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Condensed matter systems display a wide variety of interesting low temperature phases that are the product of the interplay between inter-particle interactions and the quantum statistics obeyed by the particles. The last few years have seen many exciting developments in this field  ighlighting the role of quantum entanglement. The aim of the discussion meeting is to understand these developments and their applications to physical systems by bringing together theorists and experimentalists working in the field of quantum condensed matter physics. The list of topics that will be covered includes thermalization, many-body localization, hidden order, magnetic frustration and symmetry protected and enhanced topological order.

In the last few years, quantum entanglement considerations have led to profound insights in the connection with gravity. Entanglement entropy has been proposed as a probe to study the architecture of spacetime in quantum gravity. Connections with the Bekenstein-Hawking area law applicable to black holes have been found. This area law behaviour finds support from various approaches to quantum gravity. This program will focus on the lessons that various aspects of quantum entanglement have taught us about holography as well as what the holographic approach via the AdS/CFT correspondence has meant for entanglement.    

In the last few years, quantum entanglement considerations have led to profound insights in the connection with gravity. Entanglement entropy has been proposed as a probe to study the architecture of spacetime in quantum gravity. Connections with the Bekenstein-Hawking area law applicable to black holes have been found. This area law behaviour finds support from various approaches to quantum gravity. This program will focus on the lessons that various aspects of quantum entanglement have taught us about holography as well as what the holographic approach via the AdS/CFT correspondence has meant for entanglement.    

Studies in light-matter interactions constitute a core area of research in atomic, molecular and optical sciences encompassing a wide range of highly interdisciplinary fields. At a fundamental level, quantum electrodynamical interactions of single atoms or ions with single-photons or even electromagnetic vacuum has led to new avenues of understanding light-matter interactions (for which 2012 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland). In a similar vein, atomic, ionic or molecular interactions of light carrying spatial singularity or orbital angular momentum are leading to new insights. In parallel to these developments, recent progress in light-matter interactions in diverse physical situations such as plasmonics, quantum dots, nanophotonics, cold atoms, molecules and matter waves has given an impetus to several fields leading to new physics, applications and devices.In view of these current advances, this program is planned with two main objectives: Fir...

Studies in light-matter interactions constitute a core area of research in atomic, molecular and optical sciences encompassing a wide range of highly interdisciplinary fields. At a fundamental level, quantum electrodynamical interactions of single atoms or ions with single-photons or even electromagnetic vacuum has led to new avenues of understanding light-matter interactions (for which 2012 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland). In a similar vein, atomic, ionic or molecular interactions of light carrying spatial singularity or orbital angular momentum are leading to new insights. In parallel to these developments, recent progress in light-matter interactions in diverse physical situations such as plasmonics, quantum dots, nanophotonics, cold atoms, molecules and matter waves has given an impetus to several fields leading to new physics, applications and devices.In view of these current advances, this program is planned with two main objectives: Fir...

This is a joint program of ICTS with the Indian Institute for Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune and Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), Canada. It aims to bring together leading mathematical biology researchers from the PIMS together with Indian scientists to deliver a series of pedagogical lectures on contemporary topics of interest. This program will explore three themes in particular:Ecology, Epidemiology and Immunology. These lectures will explore mathematical modeling in Ecology (Mark Lewis), Immunology with reference to viral infections (Narendra Dixit and Daniel Coombs) and Epidemiology with an extension to Cholera models (Pauline van den Driessche).  Statistical inference in biological systems. The methods of statistical inference, specialized to the study of biological problems, will be described. Essential and important techniques will be discussed in detail, with the context drawn from real-world ecological problems (Subhash Lele). A second set...

This is a joint program of ICTS with the Indian Institute for Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune and Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), Canada. It aims to bring together leading mathematical biology researchers from the PIMS together with Indian scientists to deliver a series of pedagogical lectures on contemporary topics of interest. This program will explore three themes in particular:Ecology, Epidemiology and Immunology. These lectures will explore mathematical modeling in Ecology (Mark Lewis), Immunology with reference to viral infections (Narendra Dixit and Daniel Coombs) and Epidemiology with an extension to Cholera models (Pauline van den Driessche).  Statistical inference in biological systems. The methods of statistical inference, specialized to the study of biological problems, will be described. Essential and important techniques will be discussed in detail, with the context drawn from real-world ecological problems (Subhash Lele). A second set...

The field of symplectic and contact geometry and topology is currently an active area of mathematical research. It is intertwined with many areas of mathematics and mathematical physics, such as Hamiltonian Dynamics, Geometric Optics, Low-dimensional topology, Algebraic Geometry, the theory of integrable systems, and the mathematical theory of Mirror Symmetry to name a few. During the last three decades since the area emerged as a separate subject, many powerful methods have been discovered, such as the theory of holomorphic curves (introduced by M. Gromov in the mid-80's) leading to the creation of Gromov-Witten theory and Floer homology in its different flavors. As a result, several outstanding problems in Hamiltonian Dynamics, e.g. Arnold's and Weinstein's conjectures were solved, and a link to Mirror Symmetry was found. These subjects will be the main focus of the present program.The program is being organized in 3 parts:Preliminary school        Dates: 01-13 December 2014      Ven...

This school is part of the Programme in Biology between International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy and ICTS.New experimental techniques are opening windows on biological mechanisms inside the cell and in the brain, making these systems accessible to quantitative investigation. These advances have shown the importance of the concerted interaction of many agents in producing overall behaviors, and call for an understanding of biological functions at the systemic level. The series of Winter Schools in Quantitative Systems Biology, initiated in 2012, responds to the need to provide physicists with a broad exposure to quantitative problems in the study of living systems.The school is particularly targeted to young researchers, especially at the Ph.D and postdoc level who either work in this area or hope to do so.The 2014 School will focus on Systems Neuroscience and cover different aspects of this rapidly developing field, such as:• Neural coding and dynamics• Connectomics...