In the Alexandria Auditorium, the thunderous applause lasted for a long time.
Standing on the podium, Xu Chuan enjoyed this moment. This was the honor he deserved.
Time passed for a long time, and the applause gradually stopped. Xu Chuan looked at the audience in the auditorium, and his eyes fell on the old man in the center of the first row.
Feeling the approval in the old man's eyes, a bright smile appeared on his face.
But now is not the time to celebrate. The next question time is the moment that determines life and death.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan turned his gaze to the other audience members and said calmly: "This is the end of the paper report on the proof of Hodge's conjecture. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them and I will do my best to answer them."
For the Hodge conjecture, the most important thing for the mathematical community is algebraic varieties and group mapping tools.
If you can understand this mathematical tool, then you can naturally understand the proof paper of Hodge's conjecture.
Of course, Xu Chuan did not expect that just one lecture would enable everyone in the auditorium to understand algebraic varieties and group mapping tools.
In fact, he estimates that less than one-fifth of the people here today fully understand this mathematical tool.
But this doesn't make any difference.
As long as the top group of people can successfully understand this proof paper, then today's report will be a success.
After all, top mathematics is never something that everyone can master.
.......
It started at three o'clock and lasted until 4:30 in the afternoon, a full hour and a half before the question and answer session officially ended.
This is normal, after all, the Hodge conjecture connects algebraic geometry and topology.
Its proof will connect two extremely important fields in mathematics, allowing mathematicians to unify these two fields to a certain extent for the first time.
In today's mathematics world, both algebraic geometry and topology are one of the most popular fields of mathematics. There are so many mathematicians studying and researching these two fields like crucian carp crossing the river.
When faced with proof papers for Hodge's conjecture and algebraic variety and group mapping tools, even though Xu Chuan explained it in detail at the lecture, many mathematicians still had their own doubts.
Fortunately, they still have someone they can rely on at this moment. The young man on the stage will answer their questions.
For a person who has doubts, having someone who can answer his questions is probably the luckiest thing.
...
On the stage, Xu Chuan tried his best to answer everyone who asked questions.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
The only thing that made him slightly regretful was that not many Chinese scholars came forward during the question-and-answer session.
Only a few Chinese mathematics professors raised their hands and raised their own questions.
This may have something to do with the implicit mentality of the Chinese people, but more importantly, it is the weakness of his motherland in this basic field.
However, this matter cannot be rushed, we can only wait for time to develop slowly.
After the question-and-answer session ended, the main body of this mathematics report officially ended.
Of course, the party and dance in the evening are always a tradition.
.......
After the report ended, Xu Chuan walked off the stage, and the media reporters in the auditorium quickly gathered around him.
"Mr. Xu Chuan, I am a reporter from ABC Broadcasting Company. I heard that you have made great contributions in the past. Are you interested in other subjects, such as physics or chemistry?"
Xu Chuan: "I am very interested in physics. High-energy physics is really fascinating. Collision experiments can give people a deep understanding of the nature of the world."
"Mr. Xu Chuan, I am a reporter from the "Washington Post". Are you absolutely confident that this time the Hodge conjecture will be proven?"
Xu Chuan: "Of course, I have full confidence in algebraic varieties and group mapping tools, which can pry open the door to Hodge's conjecture and lead us into a new world."
"Mr. Xu Chuan, I am a reporter from the Wall Street Journal. Will you be a professor of mathematics at Princeton in the future?"
"..."
A series of various questions were thrown at him. Xu Chuan answered some selectively, and then wanted to run away.
But unfortunately, these media reporters obviously did not intend to let him go so easily, let alone in a closed space like the auditorium.
Fortunately, Princeton staff came to rescue him in time and he was able to escape.
To be honest, in Xu Chuan's opinion, dealing with reporters who ask questions from strange angles is more difficult than studying mathematics.
These "human spirit" media reporters are accustomed to digging holes in questions, and excerpting parts of interviews out of context for the sake of traffic, so that they often make fools of a certain scholar or scientist.
Compared to other subjects, mathematics is slightly less likely to be tricked by reporters.
The most serious fields that have been deceived by the media are medicine and biology. After all, these two fields often involve personal safety and so on.
There have even been public confrontations between scientists and journalists before.
For example, three medical doctors from Cardiff University, where the sun never sets, published an article in the Guardian angrily condemning the Daily Mail's report on their interview with them as being seriously inaccurate.
