My name is Huang Tian, ​​what the hell is this "Heaven is dead" nonsense?

Chapter 157: A Special Invitation from Peking University, A Groundbreaking Achievement!

As the vice president of the Institute of Mathematics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhang Ping is undoubtedly an authority among authorities in the field of nonlinear partial differential equations in China.

He has achieved remarkable success, especially in the Navier-Stokes equations.

For example, regarding the well-posedness of the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, he introduced a new class of negatively indexed BS-type function spaces and proved that when the two components of the initial velocity of the three-dimensional anisotropic Navier-Stokes equations are sufficiently small, the equations have a unique global solution.

There are many similar achievements, so it is no exaggeration to say that he is the scholar in the Chinese mathematics community who has the deepest understanding of the Navier-Stokes equations.

But the more this was the case, the more he knew how far he was from completely solving the Navier-Stokes equations problem; it was an insurmountable barrier!
An insurmountable barrier for mortals!
In his view, even if a thousand or ten thousand outstanding mathematicians worked together, they couldn't solve this problem unless Gauss were reborn...

Well, he wasn't actually sure if Gauss could solve the Navier-Stokes equations, but purely in terms of talent, Gauss was the most likely to succeed.

In academia, the results of a genius in a morning can surpass the research achievements of countless mediocre scholars in a lifetime.

It's pathetic, but realistic. He considers himself a mediocre scholar, at most a bit more hardworking and a bit luckier, so he barely managed to produce some insignificant results.

"If this young man really proves the Navier-Stokes equation..."

He suppressed the turmoil in his mind, using one hand to move the mouse and the other to write calculations on the white paper.

While he was engrossed in the proof process, there were finally some sporadic discussions about Huang Tianxin's paper from the outside world.

Initially, it was only scholars in the field of nonlinear partial differential equations who were discussing and researching it. Later, it gradually spread to the entire mathematics and physics communities. Finally, it attracted the attention of some self-media and was forwarded to the Internet.

"Shocking! Huang Tian claims to have solved the Millennium Problem and may receive a million-dollar prize!"

"Is solving a century-old problem a sign of genius or youthful arrogance?"

"A groundbreaking achievement from the most handsome mathematician in history!"

"Is Huang Tian's answer to the age-old question based on genuine knowledge or just a publicity stunt?"

"Shocking! Huang Tian has published another article, and he's just one million yuan away from winning the grand prize!"

"..."

Some praised him, some doubted him, and some remained neutral and waited to see. Many media outlets joined in, sharing in the hype. With their help, the online discussion intensified, which is normal, as Huang Tian's previous wave of popularity had just passed, and many people still remembered him.

Seeing topics related to him again now naturally makes people curious and click in, and the Millennium Puzzle and the million-dollar prize are enough to attract the attention of countless people.

"A million-dollar bonus! If I had that, I'd quit my job and go back to my hometown to relax!"

"It's too early to talk about a million dollars worth of fun right now. It's not even close to being realized yet. In the past few decades, how many people have claimed to have made significant academic achievements? Take room-temperature superconductivity, for example. It explodes every two years, and then it's proven to be fake not long after."

"My advisor said that unless Gauss or Euler are reborn, the problem of the Navier-Stokes equations will be delayed for another few decades or even a hundred years before it can be solved. In other words, no one can prove the Navier-Stokes equations in this century."

"This has caused such a big fuss; if it ends up being a farce..."

"What farce or not, shouldn't we encourage the courage to try and overcome difficulties? Even if it turns out to be wrong in the end, can't we be tolerant at all?"

"..."

Amidst the heated online discussions, Huang Tian remained peacefully at home, visiting relatives with his parents and sweeping the graves of several deceased elders, completely unaffected by the outside world.

However, just because he was unaffected did not mean that others were unaffected, so Feng Zechun called him.

"Teacher Feng?"

"It's me." Feng Zechun responded with a smile at first, then his voice became a little somber. "Huang Tian, ​​your paper caused quite a stir online. I hope you weren't affected?"

Huang Tian smiled and said, "I'm from a poor, remote place, how could I be affected by anything?"

"That's good." Feng Zechun breathed a slight sigh of relief. "You should relax and not think about anything. There's no need to pay attention to the comments online. They're just joining in the fun and repeating what others say."

"I have a good mindset."

"Haha, I'm relieved to hear that."

Feng Zechun laughed twice, chatted for a few more minutes, and then hung up the phone.

After him, Xu Kaizhi, the dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Changda University, and Yang Dong, the vice president, also called to offer words of comfort.

Then Zong Wenjun also made a video call. Instead of mentioning the many discussions online, she shared some interesting things that happened during the Spring Festival and complained about having to go back to school before the Lantern Festival. After chatting for a while, she hung up the video call.

Putting his phone away, Huang Tian continued to cultivate and study with undivided attention, occasionally letting his consciousness drift to check for golden voices from another world.

Time slowly passed, and the Lantern Festival arrived.

By this time, many people had already gone out to work, and the village had become somewhat deserted. Fortunately, the festive atmosphere of the Lantern Festival eased the chill a bit, and everyone still had a smile on their face.

