In the Alexander Great Hall, thunderous applause lasted for a long time.

Standing on the podium, Xu Chuan enjoyed this moment, which was the honor he deserved.

Time passed for a long time, and the applause gradually stopped, Xu Chuan looked at the audience in the auditorium, and his eyes fell on the old man in the center of the first row.

Feeling the approval in the old man's eyes, a bright smile appeared on his face.

But now is not the time to celebrate, the next question time is the moment to decide life and death.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan turned his gaze to the other audience and said calmly: "This is the end of the proof paper report on Hodge's conjecture, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask, I will do my best to answer." ”

For the Hodge conjecture, the most important thing for the mathematical community is the algebraic cluster and group mapping tool.

If this mathematical tool can be understood, then the proof paper of the Hodge conjecture will be understood.

Of course, Xu Chuan didn't expect a single presentation to make algebraic clusters and group mapping tools accessible to everyone in the auditorium.

In fact, he estimates that less than one-fifth of all the people in the room can fully understand this mathematical tool today.

But it doesn't matter.

As long as the top group of people can understand this proof paper smoothly, then today's presentation will be a success.

After all, top-notch math is never something that everyone can play.

.......

It started at three o'clock and continued until half past four in the afternoon, a full hour and a half, and the question session officially ended.

This is normal, after all, Hodge's conjecture connects algebraic geometry with topology.

Its proof will connect two extremely important areas of mathematics, allowing mathematicians to unify the two fields to a certain extent for the first time.

In today's mathematical world, whether it is algebraic geometry or topology, it is one of the hottest fields of mathematics, and there are so many mathematicians who study and study these two aspects.

In the face of the proof paper of the Hodge conjecture and the algebraic cluster and group mapping tool, even if Xu Chuan explained in detail at the report meeting, there are still many mathematicians who have their own doubts.

Fortunately, at this moment, they still have a figure to rely on, and the young man on the stage will answer the confusion in their hearts.

For a person who has doubts, it is probably the luckiest thing to have someone to answer his question.

......

On the stage, Xu Chuan tried his best to answer everyone who raised questions.

Luckily, everything went well.

The only thing that made him regret a little was that in the question session, there were not many Chinese scholars who stood up.

Only a handful of Chinese mathematics professors raised their hands and asked their questions.

This may have something to do with the implicit mentality of the Chinese people, but more importantly, it is the weakness of his motherland in this basic field.

However, this matter is not urgent, and we can only wait for time to develop slowly.

After the Q&A session, the main body of the math report was officially over.

Of course, evening parties and dances are a constant tradition.

.......

After the report meeting, Xu Chuan walked off the stage, and the media reporters in the auditorium quickly surrounded him.

"Mr. Xu Chuan, I am a reporter for ABC Broadcasting, and I heard that you have made great contributions before, so are you interested in other disciplines, such as physics or chemistry?"

Xu Chuan: "I'm very interested in physics, high-energy physics is really fascinating, and collision experiments can give people a deeper understanding of the nature of the world. ”

"Mr. Xu Chuan, I'm a reporter for The Washington Post, are you completely sure about proving Hodge's conjecture this time?"

Xu Chuan: "Of course, I have full confidence in the algebraic cluster and group mapping tool, which can pry open the door to the Hodge conjecture and bring us into a new world. ”

"Mr. Xu Chuan, I'm a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, will you be a professor of mathematics at Princeton in the future?"

“......”

A series of various questions came over, Xu Chuan answered some selectively, and then wanted to leave.

But it's a pity that these media reporters obviously don't intend to let him go so easily, let alone in an enclosed space like the Great Hall.

Fortunately, Princeton's staff came in time to relieve the siege, which allowed him to escape.

To be honest, in Xu Chuan's opinion, it is more difficult to deal with reporters who ask questions from strange angles than it is to study mathematics.

These 'human spirits' like media reporters habitually dig holes in questions, and intercept part of the interview out of context for the sake of traffic and publish, so much so that they often say that a certain scholar or scientist has nothing to do.

Compared with other subjects, mathematics is slightly better at being pitted by reporters.

The most serious areas of media pit are medicine and biology, after all, these two often involve personal safety or something.

There has even been a public confrontation between scientists and journalists.

