Mathematica Minicourse: Paper Computations in Theoretical Physics done Efficiently
Dates: April 24-28, 2017
Lecturer: Pedro Vieira (ICTP-SAIFR/IFT-UNESP & Perimeter Institute)
Place: IFT-UNESP Auditorium
Times: 10:00 – 12:00 from Monday to Thursday. Extra lectura on Thursday at 15:00
Description:
In this course we will see how to use Mathematica for streamlining symbolic computations which can be tediously done on paper but which can also be efficiently coded into Mathematica. The first lecture is introductory. The next four are more advanced and based on examples suggested by students before the course. Send examples/sugestions beforehand to pedrogvieira@gmail.com
This is a five lecture minicourse. People should bring their computers with mathematica installed and everyone will type as we go.
There will be no application form for this activity and everyone is welcome to participate. For more information, send email to secretary@ictp-saifr.org .
Program:
Lecture 1: Basics of Mathematica.
Lectures 2-5: Based on examples given to me by the students beforehand, I will explain how to implement some analytic symbolic computations in Mathematica
(e.g. so far I got one suggestion related to simplifying some gamma matrix and Grassman algebras arising in the pure spinor formalism; feel free to pass by to tell me of what kind of problem you would like to learn how to do smartly!)
While lecture 1 is somehow self-contained, students with a basic knowledge of Mathematica will benefit much more of lectures.
E.g. probably most people will be able to (1) taylor expand a function, (2) take a derivative of the result w.r.t. some parameter, (3) do some simple replacement on the outcome and then (4) plot the outcome expansion in some nice 3D plot with some cute labels and colours.
However most people will probably *not* know how to implement algebras, do OPE’s, deal with tensors, Feynmann graphs, algorithms, simplify differential equations, expand actions around backgrounds, optimize numerics and monitor them, simplify huge expressions etc which will be the main focus of these lectures.
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