At the Huang family home, while eating glutinous rice balls, Huang Yusheng glanced at Huang Tian and hesitated before saying, "Little Tian, ​​I've been seeing online these past few days that you've come up with some kind of research, and a lot of people are discussing it..."

"Well, never mind, I don't understand those things either. I just wanted to ask where you're planning to work next, or go to university to study?"

“No rush.” Huang Tian shook his head. “Let’s wait a few more days until the academic community makes a judgment on my paper before we consider future arrangements.”

"Okay, you can handle it as you see fit. If you need money for anything, like buying a car or a house, just tell your family. We'll try our best to help you out. I can't say how much, but we can probably scrape together two or three hundred thousand."

Huang Yusheng doesn't understand academic matters and isn't very familiar with his son's current achievements, so he doesn't interfere with his son's decision. Instead, he's considering buying a house for his son.

In his view, it's not good for a scholar to live in the countryside for a long time. He should buy a house in a big city, such as near Changda University, but this would undoubtedly cost a lot of money.

Huang Tian chuckled and said, "Don't worry about the house and car. In a while, everything will be taken care of..."

Huang Yusheng and Yang Guihua vaguely understood his meaning. In the past few days, thanks to the popular science popularization by many self-media bloggers on the Internet, they have also roughly understood the great significance of their son's paper.

If the argument is correct, Huang Tian will instantly rise to the top of the academic world, standing at the pinnacle of mathematics and looking down on countless scholars.

At that level, money, houses, and cars become meaningless.

However, it was only after being informed by those bloggers that they realized how difficult it was—a problem that countless top mathematicians had been trying to solve for the past one or two hundred years without success…

Two more days have passed in the blink of an eye.

By this time, online discussions about Huang Tian and his thesis had gradually decreased. With all sorts of news emerging around the world every moment, few people would keep focusing on one thing for an extended period.

However, the emergence of two pieces of news caused a new sensation!

First, when French mathematician Pierre-Louis Lyons was interviewed by the media, he was asked about Huang Tian's paper. He claimed that he had read the paper and had not found any obvious errors or omissions so far, and hoped that more colleagues would study and discuss it.

Lyons was awarded the Fields Medal, the Nobel Prize of mathematics, in 1994 for his groundbreaking research in nonlinear partial differential equations and stochastic control theory.

He is an authority in the field of partial differential equations, and as a winner of the Philippine Prize, he carries considerable weight, so his words naturally attract a lot of media attention.

The second piece of news was that Professor Li Nuo, Vice Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University, extended an invitation to Huang Tian through various channels, inviting him to give a small academic lecture at Peking University. The simultaneous pronouncements from a Philippine Nobel laureate and a vice dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University immediately sparked further discussion.

In the Changda Tieba forum, abstract figures began to pop up.

"Wow, did the senior really solve the Navier-Stokes equations problem? Can our school really produce such a god-like figure?"

Has anyone read that paper? Can someone tell us about it?

"I'm laughing so hard. How could we possibly understand it? Even some math whizzes might not be able to figure it out. Otherwise, we wouldn't only have Professor Leon and Professor Linuo speaking out so far."

"Speaking of which, if the senior's proof process is correct, then our school's mathematics program will be several levels higher, crushing universities like the University of Finance and Economics and the University of Science and Technology, and it might even take back the name of Nanjing University!"

"Could Ni Chang have really made something of himself?"

"Go, senior! The math major's juniors are counting on you! Please single-handedly raise the bar for the entire major! We're counting on you!!!"

"..."

Amidst the commotion, Huang Tian received a call from Li Nuo, who had first contacted Changda and obtained Huang Tian's number from Feng Zechun.

"Huang Tian? Hello, this is Li Nuo from the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University." The voice on the other end of the phone was very gentle.

"Hello, Professor Li."

"I apologize for bothering you today, but it's about your paper. Several colleagues and I have studied and discussed it together, and we think that the theoretical tools and argumentation methods you developed are very groundbreaking. However, we still have many questions, so we would like to invite you to give a presentation at Peking University. Would it be convenient for you here?"

The paper was 120 pages long, so they naturally couldn't finish verifying it in a short time, but it wasn't difficult to skim through it. After reading it, they didn't find any obvious errors in the argument or logical problems!

This greatly impressed them, so they jointly invited Huang Tian to give an academic report at Peking University and listen to his explanation as the author of the paper.

“Okay.” Huang Tian did not refuse, as this was already part of his plan.

"That's wonderful!" Li Nuo exclaimed happily. "When will you be leaving? Beijing will reimburse your travel expenses, and there will also be a consulting fee..."

After he finished explaining the general terms of the offer, Huang Tian replied, "Tomorrow will do. Buy the plane tickets today."

"Okay, I'll arrange a car to pick you up from the airport..."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Huang Tian found his parents and told them that he was going to give an academic report at Peking University. They were both surprised and delighted.

