There are connections to string theory as explained in <A HREF="http://www.math.mcgill.ca/walcher/papers/mfsdwalcher.pdf">Open Strings and Extended Mirror Symmetry</A>, by Johannes Walcher (2007). In one sentence: The Gromov-Witten theory of a Calabi-Yau manifold is solved by the Hodge theory of its mirror symmetric manifold. A more elaborate quote from this 2011 <A HREF="https://www.birs.ca/events/2011/5-day-workshops/11w5090/press">conference</A>: > The mathematical theory that describes how integrals and differential > equations control the shape of algebraic spaces in various dimensions > is known as Hodge theory. The most important conjecture in algebraic > geometry -- the Hodge Conjecture -- can be thought of as "a metaphor > for transforming transcendental computations into algebraic ones." The > physical theory able to describe the universe at both micro- (quantum > mechanics) and macro- (general relativity) scales, and at the same > time thought to be a suitable candidate for unifying all known forces > of nature, is string theory. There are several variants of this > "theory of everything," linked by dualities which can radically alter > mathematical formulations while preserving physical predictions. > String dualities thus imply conjectures: seemingly unrelated pieces of > mathematics must be related since they offer different descriptions of > the same physical world. Although a role for Hodge theory in string > theory has been hinted at for some time, only very recently has the > depth and precision of this relationship begun to emerge. Recent > results suggest that a mathematical "grand unification" relating > arithmetic geometry and symplectic geometry is taking shape.