Theoretical Physics at the End of the Twentieth Century

Yvan Saint-Aubin, Full Professor, Département de mathématiques et de statistique, Université de Montréal.

The Centre de recherches matMmatiques (CRM) was created in 1968 by the Universite de Montreal to promote research in the mathematical sciences. It is now a national institute that hosts several groups and holds special theme years, summer schools, workshops, and a postdoctoral program. The focus of its scientific activities ranges from pure to applied mathematics and includes statistics, theoretical computer science, mathematical methods in biology and life sciences, and mathematical and theoretical physics. The CRM also promotes collaboration between mathematicians and industry. It is subsidized by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Fonds FCAR of the Province de Quebec, and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and has private endowments. Current ac tivities, fellowships, and annual reports can be found on the CRM Web page at CRM.UMontreal.CA. The CRM Series in Mathematical Physics includes monographs, lecture notes, and proceedings based on research pursued and events held at the Centre de recherches matMmatiques.

Based on courses given at the CRM Banff summer school in 1999, this volume provides a snapshot of topics engaging theoretical physicists at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first. Young physicists will find in these chapters pedagogical introductions to subjects currently active in theoretical physics, and more seasoned physicists will find a chance to share the excitement of fields outside their immediate research interests.

Based on courses given at the CRM Banff summer school in 1999, this volume provides a snapshot of topics engaging theoretical physicists is at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty -first. Young physicists will find in these chapters pedagogical introductions to subjects currently active in theoretical physics, and more seasoned physicists will find a chance to share the excitement of fields outside their immediate research interests.

1 Lectures on Supersymmetric Yang-Mills Theory and Integrable Systems.- 2 Lectures on Branes, Black Holes, and Anti-de Sitter Space.- 3 Easy Turbulence.- 4 BEC and the New World of Coherent Matter Waves.- 5 Beyond CFT: Deformed Virasoro and Elliptic Algebras.- 6 Mesoscopic Physics.- 7 QCD In Extreme Conditions.