Maryna Viazovska of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) proved that the E₈ lattice provides the densest packing of identical spheres in eight dimensions while also solving certain problems in Fourier analysis.

This video was presented during the opening ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians in Helsinki on July 5, 2022, organized by the International Mathematical Union.

Read about Viazovska’s work in detail:

In Times of Scarcity, War and Peace, a Ukrainian Finds the Magic in Math, Quanta Magazine

Sphere-Packing Solved in Higher Dimensions, Quanta Magazine

Out of a Magic Math Function, One Solution to Rule Them All, Quanta Magazine

The 2022 Fields Medal winners are:

• Hugo Duminil-Copin
• June Huh
• James Maynard
• Maryna Viazovska