Title: Some Representation Theory in Physics
Speaker: Chris Elliott
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Abstract:
The group of symmetries of spacetime (the Poincaré group) occupies a special place of significance in 20th century physics: according to special relativity, the results of a physical experiment shouldn't depend on the reference frame you're standing in when you perform them. In other words, these results are invariant under some action of this group. I'll explain how to classify the representations of the Poincaré group (a theorem from the 1930's), and tell you how the classification is interpreted in quantum mechanics.Date: Friday, February 13, 2015