What's astonishing is that they have always regarded Peking University and Tsinghua University as sacred places. It is a great joy for children from their hometowns and villages to be admitted to Peking University. Yet Huang Tian was invited to give an academic report at Peking University!
What pleased him most was being invited by the vice dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University. Perhaps his son had indeed made significant progress on that century-old problem?
"You go about your business, I'll go help you pack your luggage now," Yang Guihua said quickly.

Huang Yusheng nodded, "We don't understand your situation, you can make your own arrangements."

The next day, early in the morning.

Huang Tian took his computer and other belongings, carried a bag, took a taxi to Changshi, and then boarded a plane to Beijing.

After boarding the plane, it took a little over two hours to reach Beijing Airport. Then, we took a special bus from Peking University and arrived at the university campus in about an hour.

Kyoto University has only been in session for a few days, and the campus is full of youthful energy. You can see vibrant students on the road from your car.

The car stopped in front of a building, and Huang Tian got out. Two people immediately came to greet him.

The person in the lead was Li Nuo, the vice dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences.

"Thank you, Mr. Huang, for taking the time to come..."

Li Nuo smiled and extended his hand to shake hands with Huang Tian. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, the logistics staff behind him led Huang Tian to the Shaoyuan Hotel on campus, where he put down his luggage and rested for a while.

At this time, Kyoto University also issued a notice on its official campus website.

The gist of the message is that Huang Tian has been invited to the university to give an academic presentation on the global regularity proof of the Navier-Stokes equations in three days. Scholars from major universities across the country who wish to attend can apply now.

As soon as the announcement was issued, many scholars in the field of nonlinear partial differential equations set off for Peking University, including Zhang Ping.

"Only ten days or so is too short a time to judge whether his argument is complete..."

Zhang Ping rubbed his sore eyes. "However, I haven't found any obvious errors or omissions these past few days. Besides, even if his argument has problems in the end, the new theoretical tools he has constructed are still very valuable. I might as well take this opportunity to listen to his report..."

Three days passed in a blink of an eye.

More than twenty experts from various universities in related fields gathered on the Kyoto University campus.

There weren't many people, for a simple reason: many domestic scholars hadn't even had time to read Huang Tian's paper published on arXiv and knew nothing about it, so naturally they wouldn't rush over. Of course, some people were unwilling to make the trip and simply waited patiently for the results of the conference.

In addition to these scholars, several influential media outlets were also able to gain access to the school, including Renren Daily, Xinxia Daily, and Science and Technology Daily.

Sunshine Hall, Yingjie Exchange Center, Peking University.

More than 20 experts and professors from various universities, as well as dozens of professors from the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Physics of Peking University, gathered together, and some doctoral students from Peking University were also able to enter.

"Wow~"

Amidst enthusiastic applause and the clicking of camera shutters, Huang Tian calmly walked onto the stage. Facing a group of scholars and media reporters, he cleared his throat, opened his PowerPoint presentation, and without the slightest hesitation, began to speak eloquently:

"...We generally believe that the traditional Euclidean space perspective is flat and insufficient to capture the complex topology of vortices. Therefore, I tried to construct a principal bundle... with the phase space as the adjoint bundle, and defined the phase space of the Navier-Stokes equations as the adjoint vector bundle of this principal bundle..."

This report meeting lasted for three days. For the first two days, apart from Huang Tian, ​​everyone else looked either solemn or bewildered.

It wasn't until the morning of the third day that people like Chen Yue, Li Nuo, and Zhang Ping finally relaxed a little and seemed to be deep in thought.

When Huang Tian stood on the stage and announced the end of the entire argumentation process, the conference hall was silent for a moment, and then, with Zhang Ping leading the applause, a wave of applause broke out.

After the report ended, the crowd did not disperse immediately. Chen Yue and Li Nuo walked over to Huang Tian and said something to him. Huang Tian pondered for a few seconds and then nodded slightly.

Then Chen Yue, the dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University, walked to the podium and addressed everyone: "After three days, I imagine that none of you have fully grasped the content of the paper. In fact, I still have a few questions myself. Therefore, in twenty days, our university will hold a larger-scale lecture, inviting experts and scholars from major universities around the world..."

This was a small-scale report meeting, intended to fill in gaps and conduct preliminary discussions. It lacked authority. Not to mention, only a handful of top scholars, such as Zhang Ping and Li Nuo, attended. Mr. Qiu from Tsinghua University was absent, and no Philippine Prize winners were present.

A reporter from Science and Technology Daily immediately raised his hand and asked, "Dean Chen, is your decision to hold a larger-scale report meeting because you believe Huang Tian's argumentation process is correct?"

Chen Yue pondered for a moment and slowly nodded, "I think so. Although there are still some doubts, Academician Zhang, Professor Li Nuo, Professor Zhang Zhifei, and I basically believe that his entire argumentation process is complete and correct."

But our approval alone is not enough, because the significance of this paper is far too great!

Therefore, we will extend invitations to more outstanding colleagues and scholars to attend the conference in twenty days, to jointly discuss and witness what may be the most important research achievement in mathematics this century!

(End of this chapter)