Description
Quarks and gluons are the constituents of protons and neutrons, as well as many other particles in nature. The theory describing them, Quantum Chromodynamics, remains a highly active area of research worldwide, due to applications at particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Recently, an interesting mathematical object (called a web mixing matrix) has been discovered, that underlies gluon radiation from fast-moving particles. It has a purely combinatorial definition, and can be studied without any prior physics knowledge. In this talk, I will review where web mixing matrices come from, including their mathematical properties. Recent interdisciplinary work between particle physicists and pure mathematicians will also be described, showing that web mixing matrices have initiated a useful dialogue between two very different communities, involving new results on both sides.
