Show notes
As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toeIn this episode, I speak with Professor Nikita Nekrasov, one of the most original minds in theoretical physics. We dive into why quantum field theory still isn’t fully understood, despite its experimental success and why a complete axiomatic foundation might not even be possible. Nikita walks us through his solution to the Cyberg-Witten puzzle, the birth of the Nekrasov partition function, and how exotic structures in four dimensions could underlie the chemistry of life. This conversation blends deep math, quantum weirdness, and personal stories from the front lines of discovery. If you’ve ever wondered what it really means to understand reality, this one’s for you.Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.comListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4eTimestamps:Links Mentioned:• Nikita’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bKV59LwAAAAJ&hl=en• Nikita’s Lecture: https://scgp.stonybrook.edu/archives/44062• Two Dimensional Gauge Theories [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/9204083• Richard Borcherds [TOE]: https://youtu.be/U3pQWkE2KqM• Edward Frenkel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/n_oPMcvHbAc• Edward Frenkel’s Presentation [TOE]: https://youtu.be/RX1tZv_Nv4Y• Edward Frenkel’s Presentation [Part 2]: https://youtu.be/0AC-Ol1z5vI• String Theory Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/X4PdPnQuwjY• Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU• Cumrun Vafa [TOE]: https://youtu.be/kUHOoMX4Bqw• Garrett Lisi [TOE]: https://youtu.be/z7ulJmfFvd8• Chiara Marletto [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Uey_mUy1vN0• Debunking “All Possible Paths” [TOE]: https://youtu.be/XcY3ZtgYis0• Peter Woit [TOE]: https://youtu.be/TTSeqsCgxj8• Leonard Susskind [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2p_Hlm6aCok• Seiberg-Witten Prepotential from Instanton Counting [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0206161• Eva Miranda [TOE]: https://youtu.be/6XyMepn-AZo• Leptons and Quarks [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/LEPTONS-QUARKS-SPECIAL-COMMEMORATING-DISCOVERY/dp/9814603007• Brian Greene [TOE]: https://youtu.be/O2EtTE9Czzo• David Wallace [TOE]: https://youtu.be/4MjNuJK5RzM• Jenann Ismael [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7kvXihDAOi0• Claudia de Rham [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hNPMKy6RxCE• Yang-Mills [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.19097SUPPORT:- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9- Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4SOCIALS:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs#scienceLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices