iTHEMS-NCTS Workshop on August 18, 2025

The Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Center (iTHEMS) at RIKEN and the National Center for Theoretical Sciences (NCTS) continue to deepen their partnership under the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding by co-organizing an annual joint workshop. The second edition was held at Okochi Hall, RIKEN Wako Campus, from August 18 to 21, 2025, following the inaugural 2024 workshop in Taipei, Taiwan.

This year’s workshop gathered researchers across condensed matter physics, high-energy physics, and mathematics under the banner “Matters to Spacetime: Symmetries & Geometry.” The four-day program featured plenary talks, invited sessions, a lively poster session, and a banquet that fostered vibrant discussion and new collaborations.

Plenary Speakers (2025)

Shinsei Ryu (Princeton University)
Yasunori Nomura (UC Berkeley)
Naoto Nagaosa (RIKEN CEMS)
Hikaru Kawai (National Taiwan University)
Chung-Jun Tsai (National Taiwan University)

Beyond the main themes in condensed matter and high-energy physics, the program explicitly highlighted interdisciplinary research and strengthened ties with mathematics—including an “Interdisciplinary Section” on Day 1 and a “Math Section” on Day 4. Representative examples include Akinori Tanaka’s talk, “Understanding generative AI by Feynman’s path integral,” and Chung-Jun Tsai’s plenary, “Some rigidity and dynamical stability results of calibrated submanifolds.” These sessions underscored the growing interface between mathematical structures, AI-inspired methods, and fundamental physics.

The workshop’s smooth execution was made possible by the tireless efforts of the iTHEMS assistants—especially Tomoko Iwanami—and the organizing teams: Tsukasa Tada, Masazumi Honda, Che-Yu Chen, Yuki Yokokura (RIKEN iTHEMS), and Chang-Tse Hsieh (NCTS). We are deeply grateful for the steadfast support from leadership on both sides—Satoshi Iso, Tetsuo Hatsuda, Guang-Yu Guo, and Pei-Ming Ho—whose opening/closing remarks and guidance framed the event’s goals and impact. We also thank the RIKEN Promotion Office for the funding arrangement that enabled this joint initiative.

This second workshop further cemented research ties between iTHEMS and NCTS and broadened collaboration with the NCTS Math Division. Looking ahead, the 3rd iTHEMS–NCTS Joint Workshop is planned for Taiwan in the week of August 17, 2026. We look forward to continuing this annual tradition and expanding the scope of interdisciplinary exchange in the years to come.

Reported by Ching-Kai Chiu