Random Rubber Bands: Evolution and Noise on Manifolds - Rothschild Lecture

Explore the fascinating world of random rubber bands in this Rothschild Lecture delivered by Professor Martin Hairer from Imperial College London. Delve into the complexities of modeling a noisy version of a rubber band constrained to a manifold, as it attempts to shorten its length while being pulled in random directions. Discover the surprising difficulties encountered in building such a model and the resulting insights, along with the beautiful algebraic and analytical objects that emerge. Learn about the main results obtained during the construction of this model, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of geometry, probability, and mathematical physics. This hour-long talk, presented at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, provides an engaging exploration of scaling limits, rough paths, and quantum field theory through the lens of a seemingly simple yet profoundly complex system.