Number theory is the study of the integers and objects built out of them. Groups are abstract mathematical objects which encode symmetries, e.g. the symmetries of a cube or crystal, and representation theory is the study of groups using concrete constructions such as matrices. Although number theory and representation theory thus arise as very different areas of mathematics, the Langlands correspondence predicts a deep, fascinating connection between them. The ideas surrounding the Langlands correspondence are the driving force for many groundbreaking advances in mathematics.
The symmetry objects on the representation theory side of the (local) Langlands correspondence are called p-adic groups. The classification of representations of p-adic groups is the fundamental problem on this side of the correspondence. Despite a lot of recent progress in this area, we still do not understand the full picture, in particular when p is small. This project is making significant progress in finding the not yet encountered representations and revealing the structure of all representations together, including their interactions. This is solving important conjectures about the shape of these representations and opens the door to a plethora of applications and new developments. It will also enable new progress on various aspects of different incarnations of the Langlands correspondence.