Annualreport 2005 2006
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AnnualReport 2005 2006 AnnualReport 2005 2006 Centre de recherches mathématiques Université de Montréal C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville Montréal, QC H3C 3J7 Canada Also available on the CRM’s website www.crm.umontreal.ca c Centre de recherches mathématiques Université de Montréal, 2006 ISBN 2-921120-43-7 CENTRE DE RECHERCHES MATHÉMATIQUES Presenting the Annual Report 2005 – 2006 5 A Year That Set a New Standard for Canadian Mathematics . 6 Thematic Program 9 Thematic Year 2005 – 2006: Analysis in Number Theory . 10 Aisenstadt Chairholders in 2005 – 2006: M. Bhargava, K. Soundararajan, and T. Tao . 10 Activities of the Thematic Year . 13 Past Thematic Programs . 23 General Program 24 CRM activities . 25 CRM – ISM Colloquium Series . 34 Multidisciplinary and Industrial Program 37 Activities of the Multidisciplinary and Industrial Program . 38 CRM Prizes 45 CRM – Fields – PIMS Prize 2006 Awarded to Nicole Tomczak-Jaegermann . 46 André-Aisenstadt Prize 2006 Awarded Jointly to Iosif Polterovich and Tai-Peng Tsai . 47 CAP – CRM Prize 2006 Awarded to John Harnad . 47 CRM – SSC Prize 2006 Awarded to Jeffrey Rosenthal . 48 CRM Outreach Program 50 Jean-Marie De Koninck . 51 Ivar Ekeland . 52 CRM Partnerships 54 CRM Partners . 55 Joint Initiatives . 59 Mathematical Education 62 Institut des sciences mathématiques (ISM) . 63 Other Joint Initiatives . 65 Research Laboratories 67 Applied Mathematics . 68 CICMA................................................. 71 CIRGET . 74 LaCIM ................................................. 76 Mathematical Analysis . 79 Mathematical Physics . 82 PhysNum . 85 Statistics . 88 Publications 92 Recent Titles . 93 Previous Titles . 93 CRM Preprints . 96 Scientific Personnel 98 CRM Members in 2005 – 2006 . 99 Postdoctoral Fellows . 101 Long-term Visitors . 101 Short-term Visitors . 103 Governance and Scientific Guidance 105 Bureau de direction . 106 Scientific Advisory Committee . 106 3 CENTRE DE RECHERCHES MATHÉMATIQUES CRM Administrative and Support Staff 109 The Director’s Office . 110 Administration . 110 Scientific Activities . 110 Computer Services . 110 Publications . 110 Communications . 110 Statement of Revenue and Expenditures for the Fiscal Year Ending on May 31, 2006 111 Mandate of the CRM 114 4 Presenting the Annual Report 2005 – 2006 CENTRE DE RECHERCHES MATHÉMATIQUES A Year That Set a New Standard for Canadian Mathematics The year 2005 – 2006 at TRIQ (INstitut TRansdisciplinaire en Informa- the CRM was one of the tique Quantique), and a second one that will deepest, most exciting take shape soon. We have also worked inten- years in the life of the sively on our new web site, with 80,000 dynamic mathematical institutes. pages updated daily and 7,500 hand-written Under the scientific pages, in both French and English. This website direction of Andrew is the result of years of effort to give a complete Granville (Montréal), and easily accessible view of everything that is Chantal David (Concor- of interest to mathematicians and mathematical dia) and Henri Darmon scientists. It is fed by the “CRM Monster,” one (McGill), the CRM the- of the largest databases in mathematics in the matic programme on world. Go to www.crm.umontreal.ca and select “Analysis in Number Theory” was a splendid the language of your choice (the choice is quite year, a wonderful moment of creativity, collab- limited, but still, you have a choice!). orations and discoveries. The three CRM Aisen- The CRM was the first Canadian institute to seek stadt Chair holders, contacted early in 2004 funds from the NSF, NATO, and the Clay Insti- by the organizers, gave splendid lectures and tute simultaneously, and to receive a generous stayed on site at the CRM for several months: response: all of our applications have been sup- M. Bhargava (Princeton), who was a plenary ported with even more enthusiasm than we ex- speaker at the 2006 ICM, K. Soundararajan pected — it is interesting to note that the only (Stanford), and Terence Tao (UCLA), who was NATO Advanced Study Institute in the world, awarded the Fields medal at the 2006 ICM. in any scientific field, to be funded year after What makes the CRM so innovative and stimu- year, is the CRM’s “Séminaire de mathématiques lating is the involvement at all levels of its sci- supérieures,” jointly sponsored by the Univer- entists, whose work naturally attracts top level sité de Montréal’s Department of Mathematics mathematicians from around the world. While it and Statistics. In 2007, we will innovate in an- is relatively easy for a given institute to invite other way by organizing an event that will be a Fields medalist or a Nobel Prize winner for held at Stanford University in June 2007, the a one-day lecture, it is much more difficult and first international large conference to bring to- interesting to invite them and work with them gether most mathematicians developing various for several months before they get the Fields aspects of the “ultimate theory” of Symplectic Medal, hoping that they will