# ESP Biography

## SANJAY RAMAN, ESP Teacher

Major: Physics/Math

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2023

Not Available.

## Past Classes

(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

M15149: String Theory in a Nutshell in Splash 2022 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2022)
Ever heard of string theory? Wondered about how the universe could possibly be made up of strings vibrating in 10 and 11 dimensions? Look no further! This class will cover the some of the most mind-blowing ideas in this mysterious and fascinating branch of physics. Expect to come away knowing the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

W15434: Cardboard Box Forts in Splash 2022 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2022)
Cardboard! Tape! All sorts of building materials! Revisit your childhood and come build the fort of your dreams. Come armed with creavity; we'll provide the (foam) weapons.

A15044: Composing Classical Music: From Start to Finish in HSSP Summer 2022 (Jul. 09, 2022)
Interested in classical music? Enjoy playing an instrument but wonder how composers come up with their music? Ever wanted to write your own music? Perhaps you are already an experienced composer looking to show off your skills. In this class, we will go through the process of composing a short piece of classical music. We will discuss topics in harmony, counterpoint, arranging, and orchestration, and students will work and receive feedback on their own pieces. At the end of the class, we will have a recital where students play their music.

M14904: Quantum Field Theory: A Mathematical Perspective in HSSP Spring 2022 (Feb. 26, 2022)
This course is based on a class I taught at Splash 2021. Picture this: You're an aspiring physicist, and you find yourself interested in attending some seminars. You start scrolling through a list of talks offered at the nearest conference, and you see something about quantum field theory. This sounds exciting to you, so you sign up. On the day of the seminar, you show up, and the speaker immediately begins by saying this: "Of course, it is clear that a quantum field theory is a monoidal functor from a category of cobordisms to a category of Hilbert spaces." Now, if you're anything like me, it is not at all clear that this is true; in fact, it's not at all clear what any of these words mean! However, quantum field theory is a fascinating subject, and the mathematical foundations of it are even more intricate and exciting. In this course, we will explore quantum field theory from both physical and mathematical perspectives, studying the physics that explains our universe and the relevant underlying mathematics. If time allows, we will discuss exciting new developments in the field. Prior knowledge of quantum mechanics may be helpful but is not required. Possible physics topics include: Algebraic Quantum Field Theory, Conformal Field Theory, String Theory Possible math topics include: Cobordisms, Category Theory, Operator Algebras Expect to have your mind blown.

M14818: Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell in Splash 2021 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2021)
Picture this: You're an aspiring physicist, and you find yourself interested in attending some seminars. You start scrolling through a list of talks offered at the nearest conference, and you see something about quantum field theory. This sounds exciting to you, so you sign up. On the day of the seminar, you show up, and the speaker immediately begins by saying this: "Of course, it is clear that a quantum field theory is a monoidal functor from a category of cobordisms to a category of Hilbert spaces." Now, if you're anything like me, it is not at all clear that this is true; in fact, it's not at all clear what any of these words mean! Fear not. If any of the words in the above sentence pique your interest somehow, this is the class for you! We will be diving in to a diverse array of topics in math and physics to pick apart what this sentence means. Expect to have your mind blown.

S13177: A Brief Introduction to Time Travel in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
Learn about various types of time travel as portrayed in the movies from the perspective of physics students. We will be talking about paradoxes, implications, as well as the physics of time travel. Warning: will include spoilers for various time travel stories, most notably the movie, "Predestination."

M13286: The Art of Integration in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
While integration may seem like a rote task, there is actually a lot of beauty and structure we can exploit to evaluate seemingly impossible integrals. This course will discuss these methods of (definite) integration, and apply them to some tough but elaborate integrals compiled from math competitions and integration bees. Here is a brief sampling of the integrals we will learn how to solve in this course: $$\int_0^{\pi/2} \ln \tan x\,dx$$ $$\int_0^\infty \frac{1}{1+x^2}\cdot \frac{1}{1+x^e}\,dx$$