Félix Parraud (Queen's University)

Math & Stats Department Colloquium
Friday, January 24, 2025

Time: 2:30 p.m.  Place: Jeffery Hall, Room 234

Speaker: Félix Parraud (Queen's University)

Title: A history of the notion of strong convergence in random matrix theory, or why we care about the norm of random matrices

Abstract: Proving results of strong convergence in Random Matrix Theory is roughly equivalent to studying the largest eigenvalue of a broad class of random matrices. In the last twenty years, those types of results have had a strong impact in various areas of mathematics, such as operator algebra, graph theory, representation theory, or quantum information theory. In this talk, I will start by defining basic objects, such as what a random matrix is, or the notion of strong convergence. I will then give you a history of the different results on the topic, their consequences in different fields, as well as some basic methods of proof.