The Johns Hopkins University will host a cooperative Japan-U.S. program in the area of Shimura varieties and automorphic forms during the 2000-2001 academic year.  It will be co-organized by Steven Zucker of Johns Hopkins University, Masaaki Furusawa of Osaka City University, and Hiroyuki Yoshida of Kyoto University.

Shimura varieties comprise the number-theoretical elaboration on the locally-symmetric varieties of complex geometry; indeed, the importance of the latter spaces comes from applications to number theory and moduli problems.  Most locally-symmetric varieties are non-compact, so it becomes necessary to study their compactifications.  One of the principal themes of this project will be the interplay between the various compactifications and automorphic forms.

The subject draws from complex geometry, algebraic geometry, harmonic analysis, topology, and number theory (both algebraic and analytic).  Moreover, according to a conjecture of Langlands, the theory of automorphic representations controls a large class of motives.  As such, the field holds a rather central place within mathematics as a whole.  We aspire to foster interaction between mathematicians working on different aspects of the subject and the communication of recent progress.

We plan to set up at least two seminars.  One will be accessible to advanced graduate students and interested faculty, where they can learn some of the methods of the subject.  The other will meet weekly for the presentation of recent developments in the field.  The high point of the program, though, will be a workshop and conference, to be held March 20-25, 2001.