Eugene Rabinovich (University of California at Berkeley)
X
A factorization algebra on a manifold M is a cosheaf-like object on M whose axioms are meant to model the structure contained in the observables of a perturbative quantum field theory (QFT). Indeed, when M is without boundary, Costello and Gwilliam have constructed--for each perturbative QFT on M--a factorization algebra of quantum observables. In recent work, some joint with Owen Gwilliam and Brian Williams, I have extended the construction of Costello and Gwilliam to a wide class of theories on manifolds with boundary. In this talk, I will survey these results, beginning with a gentle introduction to the notion of factorization algebra.