2014 Tsinghua University Chia-Chiao Lin Distinguished Lecture
Speaker: Joel Smoller
Professor of University of Michigan
Guggenheim Fellow
Senior Humboldt Fellow
Recipient of the 2009 Birkhoff Prize
Time: 16:30-17:30, May 7 (Wed.), May 9 (Fri.)
Place: Lecture Hall, Floor 3, Jin Chun Yuan West Building, Tsinghua University
Titles and Abstracts
Lecture 1
Title: Gravitation
Abstract: We discuss gravitation from Newton to Einstein, to present-day.
Lecture 2
Title: Existence of Magnetic Compressible Fluid Stars
Abstract: We consider the Euler-Poisson equations coupled to a magnetic field. We prove existence via a variational technique, minimizing an energy functional subject to a total mass constraint. The problem is difficult since the energy functional is not of a fixed sign. Our proof has some novel features. (This is joint work with P. Federbush and T. Luo.)
Introduction of Speaker
Professor Joel Smoller received his PhD from Purdue University in 1963, and has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan ever since. He has held visiting appointments at a wide variety of places, including the Courant Institute, the University of Wisconsin, Harvard University, the University of Paris, and Cambridge University. Joel Smoller has done research in shock-wave theory, Navier-Stokes equations, systems of reaction-diffusion equations, dynamical systems (Conley Index Theory), and bifurcation theory (symmetry-breaking bifurcations).
Recently, Smoller has been concerned with problems involving gravity, on two different scales: (A) Stability of Kerr (rotating) Black Holes under various perturbations: scalar waves, Dirac Fields, electromagnetic waves, and gravitational waves. This is ongoing work with Felix Finster (University of Regensburg), and S.T. Yau (Harvard), and (B) astrophysical shock-waves, done with Blake Temple (University of California, Davis). He is also continuing an ongoing program of stellar dynamics, including rotating Newtonian stars, with Tao Luo, (Georgetown University).
Smoller held the Lamberto Cesari Chair of Mathematics at The University of Michigan since 1998. His awards include 2009 AMS-SIAM George David Birkhoff Prize in Applied Mathematics, Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists 2005–2008; Morningside Lecturer, International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians, 2001 and 2004; Margaret and Herman Sokol Award, University of Michigan, 1992; Guggenheim Fellowship, 1980–1981.
Source: http://dept.math.lsa.umich.edu/people/facultyDetail.php?uniqname=smoller
http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/~smoller/birkhoff.php
