This project will support travel to the conference "Forms of Homotopy Theory: elliptic cohomology and loop spaces", at the Fields Institute in Toronto in September 2004. The purpose of the conference is to bring together researchers from several groups which have recently made substantial progress in the homotopy theory related to string theory, particularly elliptic cohomology and string topology. The subject has recently attracted some impressive new talent, and the purpose of the proposed project is to support participation in the conference by postdocs and graduate students.
Elliptic cohomology is a rich mix of seemingly distant areas of mathematics and physics. The way in which elliptic cohomology brings these areas together is still mainly a matter of phenomenology, hinting at deep and beautiful theoretical mechanisms which properly explain the observed connections. Recently there has been progress towards a deeper understanding of elliptic cohomology by several groups of researchers. The conference will bring these researchers together.
