Quantum Field Theory as Mathematical Formalism: The Case of Arithmetic Geometry
Minhyong Kim (U. of Warwick)

Quantum field theory clearly has its origins in the largely successful attempt to classify the fundamental building blocks of matter and the interactions between them. On the other hand, a number of practitioners have suggested that it should gradually develop into a general purpose mathematical toolkit, following an evolution roughly similar to calculus. I will describe in this talk applications of this general philosophy to arithmetic geometry.