receive the high- Field Theory. At the moment of writing, we have est honours. This happened last year with all just received the confirmation from the NSF that three of the young CRM Aisenstadt Chair hold- it would grant us the full amount requested. ers. During the year, more than forty researchers Other new international agreements have been from around the world and many postdoctoral signed this year by the CRM, notably with IN- fellows stayed for extended periods of time at RIA and INSERM (both in France), and with the CRM. Hundreds of invited speakers came to Latin America and with Central Europe (DI- the CRM for the thematic programme, including MATIA). Negotiations are under way with the Tim Gowers (Cambridge, Fields Medalist), Jean CNRS to create three or four GDRI (Groupe de Bourgain (Institute for Advanced Study, Fields Recherche International) that would launch, for Medalist), and Barry Mazur (Harvard). the first time, a complete array of projects jointly The CRM is unique because it is much more than funded by Europe and North America in most a “conference centre”: it is both a place where fields of mathematics. Finally, the CRM is now fascinating and world-class developments take preparing a scientific mission to establish long place, and an institute where ten large laborato- term links and projects between Canada and ries are based. From Number Theory and Geom- most of the top scientific centres in India. This etry – Topology to Brain Imaging and Quantum mission, prepared with the Québec government Informatics, with strong groups in Statistics and and several research vice-principals, will take Applied Mathematics, the CRM’s vitality relies, place in a few weeks (November 2006). Since ultimately, on these laboratories. mathematics is one of the three main disciplines The CRM is currently setting up two new labo- targeted in this mission, and India will host the ratories, one in Quantum Informatics, called IN- next ICM 2010 (after a very tight competition 6 PRESENTING THE ANNUAL REPORT 2005 – 2006 with Montréal), it is natural to establish links ture in November 2006), are attracting 300 hun- with both pure and applied mathematical cen- dred persons from all walks of life for each lec- tres. ture. This year, in collaboration with its educational The lectures rotate between the large Québec partner, the Institut des sciences mathématiques universities, and could very well take place out- (ISM), the CRM launched the Accromαth project. side the universities in large halls located in The Accromαth texts are produced and revised Montréal, Québec, Sherbrooke or Ottawa. The by the most outstanding Canadian editorial goal of the CRM (already reached to a large ex- team, comprising André Ross (editor-in-chief), tent) is to contribute to the visibility and impact France Caron, Louis Charbonneau, Jocelyn Da- of the universities and its researchers, anywhere genais, Jean-Marie De Koninck, André Des- and at any time. We want to stimulate the in- chênes, Christian Genest, Frédéric Gourdeau, tellectual life of this country, so that it becomes Bernard Hodgson and Christiane Rousseau. The an integral part of our environment; we want to members of the editorial team are involved present to Québeckers and Canadians the scien- in the teaching of mathematics at the high tific and cultural issues of the twenty-first cen- school, college or university level, and several tury, and leave our ivory towers while preserv- of them have gained recognition for their con- ing the peace of mind that researchers need to tributions to the popularization of mathemat- work and make discoveries. ics. For instance, Bernard Hodgson (Université One of the best indicators of the vitality of Laval) is secretary-general of the International mathematical research in Canada is the compe- Commission on Mathematical Instruction, based tition for the André-Aisenstadt Prize, awarded in Geneva; this is one of the highest international each year by the CRM Scientific Advisory Panel positions in the field of mathematical instruc- to a young Canadian mathematician working tion. in Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics or Frédéric Gourdeau (Université Laval) has re- Statistics. In 2006, the competition was ex- ceived the 2006 CMS Excellence in Teaching tremely tight, so we had to award the Prize to Award in recognition of his sustained and two mathematicians: Iosif Polterovich (Univer- distinguished contributions to teaching at the sité de Montréal) and Tai-Peng Tsai (University undergraduate level. Jean-Marie De Koninck of British Columbia). The other CRM prizes in (Université Laval) received the same award in 2006 were awarded to Jeffrey Rosenthal (Statis- 2004. Christiane Rousseau (Université de Mont- tics, University of Toronto) in collaboration with réal) was until recently president of the Cana- the Statistical Society of Canada, to John Har- dian Mathematical Society and Christian Genest nad (Mathematical Physics, Concordia Univer- (Université Laval) is president-elect of the Sta- sity and CRM) in collaboration with the Cana- tistical Society of Canada.