Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ecaterina Sava-Huss

Randomness and beyond: shuffling cards, population models, and the art of sandpiles
Institut für Mathematik, Universität Innsbruck

Abstract

Probability theory and randomness lies at the heart of understanding the unpredictable patterns that emerge in nature, society, and mathematics itself. In the inaugural lecture, we will journey through the fascinating interplay between randomness and structure, exploring how chaotic systems can give rise to surprising order.

In the simple act of shuffling a deck of cards, the shuffling procedure itself is determined by the player, but the position of an individual card during the shuffling process is beyond their control and thus random. Moving to population models, we will address fundamental questions of survival and extinction. From there, we will enter the world of sandpiles and show how local randomness creates beautiful, but not yet understood fractal patterns. Through this exploration, we will touch on fascinating connections between random walks, their limiting behaviour, and how they model fundamental processes in both mathematics and the natural world.  This talk invites everyone—whether curious newcomer or seasoned expert—to explore the art of randomness, as well as its profound implications for understanding complexity, order, and the unpredictable beauty of the world around us.

Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Konstanze Zwintz

The rhythm of young stars
Institut für Astro- und Teilchenphysik, Universität Innsbruck

Abstract

Most stars make music with different rhythm and volume. The music of the stars comes from oscillations in their interiors for which the whole stellar spheres act as resonant bodies. Stars in all evolutionary phases – even the children and teenager stars – play their own tunes. The music of the stars is not audible to the human ear. Instead, we observe tiny light variations caused by the periodic swelling and shrinking of the pulsating stars. These measurements are mostly taken from space by different satellite missions and are combined with additional data obtained from ground-based instruments and interpreted using theoretical models.

The study of stellar oscillations is called “Asteroseismology”. This method is the most powerful way for astrophysicists to investigate the stars’ deep interiors. A wealth of oscillating stars with very different characteristics has been known for close to a century. But oscillating stars in their earliest phases of evolution were only discovered less than 30 years ago. I will show how young stars oscillate, what makes their pulsations different to older stars, and what we can learn from investigating the rhythm of young stars.