课程信息
主题：The Monster and the Moonshine Module: A Finite Giant in Infinite-Dimensional Lie Theory
时间：2025.10.20 (周一) 19:20-20:55
线下地址：六教6C300
主讲人：Yongchang Zhu
主办单位：探花视频
主讲人介绍
Yongchang Zhu is a professor at YMSC, Tsinghua University. He got his PhD from Yale Univeristy. His research interest is in representation theory, number theory and mathematical physics. He is an invited spearker in 2026 ICM.
摘要
The Monster group, the largest sporadic simple group, was constructed by Griess in 1982. It initially seemed an isolated mathematical object until McKay and Thompson noticed its connection to the modular J-function—a mystery named "Monstrous Moonshine."
Frenkel, Lepowsky, and Meurman constructed the infinite-dimensional "Moonshine Module," representing the Monster and explaining its graded dimension. Their work utilized vertex operators, which were later axiomatized by Borcherds into the general theory of vertex algebras. Borcherds then proved the conjectures about the graded traces of the Monster's action on the Moonshine module. The story of the Monster stands as a profound testament to the unity of mathematics, linking finite group theory, infinite-dimensional Lie theory, modular functions and mathematical physics. This talk will explore this unifying journey.
