Title: Higher Teichmüller theory and Higgs bundles- Interactions and new trends
Dates: 2 - 6 November 2015
Place: Heidelberg, Germany
Higher Teichmüller theory brings together three apparently unrelated mathematical objects: geometric structures, representation varieties and Higgs bundles. The two first are a valuable tool to study the shape of spaces, how they can vary and what is preserved under given changes. The second comes from the study of differential equations closely connected to Physics: a Higgs bundle can be though of as a generalization of a Higgs boson.
As in all multicisciplinary fields, the interactions between all three subjects result both in a larger set of techniques to study them separately, and the discovery of new phenomena, which may seem natural from one particular perspective and not the others. The symposium focuses on these relations, both through the participation of some senior researchers, who provide their expertise and broader knowledge, and (mostly) junior speakers whose research sits precisely at the crossroads of two subjects.
