Press Release and Science Dissemination
Launch of a new World Premier Institute in Japan
A new international Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM2) is established at the University of Hiroshima
Renzo Ricca is elected an Affiliate Member of SKCM2. According to the new institute’s mission and the words of its Director, Professor Ivan I. Smalyukh, SKCM2 aims at “establishing an entire research paradigm […] with knots in fields as building blocks, which is not a branch of math, physics, chemistry, biology, material science, or engineering, but rather it is an intrinsically interdisciplinary mixture of these, a pursuit in which progress is made simultaneously in the context of all these fields.”
The mathematics of knots in the Italian magazine Focus
Work of Renzo Ricca featured in a Focus article dedicated to the mathematics of knots
The Italian magazine Focus covers the recent mathematical advancements of knot theory and its modern applications to various fields, including engineering, chemistry, and DNA biology. Work of Renzo Ricca dedicated to the applications of knot polynomials to the study of magnetic fields and vortex structures in turbulence and other complex systems is highlighted.
GEOTOP-A “Events”
GEOTOP-A announces the creation of a new website section dedicated to host the proceedings of international conferences and schools that fall under the GEOTOP-A mission
The proceedings are collected in the form of recorded talks by the various contributors, and are archived under the typical GEOTOP-A format, by searchable meeting’s name, author’s name, and keywords. Each contribution contains some basic information (author’s name, title and abstract), and the video link to the recorded talk.
The meeting on “Topological Methods in Mathematical Physics” (held in Erice in September 2022), opens the series:
https://seminargeotop-a.com/events
GEOTOP-A is committed to become a useful reference resource for future generations of mathematicians. The Scientific Committee welcomes proposals to host the proceedings of future meetings and advanced schools. Interested organisers are encouraged to submit proposals by contacting a member of the Scientific Committee.
GEOTOP-A Scientific Committee
- Alicia Dickenstein (U Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Jose-Carlos Gomez-Larrañaga (CIMAT, Mexico)
- Kathryn Hess (EPFL, Switzerland)
- Neza Mramor-Kosta (U Ljubljana, Slovenia)
- Renzo L. Ricca (U Milano-Bicocca, Italy)
- De Witt Sumners (Florida State U, USA)
“Knotted Fields” in China
Beijing University of Technology (BJUT) hosts a series of events dedicated to the new theme of Knotted Fields. The events are broadcast live in China
In September 2019 I chair and co-organise in collaboration with Xin Liu and Wenyu Wang, a series of events dedicated to the recent advancements in the new area of “Knotted Fields”. The events take place under the auspices of Beijing University of Technology (BJUT).
An advanced school, an international conference and a satellite workshop held at the Northwestern University of Xi’an are broadcast live in the whole nation, with thousands of students attending the lectures online everyday, making headlines in the Chinese science community.
“Knot polynomials in turbulence research” to celebrate FIMA Day in Italy
Work on the application of knot polynomials in turbulence research is presented in Rome on the occasion of the FIMA Day, to celebrate the foundation of the Italian Federation of Applied Mathematics (FIMA)
Five Italian mathematical societies SIMAI, AMASES, AIRO, AILA and AIMETA, representing the Italian mathematical community involved in applications of mathematics in natural and mechanical sciences, economic and social sciences, optimization and control, gather together in Rome to celebrate the foundation of the Italian Federation of Applied Mathematics (FIMA Day – October 27, 2017). .
On this occasion work on application of knot polynomials in turbulence research is presented by Renzo Ricca on behalf of SIMAI.
Visiting Professorship at Beijing University of Technology (BJUT)
Renzo Ricca appointed BJUT Visiting Guest Professor as part of the “Renowned Teachers in China” programme
On September 13, 2016 Professor Lijia Cai, Vice Dean of the Beijing-Dublin International College of Beijing University of Technology (BJUT) announces the appointment of Renzo Ricca as BJUT Visiting Professor to deliver a series of lectures on “Advanced Mathematics from an Elementary Viewpoint” to a large class of freshmen. The lectureship programme is aimed at fostering the promotion of mathematics education by broadening the cultural and intellectual scientific horizons of the freshers.
Work on fluid knots profiled in the Italian Encyclopedia of Mathematics – Treccani
Work on applications of topological techniques to complex systems is profiled in the Italian Encyclopedia of Mathematics – Treccani.
The prestigious Italian Encyclopedia of Mathematics – Treccani profiles my work on applications of geometric and topological methods to study aspects of complex systems. Particular enphasis is given to the applications of knot polynomials to study relations between structural complexity of fluid systems and energy.
