Title: Stationary Descendents and the Discriminant Modular Form
Speaker: Adam Afandi

Abstract: The discriminant modular form is a classical object in number theory. Its Fourier coefficients are captured by the Ramanujan tau function, an integer-valued function with very nice arithmetic properties. In this talk, I will explain how one can express the discriminant modular form in terms of generating functions of stationary descendent Gromov-Witten invariants of an elliptic curve, thereby providing a new vantage point for understanding the evaluations of the Ramanujan tau function.