In this issue of the Newsletter

Spaces of Functions with a Bounded Number of Critical Points

By John Pardon, Professor of Mathematics, Simons Center for Geometry and Physics

The Black Hole Information Paradox

A 50 Year Journey – By Samir D. Mathur

Puzzle Time

The Fisherman and the Boat by Alexander Abanov Integer Mutations by Maxim Braverman

The Simons Center Art and Outreach Program

A summary of the Art and Outreach events hosted by the Simons Center during the fall 2025 and winter 2026, including a series of Della Pietra sponsored lectures by Prof Avi Wigderson (IAS)

entropic gravity

An interview with Erik Verlinde. The Dutch physicist, now at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Amsterdam, was recently awarded the $2.5 million Spinoza Prize for his recent idea on entropic gravity.

the axiverse

An interview with Sergei Dubovsky. The Russian physicist, now at the Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics at NYU, is an expert in physics beyond the Standard Model. He is a strong advocate of the Multiverse scenario of String Theory.

the formula of love

An interview with Edward Frenkel. After leaving Russia, Frenkel obtained his PhD at Harvard University and he is now at Berkeley. His famous work on affine algebras led to the recent breakthroughs in the Geometric Langlands program and its relation to quantum field theory.