“Knot energy spectrum” in the JPA 2014 Highlights special collection
Work on the derivation of the groundstate energy spectrum of magnetic knots and links is selected as one of the best JPA 2014 papers and is included in the 2014 JPA special collection Highlights
The editorial board of the Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical selects the paper on “The groundstate energy spectrum of magnetic knots and links” as one of the best research works of 2014, including a special mention in the JPA 2014 Highlights compilation.
This work is reviewed by the Fluid and Plasma Theory section editor, Professor Gregory Falkovich of the Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Israel.
“Groundstate energy spectrum of magnetic knots and links”
J Phys. A cover dedicated to the paper “On the groundstate energy spectrum of magnetic knots and links” published in May 2014
Work done in collaboration with Francesca Maggioni on “the groundstate energy spectrum of magnetic knots and links” is featured on the front cover of the 2014 May issue of the Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical. The spectra of tight knots and links are found to follow an almost identical power law for increasing topological complexity, demonstrating remarkable generic similarities between knot and link families up to almost two hundreds crossings.
Results are based on an analytic expression for the constrained minimum energy state and numerical data obtained by the RIDGERUNNER tightening algorithm developed by Ashton et. al. (2011).
“Fluid knots” in the JPA 2012 Highlights special collection
Work on the derivation of the Jones polynomial for fluid knots is selected as one of the best JPA 2012 papers as part of the 2012 special collection Highlights
The editorial board of the Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical selects the paper on “fluid knot polynomials” as one of the best research works of 2012, including a special mention in the JPA 2012 online compilation Highlights. This work is reviewed by the Fluid and Plasma Theory section editor, Professor Gregory Falkovich of the Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Israel.
“Structural complexity” in the Italian press
Work on structural complexity gets press attention: from Corriere della Sera to Galileo, Brain Factor and other online journals, including a Focus feature article in 2012
Work on structural complexity, based on the use of knot polynomials finds its way in the news: several newspapers and online journals dedicate news to this topic in summer 2012. National newspapers Corriere della Sera and Corriere del Mezzogiorno, science online journals, such as Galileo, Brain Factor, A&C, and even local newspapers such as La Provincia di Cremona cover the news with details, an unusual event for mathematical work!
“The Jones polynomial for fluid knots”
J. Phys. A Insight features a web article and dedicate the journal cover to the 2012 paper “The Jones polynomial for fluid knots from helicity”
The 2012 paper “The Jones polynomial for fluid knots from helicity”, written in collaboration with Xin Liu and published in the Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical gets the JPA cover and a web-page coverage in the online JPA Insight feature series. Standard polynomials of knot theory are introduced in classical field theory for the first time, contributing with new topological techniques to the study of complex flows in fluid mechanics.
“Geometry and Topology of Fluid Flows” programme at the Newton Institute
INIMS intensive research programme on Geometry and Topology of Fluid Flows (2001) gets press attention in the UK
In the UNESCO Year of Mathematics (2000), a 4-month intensive research programme on “Geometry and Topology of Fluid Flows” is selected to be organized by myself in collaboration with Hassan Aref, Tutsomu Kambe and Richard Pelz. The programme is held at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge (UK) and hosts several major events, including a NATO Advanced Study Institute workshop, a satellite workshop on singularities at MIR@W (Warwick U.) and a Royal Society Discussion Meeting in London. Daily seminars and thematic workshops cooroborate the programme. Themes range from topological dynamics, geometric mechanics, dynamical systems theory to knot theory and singularities in fluid flows.
“Topological ideas and fluid mechanics”
Physics Today cover dedicated to the article “Topological ideas and fluid mechanics”, 1996. A translation of the article appears in the sister journal Parity in Japan
In 1996 the American journal Physics Today publishes the paper “Topological ideas and fluid mechanics”, written in collaboration with Mitch Berger. The article presents the state-of-the-art research on topological techniques applied to fluid and plasma dynamics, from classical problems in Euler and Navier-Stokes flows to solar and plasma physics. The paper gets immediately translated into the Japanese sister journal Parity, cover included!
Work on “topological fluid mechanics” in the English press
UCL Science features work on topological fluid mechanics, 1995
UCL Science, an interdisciplinary journal of the University College London, features work done by Mitch Berger and myself on topological fluid mechanics during 1995.
“Rediscovery of Da Rios equations” in Nature
The “Rediscovery of Da Rios equations” is cast in the Commentary section of Nature in 1991
My account of the re-discovery of Da Rios equations, derived for the first time in 1905 as geometric description of soliton dynamics and that remained unnoticed for almost a century, receives press attention and has great impact in the scientific community at large. This event attracts further attention from the media, and in particular from the BBC, that on Radio 3 broadcasts a special focus programme on forgotten discoveries and misconduct in scientific research.