The reason is that they found that there is a neurotransmitter called gaba in the frontal lobe of the human brain, and its concentration may be related to a certain type of impulsive personality.
But the Daily Mail reported on the research results like this:
[A study from Cardiff University shows that the recent destructive riots in England were caused by a lack of a certain chemical component in the brains of participants.]
After the news was released, the number of clicks quickly exceeded one million, and readers spread false rumors. Finally, "Scientists claim that thugs don't know how to take responsibility for themselves. They can't control themselves because they have too little GABA in their brains!"
speech.
An outrageous newspaper, The Sun, even claimed that it had creatively introduced a magical nasal spray that could stop drunken brawls by controlling GABA.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Such outrageous changes and rumors show that some "unscrupulous" newspapers have no moral integrity at all, while most scientists are basically quite ethical.
When these two meet, it is probably a scholar meeting a soldier, and there is no reason to explain.
Therefore, except for a small number of scientists who prefer to be in the limelight, most other scientists do not like media interviews very much.
On the one hand, it's just too difficult to answer those weird questions.
On the other hand, you have to be careful that one day it is taken out of context.
...
After the lecture was successfully concluded, the party was held as scheduled in Princeton's Alexander Concert Hall.
Under the auspices of the Institute for Advanced Study, Xu Chuan stood in the center of the ballroom, while Peter Goddard, the dean of the Institute for Advanced Study, walked over with a bottle of valuable champagne amidst the elegant music.
, stood in front of him.
"Open it, it belongs to you now."
Peter Goddard, with a smile on his face, handed over the champagne, and Xu Chuan picked up the champagne from the tray without any hesitation.
After shaking it vigorously for a few times, I pressed the cork at the mouth of the bottle with my thumb. After the bottle rotated twice, there was a "bang~" sound, and the cork flew away without knowing where, and the fine foam splashed away.
Come on, it gushed out to many guests.
No one would care about this, but countless people wanted to come forward and ask for a glass of glorious champagne from Xu Chuan.
After all, it is the glory of proving Hodge's conjecture.
After dealing with the mathematicians who came to talk with a smile, Xu Chuan just wanted to get up and go find Professor Jean-Pierre Serre, when the old man appeared in front of him at the right time.
"Congratulations, young genius."
Accompanied by Charles Fefferman, chairman of the Princeton Mathematics Department, the ninety-year-old man stood in front of him and said congratulations with a smile.
"Professor Serge." Xu Chuan walked over in surprise, half-supporting the nearly centenary old man.
The old man held his hand tightly and sighed: "I never thought that I would see the day when the Hodge conjecture was solved in my lifetime. You have brought miracles."
Xu Chuan smiled and said: "There is still peer review. Whether my proof paper can pass this level is still unknown."
Professor Searle smiled and said: "Both Deligne and Faltings have spoken highly of your paper. I believe it is only a matter of time."
Xu Chuan: "Then I'll lend you your blessing. I hope I can take the Hodge conjecture out of the halls of mathematics this time."
After the two chatted for a while, Professor Serge smiled and patted his arm and said goodbye: "Enjoy the dance tonight, it is your glory."
"I'm a bad old man so I won't bother you too much. If you have time, I welcome you to come to the University of Paris to chat with me."
Xu Chuan quickly said: "I will definitely go."
...
Professor Jean-Pierre Serre left, and someone else came over.
This time, Mr. Qiu Chengtong came over, holding a wine glass to congratulate him.
This old gentleman studied under Professor Chen Shengshen. If we look at his mathematical achievements alone, he has surpassed Chen.
This old man, who is now in his sixties, has won three of the world's top awards, including the Fields Medal, the Wolf Medal in Mathematics, and the Crafford Medal, and has made profound achievements in mathematics.
Professor Donaldson, an international mathematics master and Fields Medal winner, called him "the most influential mathematician in the past quarter of a century."
Professor Singer, another international master of mathematics and winner of the Abel Prize, praised: "Even at Harvard, Yau Shing-tung alone is the leader of the mathematics department!"
The "New York Times" even called him "the well-deserved emperor of mathematics".
Xu Chuan raised his wine glass and clinked it with the old gentleman and said thank you.
After chatting for a while, the old gentleman changed the subject to another side: "Can you tell me what your plans are next? Are you planning to take up a post at Princeton, or are you planning to return to China?"
