What is moonshine?

Abstract: Moonshine began as a series of numerical coincidences connecting finite groups to modular forms but has since evolved into a rich theory that sheds light on the underlying algebraic structures that these coincidences reflect. In this talk, I will give a brief history of moonshine, describe some of the existing examples of the phenomenon in the literature, and discuss how my work fits into the story.

algebraic geometrycombinatoricsdifferential geometrynumber theoryrepresentation theory

Audience: learners

What is ...? Seminar

Series comments: The ``What is ... ? Seminar'' (WiSe) is a weekly Zoom mathematics seminar. The goal is to explain interesting things to each other in a casual manner. The name is inspired by the What is ...? column of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society. See the website for more details. If you want to receive the zoom link for the talks please fill out the form linked on the website or contact Anna at a.puskas@uq.edu.au.