The Different Faces of Higgs Bundles - A Universal Moduli Space - Lecture 2
International Centre for Theoretical Sciences via YouTube
Overview
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Explore the second lecture in a three-part series on Higgs bundles delivered by renowned mathematician Nigel Hitchin from the University of Oxford at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences. Delve into the concept of a universal moduli space and discover how the moduli space of Higgs bundles possesses a natural hyperkähler metric that depends on the complex structure of the Riemann surface, while simultaneously being identifiable with a character variety of the fundamental group that depends only on topology. Learn how these two fundamental aspects generate a differential-geometric structure on the universal bundle over Teichmüller space, bridging differential geometry, algebraic geometry, and theoretical physics. This lecture forms part of the Infosys-ICTS Ramanujan Lectures series and is delivered by a Shaw Prize winner whose groundbreaking work has significantly advanced our understanding of geometric structures and their applications in mathematical physics.
Syllabus
Date and time: 17 February 2026, 16:00-
Date and time: 18 February 2026, 16:00-
Date and time: 19 February 2026, 16:00-
Taught by
International Centre for Theoretical Sciences