Xu Chuan thought for a while and said: "If nothing else happens, I should still study at Princeton for a while. As for the future, I should choose to return to China."
Hearing this, Mr. Qiu's eyes lit up and he quickly said: "How about I invite you to join me at Shuimu University?"
"Some time ago, Shuimu University approached me and asked me to go there to launch a training program for leading talents in mathematical sciences. If you are willing, I invite you to come with me."
Regarding this invitation, Xu Chuan smiled and declined: "I may disappoint you. I have already promised my alma mater. If I return to China, I should take up a professorship at my alma mater."
He refused the old gentleman's invitation without hesitation.
He knew the old gentleman's purpose of inviting him, but he did not want to participate in the "battle for hegemony" in the domestic mathematics community.
In the domestic mathematics community, he must have more or less understanding. In order to control the huge resources and interests, there will be various struggles.
Of course, disputes between schools can happen everywhere. Is there no school at Princeton?
Obviously, the Princeton School is one of the largest mathematical schools in mathematics today.
Academic struggles and disputes between schools are normal and can even promote the development of science to a certain extent.
The premise is healthy competition.
But the domestic school dispute has, to put it harshly, become deformed.
It is undeniable that many domestic mathematicians who are at the top of their game are dedicated and unswerving in the development and promotion of Chinese mathematics.
】
For example, the person in front of me has established mathematics research centers in seven universities including Mizuki University, Dongda University, and Zhejiang University, and established the Yanqi Lake Institute of Applied Mathematics to cultivate young talents and serve as the director.
Salary per penny.
But to put it bluntly, the serious school disputes in China have interfered with the development of domestic mathematics to a great extent.
Especially for the development of the younger generation of mathematics students.
Xu Chuan doesn't want to get involved in these nonsense, even though with his current achievements, it can be said that he has reached the pinnacle of the domestic mathematics community.
But in China, ability is not the only factor that determines everything.
So instead of getting involved in the brawl, it's better to go back to Nanda.
The mathematics department at NTU is indeed very weak, but there, he can conduct research without interference.
Compared to places like Shuimu and Peking University, Nanda is a bit purer, like a piece of white paper that can be written on at will.
More importantly, although NTU is weak in mathematics, it is strong in physics.
His purpose in learning mathematics is ultimately to combine it with physics to promote the development of physics.
...
The party and dance are over, and this mathematics report is basically over for everyone else.
But for Xu Chuan, all this has just begun.
At the end of the report meeting, his paper will officially enter the review process.
This review will be conducted by six top mathematicians in algebraic geometry and topology together with the Clay Mathematics Institute.
The list of reviewers is Faltings, Alain Conne, Qiu Chengtong, Mori Shigefumi and others.
The six reviewers are all Fields Medal winners, and many of them have won top mathematics awards such as the Wolf Prize, the Albert Prize, the Crafford Prize, etc. The lineup is luxurious and fully worthy of the Seven Thousand Questions of the Hodge Conjecture.
Jubilee puzzle.
It is actually quite difficult for the mathematics community to filter out this review list.
In accordance with the double-blind principle and the avoidance of relatives principle for paper review, Deligne and Witten, the two most suitable reviewers, were first eliminated.
After all, they are Xu Chuan's mentors and should not appear in this review list.
But to be honest, there are no more suitable reviewers in the mathematics community than these two.
Professor Deligne is a disciple of Mr. Grothendieck, and his achievements in the field of algebraic geometry can be said to be the first person in the world of mathematics today.
More importantly, he has been engaged in studying the standard conjectures left by Mr. Grothendieck. The Hodge conjecture is a part of the standard conjectures.
Therefore, if we want to talk about the most suitable reviewer, Professor Deligne is undoubtedly the most suitable among them all.
Secondly, as the seven millennium problems are century problems in mathematics, Princeton should not be too involved in the review of this proof paper.
For example, Fefferman, Robert Langlands, Xincon Burgan and other top bosses.
After all, this is the highest honor, and the principle of avoidance of relatives prevents the mathematical community from selecting mathematicians from Princeton for review.
After excluding these top experts, it is indeed difficult to select suitable reviewers.
As for the Clay Mathematics Institute, in fact, only one special correspondent was arranged to come over to do auxiliary work.
Although they formulated the seven millennium problems, they really can't help much when it comes to top-notch mathematics.
Fortunately, there are many experts in mathematics, especially in the two popular fields of algebraic geometry and topology, and there are still many people who can hold this job.