Mathematics as a language of nature: heat flow and geometry

March 04, 2008

Public lecture by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Huisken, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) at Urania Berlin on Monday, 10 March at 7.30 p.m., at Urania 17, 10787 Berlin.

Heat conduction and other diffusion processes are key research topics in which mathematical theory, in this case that of partial differential equations, and concepts of physics meet. In recent years, it has been recognized that nonlinear diffusion processes can also be used to deform, smooth, and make geometric structures uniform in a natural and elegant manner. This application of partial differential equations in geometry has led, among other things, to the 2006 solution of Poincaré's assumption. Professor Huisken has introduced modern mathematical methods into this field in a clear fashion and used them to describe fundamental processes in nature.

Gerhard Huisken is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute/AEI) in Potsdam, as well as honorary professor at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and Freie Universität Berlin. At the AEI, he directs the "Geometric Analysis and Gravitation" Department, in which scientists research Einstein’s equations concerning gravitational fields and their mathematical foundations. One goal of this research is to use geometric and analytical methods to obtain information about phenomena such as black holes, gravitational waves, or the Big Bang singularity.

Gerhard Huisken was awarded the Leibniz Prize in 2003 in acknowledgement of his outstanding scientific achievements. He is a member of the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina.

Other Interesting Articles

Go to Editor View