Study Groups

There are lots of "Big Bangs" in the universe, such as supernova explosions, gamma-ray bursts, neutron star mergers, and the Big-Bang of the universe itself. In this study group, organized by Astrophysical Big Bang Laboratory (RIKEN) & Research Center for the Early Universe (RESCEU, U. Tokyo), communications and collaborations on these "Big Bangs" are being done regularly.

The main purpose of the “iTHEMS-phys” study group is to keep a regular seminar series and sometimes have an intensive lecture or workshop on any topics from all fields of theoretical physics. In RIKEN iTHEMS, we have a variety of researchers working on diverse areas of mathematical sciences from pure mathematicians to biologists. Even if we restrict ourselves to physicists, they cover most research topics in broad areas of theoretical physics; particle and nuclear physics, astrophysics, condensed matter physics, atomic, molecular, and optical physics, statistical physics, and mathematical physics. While they are independently and freely working on their own research topics as a specialist, it is also important to promote the strong interaction between all of them. This is because one mainstream, which drives the development of modern physics, is a notion of universality: A fundamental concept in theoretical physics often appears in apparently unrelated areas of physics (and sometimes independently discovered), but one has eventually realized their relationship, or universality: One classic example is the Wilson’s renormalization group method, originally developed in the context of critical phenomena in the statistical physics, but have eventually changed our notion of quantum field theory. Thus, it is crucially useful to have a common activity like the regular seminar as theoretical physics group, which make us to share the prominent ideas from different areas of physics.

The aim of this study group is to introduce researchers in iTHEMS to various recent research topics in mathematical sciences and the variety of mathematical research areas. Another important aim is to enhance the mathematical interaction between researchers from various fields.

In science, significant breakthroughs often stem from the connection between two distinct disciplines. Induced superconductivity can be observed in DNA via the proximity effect. A non-zero Chern number reveals that ocean and atmospheric waves exhibit similar underline features of topological insulators. The goal of this study group is twofold: 1. Build multiple bridges from quantum matter to other fields, and 2. explore the fundamentals of quantum matter. The study group aims to initiate a connection between iTHEMS and the Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) through talks and lectures, stimulate international collaborations by inviting speakers worldwide.

We are holding regular seminars and other activities on topics related to biology. Our aim is to lower the boundaries between biology and mathematics/physics, to identify common grounds between biology and mathematics/physics, and to develop ideas for new research topics at the intersection of biology and mathematics or physics.

Our purpose is twofold: (i) sharing methods (e.g., theoretical and computational techniques), and (ii) sharing topics (e.g., unsolved big problems), from the viewpoints of information theory, thereby unifying seemingly different ideas and exploring new research directions. Our goal is to provide a clearer overview of wider theoretical disciplines on the basis of information theory, by making close connections across fields: physics, mathematics, engineering, biology, chemistry, and whatever areas that have to do with mathematics.

Quantum Gravity Gatherings will offer an intensive lecture series on various approaches to quantum gravity as an opportunity for people of different generations and disciplines to learn and share ideas.