Chapter 191 - 143: Professor Deligne’s Praise
Schultz nodded in agreement. "That’s not so bad. At least we’ll be spared the fatigue of a long flight."
Faltins smiled. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Speaking of which, I happened to visit Professor Deligne about a month ago."
He looked at Schultz with a playful glint in his eyes. "Professor Deligne, like me, also accepted the invitation to the Imperial Capital’s mathematics conference. He also requested to participate remotely."
Hearing the name, an expression of clear respect once again appeared on Schultz’s face. He then said with a sigh, "Professor Deligne must be over eighty this year, right? It’s certainly not wise for him to undertake such a long journey."
"Yes." Faltins nodded, a touch of wistfulness in his tone. "A mathematician’s most important contributions are generally made before the age of fifty.
For an old man like me, just being able to understand some of the latest important papers is quite an achievement. As for making any real, groundbreaking discoveries... that’s up to you young people."
Schultz was about to offer a few modest words when Faltins abruptly changed the subject. "By the way, Peter, have you seen that recent paper in JAMS?
When I met with Professor Deligne, he couldn’t stop praising the author. And as it happens, the author is also a young man—a third-year undergraduate, I hear."
Schultz replied, "I’ve seen it. But my field of research isn’t that closely related to Differential Geometry, so I only understood the general idea. I haven’t studied it in depth."
Faltins nodded in understanding.
That was perfectly normal.
Faltins’s own research was concentrated in number theory and algebraic geometry, including Diophantine equations, moduli spaces, and p-adic Galois representations.
And Schultz, as his student’s student, researched arithmetic geometry, which primarily applies the methods of algebraic geometry to the study of number theory.
Both fields fell under the umbrella of pure mathematics.
Differential Geometry, the subject of Chen Lin’s paper, was a field of mathematics that often intersected with other disciplines, such as Physics and computer science. The connection between their respective fields was indeed tenuous.
Of course, for a mathematician of Schultz’s caliber, fully comprehending a top-tier journal paper from another field wasn’t a major issue, provided he was willing to invest the time.
The crucial point was that a genius like him, at the peak of his physical stamina, energy, and creativity, would inevitably invest one hundred percent of his time and mental effort into the cutting-edge research of his own field. His focus on other areas would naturally be diminished.
"Professor Deligne, on the other hand, studied that paper quite seriously," Faltins’s voice pulled Schultz from his thoughts. "He believes the author possesses an extremely high level of mathematical skill.
It was only after hearing that the young man would also be attending the mathematics conference in the Imperial Capital that he gladly accepted the organizers’ invitation, hoping to use the opportunity to have a good discussion with him."
At these words, a flicker of genuine surprise flashed in Schultz’s azure eyes.
Schultz had absolute faith in Professor Deligne’s academic judgment.
In his mind, Pierre Deligne was one of the mathematicians he admired most.
The man was a true mathematical polymath who had made profoundly important contributions in multiple core areas, including algebraic geometry, number theory, and representation theory.
And this was in modern, 21st-century mathematics!
Its various branches had already become so immensely complex and specialized that making a breakthrough in even one was next to impossible, let alone achieving significant results in multiple fields simultaneously!
As for Professor Deligne’s unique "mathematical grand slam"—winning the four most prestigious awards in the world of mathematics, including the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize, the Abel Prize, and the Crafoord Prize—Schultz felt it was an honor he thoroughly deserved.
That was precisely why Schultz was so surprised.
’For Professor Deligne to hold someone in such high regard, to the point of attending a conference he otherwise had no interest in... this young man from Huaxia must be the real deal.’
Still, he had his doubts. "But the author is just an undergraduate. Would he really be attending a mathematics conference of this caliber?"
"According to the organizers, the author, Chen Lin, will be representing his university to give an academic presentation at the conference."
Faltins paused, a meaningful smile gracing his lips. "What’s more, according to media reports in Huaxia, this young man will be graduating early this year. Afterward, he will be directly appointed as a special-term professor at his university."
As he spoke, Faltins looked quietly at Schultz.
Schultz instantly understood the meaning behind Faltins’s gaze.
He himself had only formally entered university at the age of twenty, earned his doctorate at twenty-five, and in that same year, was hired by Bonn University, becoming the youngest W3-level professor in Hans Country at the time.
Faltins was comparing him to the young man named Chen Lin.
Schultz himself had never made any public statements about the widely circulated title of "the most brilliant mathematical genius of the last two decades."
He considered the superlative "most" to be imprecise; there was always a possibility that someone in the world possessed even greater mathematical talent than his own.
At the same time, however, Schultz had absolute confidence in his own mathematical talent.
Especially when he encountered other young mathematicians who, like him, were labeled "geniuses," a spark of interest would always ignite within him, a desire to engage with them.
"But," Schultz considered for a moment before voicing his concern, "our research fields aren’t closely related."
"That’s not a problem." Faltins waved his hand with a smile and offered a suggestion. "You could start by sending an email to this young man, Chen Lin.
In the email, briefly introduce the problem you’re currently researching. If he’s interested, he’ll naturally do some preparation beforehand. Then, even if your discussion isn’t particularly deep, perhaps you can still offer each other some unexpected inspiration."
Schultz listened to Faltins’s suggestion and thought it made a lot of sense.
"You’re right," he nodded, a keen, eager light flashing in his azure eyes. "This is a good opportunity. Over the next two weeks, I can read up on some Differential Geometry and study that paper in more depth."
Seeing the desire to explore the unknown reignited on the face of his exceptionally talented junior, a gratified smile appeared on Faltins’s face.
Schultz leaned back in the plush seat, gazing at the scenery rushing past outside the window. He suddenly found himself looking forward to the trip to the Imperial Capital in two weeks with a new sense of anticipation.