial differential equations, which are fundamental to our understanding of the physical world. Symmetries of the Laplace equation are fundamental in both finding and interpreting its solutions and can be traced to the conformal symmetries of the underlying space. Only for the most symmetric of spaces, Euclidean space and the sphere, is this correspondence well understood. Using powerful geometric tools from conformal geometry, the project will extend this to less symmetric spaces. The knowledge generated from this project will extend to more general geometric contexts providing a concrete setting for the study of the associated natural equations in curved spaces.Read moreRead less