Event description
An R-matrix is a solution to the Yang-Baxter equation (YBE),a central object in Statistical Mechanics, discovered in 1970's. The R-matrix also features prominently in the theory of quantum groups formulated in the eighties. In recent years, many areas of mathematics and physics have found methods to construct R-matrices and solve the associated integrable system. In this talk, we will give an overview of both the history and the current research centered around R-matrices, and their significance to representation theory, geometry and physics.