============================== Bar-Ilan Combinatorics Seminar ============================== The next meeting of the seminar will take place, IYH, on (when) Tuesday, 17 Sivan (June 9) 12:30-14:00 *** NOTE UNUSUAL HOUR *** (where) Room 201 (Math Dept Seminar Room), Math and CS Building (216), Bar-Ilan University (who) Ohad Feldheim (Tel-Aviv University) will talk about (what) "Non-backtracking walks and the eigenvalues of random matrices" Abstract: During the 1950's Wigner and Dyson proposed random matrices as a model to describe the excited levels in complex nuclei. Since then Random Matrix Theory has grown far beyond nuclear physics, having applications in various fields of physics and mathematics. In this talk we will show the connection between eigenvalues of random matrices and weigted walks on graphs. We will then use combinatorial methods for counting various types of weighted walkes, especially non-backtracking ones, in order to give a good estimation for the distribution of the eigenvalues of such matrics. Joint work with A. Sodin. Forthcoming Events: ------------------- * 24 Sivan (June 16) Shachar Lovett (Weizmann Institute): "List-decoding Reed-Muller codes" ************************************************************************* You are all invited ! (Graduate students especially welcome) If you want to give a talk at the seminar, or know a prospective speaker, please contact Ron Adin . Seminar's homepage: *************************************************************************