Last seminars

[CM ICTP - Trieste]

JOINT ICTP/SISSA STATISTICAL PHYSICS SEMINAR



Wednesday, 11 June - 11:00 a.m.




Lecture Room 'B' - terrace level- ICTP Leonardo Building



M. BERRY  ( Bristol University )




Series of lectures on: 'Singularities and asymptotics'


Eighth lecture


" Three recent results on asymptotics of oscillations "


Abstract

The results are separate, and apparently paradoxical, and have 
implications for physics.  First, when two exponentials compete, their 
interference can be dominated by the contribution with smaller 
exponent.  Second, repeated differentiation of almost all functions in 
a wide class generates trigonometric oscillations (‘almost all 
functions tend to cosx’).  Third, it is possible to find band-limited 
functions that oscillate arbitrarily faster than their fastest Fourier 
component (‘superoscillations’).

====



JOINT ICTP/SISSA STATISTICAL PHYSICS SEMINAR





Thursday, 12 June    -    3:00 p.m.




Lecture Room 'D' - SISSA Main Building



M. BERRY   ( Bristol University )



Series of lectures on: 'Singularities and asymptotics'


Ninth (and last)  lecture

" Making light of mathematics "
( a nontechnical talk, suitable for nonscientists )



Abstract

Many ‘mathematical phenomena’ find application and sometimes 
spectacular physical illustration in the physics of light.  Concepts 
such as fractals, catastrophe theory, knots, infinity, zero, and even 
when 1+1 fails to equal 2, are needed to understand rainbows, twinkling 
starlight, sparkling seas, oriental magic mirrors, and simple 
experiments on interference, polarization and focusing.  The lecture is 
strongly visual, and nontechnical, though the concepts are subtle.