For example, three medical doctors from Cardiff University in the country where the sun never sets, published an article in the Guardian, angrily denouncing the Daily Mail's report of interviewing them for grossly inaccurate.

The reason for this was their discovery that the frontal lobes of the human brain have a neurotransmitter called GABA, the concentration of which may be related to a certain type of impulsive personality.

But the Daily Mail reported on the findings:

[A study by Cardiff University has shown that the recent devastating riots in England were caused by a lack of a chemical in the brains of the participants.] 】

After the news was released, the number of hits quickly exceeded one million, and readers spread false rumors, culminating in the "Scientists claim that the thugs don't know how to take responsibility for themselves, that they can't control themselves because they have so little GABA in their brains!" Statements.

And one outrageous newspaper, The Sun, even claimed to have creatively introduced a miraculous nasal spray that could stop drunken brawls by controlling GABA.

This outrageous change and rumors shows that some 'unscrupulous' newspapers and periodicals have no ethics at all, and most scientists are basically quite ethical.

When these two meet, it is probably Xiucai who meets soldiers, and it is unreasonable.

Therefore, except for a small number of scientists who prefer to be in the limelight, most other scientists do not like media interviews very much.

On the one hand, it's so hard to answer those outlandish questions.

On the other hand, you have to be careful that one day it will be taken out of context.

......

After the successful report meeting, the party was held as scheduled in the Alexander Concert Hall in Princeton.

Under the management of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Xu Chuan stood in the center of the ballroom, while Peter Goddard, the director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, walked over with a bottle of champagne of great value and stood in front of him to elegant music.

"Open it, it's yours now."

Peter Goddard, who was smiling, handed the champagne over, and Xu Chuan picked up the champagne from the tray without any hesitation.

After shaking it vigorously a few times, the thumb pressed the cork on the mouth of the bottle, and after the bottle body turned twice, with a 'bang~', the cork didn't know where it flew, and the fine foam splashed out and gushed into the bodies of many guests.

No one would care about this, but countless people wanted to come forward and ask for a glass of glorious champagne from Xu Chuan's hands.

After all, this is the glory of proving Hodge's conjecture.

After smiling at the mathematician who came to talk, Xu Chuan just wanted to get up and go to Professor Jean-Pierre Serre, and the old man appeared in front of him at the right time.

"Congratulations, young genius."

Accompanied by Challis Fepferman, head of Princeton's mathematics department, the ninety-year-old man stood in front of him and congratulated him with a smile.

"Professor Serge." Xu Chuan walked over in surprise and half-supported the nearly 100-year-old man.

The old man held his hand tightly and sighed, "I never thought that I would see the day when Hodge's conjecture was solved in my lifetime, and you brought a miracle." ”

Xu Chuan smiled: "As for peer review, it is still unknown whether my proof paper can pass this level." ”

Professor Serge smiled and said, "Both Deligne and Faltins have given high marks to your paper, and I believe it is only a matter of time." ”

Xu Chuan: "Then I will borrow your auspicious words, I hope that this time I can take the Hodge conjecture out of the palace of mathematics." ”

After chatting for a while, Professor Serge smiled and patted his arm and said goodbye, "Enjoy tonight's ball, it's your glory." ”

"I'm a bad old man, so I won't bother much. If you have time, you are welcome to come and talk to me at the University of Paris. ”

Xu Chuan hurriedly said, "I will definitely go." ”

......

Professor Jean-Pierre Serre left, and someone came by him.

This time, it was Mr. Qiu Chengtong who came over, holding a wine glass to congratulate him.

This old gentleman studied under Professor Chern, and if you look at the mathematical achievements alone, he has surpassed Chen.

The 60-year-old has won the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, and the Cafford Prize.

Professor Donaldson, an international mathematician and Fields Medal winner, called him "the most influential mathematician of the last quarter century." ”

Another international mathematician, Abel Prize laureate, Professor Singh, praised: "Even at Harvard, Yau Chengtong alone is a mathematics department!" ”

And the New York Times called him "the well-deserved emperor of mathematics".

Xu Chuan raised his wine glass and touched the old gentleman and said thank you.

After chatting for a while, the old gentleman turned the topic to the other side: "Can you tell me how you arranged it next?" Are you preparing for a post at Princeton, or are you going to return home? ”

Xu Chuan thought for a while and said, "If nothing else, I should still study at Princeton for a while, and as for the later time, I should choose to return to China." ”

Hearing this, Mr. Qiu's eyes lit up, and he said quickly: "How about I invite you to go to Shuimu University with me?" ”

"Some time ago, Mizuki University approached me and asked me to go there to carry out the training program for leading talents in mathematical sciences, if you want, I invite you to come with me."

Regarding this invitation, Xu Chuan refused with a smile: "Maybe I'm going to disappoint you, I have already promised my alma mater, and if I return to China, I should be a professor at my alma mater." ”

For the invitation of this old gentleman, he directly understood that he refused.

He knew the purpose of the old gentleman's invitation, but he didn't want to participate in the 'competition' of the domestic mathematical community.

In the domestic mathematical community, he must have some understanding to a greater or lesser extent, and in order to master huge resources and interests, there will be no shortage of various struggles.

Of course, there is such a thing as school battles everywhere, and is there no school in Princeton?

Obviously, the Princeton School is one of the largest schools of mathematics in mathematics today.

Academic struggles and school disputes are all normal, and they can even promote the development of science to a certain extent.

The premise is healthy competition.

However, the dispute between schools in China, to put it mildly, has fallen into deformity.

It is undeniable that many mathematicians who stand at the top of China have done their best to develop and promote mathematics in China.

】

For example, in the past nearly 40 years, he has established mathematical research centers in seven universities including Shuimu, Dongda, and Zheda, and prepared to establish the Yanqi Lake Institute of Applied Mathematics to cultivate young talents.

But to put it mildly, the serious school disputes in China have interfered with the development of mathematics in China to a great extent.

Especially for the development of the younger generation of math students.

Xu Chuan didn't want to get involved in these things, although with his current achievements, it can be said that he has stood at the pinnacle of the domestic mathematical community.

But at home, capacity is not the only factor that determines everything.

So instead of getting involved in the brawl, it's better to go back to NTU.

It is true that the mathematics department of NTU is weak, but there he can conduct research without interference.

Compared with places like Mizuki and Peking University, Nanda is a little purer, like a blank piece of paper, and he can write it.

More crucially, NTU is strong in physics, although it is weaker in mathematics.

The purpose of his study of mathematics is ultimately to combine it with physics to promote the development of physics.

......

The party and dance were over, and the math presentation was almost over for everyone else.

But for Xu Chuan, this is just the beginning.

At the end of the presentation, his paper will officially enter the review process.

The judging will be conducted by six top mathematicians in algebraic geometry and topology in conjunction with the Clay Institute for Mathematics.

The list of reviewers is Faltins, Alan Conne, Yau Chengtong, Mori Shigefumi and others.

The six reviewers are all Fields Medal winners, and many have won top mathematics awards such as the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, the Albert Prize, and the Cafford Prize.

Being able to screen out this audit list is actually quite difficult for the math community.

According to the principle of double-blind and avoidance of relatives in the review of papers, the two most suitable reviewers, Deligne and Witten, were excluded first.

After all, they are Xu Chuan's mentors and should not appear in this review list.

But let's be honest, there is no better reviewer in mathematics than the two of them.

Professor Deligne was a disciple of Mr. Grothendieck and was the first in the field of algebraic geometry to be accomplished in the field of mathematics today.

More importantly, he has been working on the standard conjectures left by Mr. Grothendieck the Elder. The Hodge conjecture is part of the standard conjecture.

Therefore, if there is one of the most suitable reviewers, Professor Deligne is undoubtedly the most suitable of all.

Secondly, as the seven millennial problems of the century, Princeton should not be too involved in the review of this proof paper.

For example, top elders such as Peverman, Robert Langlands, and Cyncon Bulcan.

After all, this is the supreme honor, and the principle of avoiding relatives means that the mathematical community will not pick a Princeton mathematician for review.

After excluding these top experts, it is indeed difficult to pick out suitable reviewers.

As for the Clay Institute of Mathematics, in fact, only one commissioner was arranged to come and do the auxiliary work.

Although they devised the Seven Millennium Puzzles, they really couldn't help much with top-notch math.

Luckily, there are a lot of big names in mathematics, especially in the two popular fields of algebraic geometry and topology, and there are quite a few people who can do this job.

.......