Abstract: Colloquium Seminar Professor Mrowka

[Emilia Mezzetti]

UNIVERSITA' DI TRIESTE
DIPARTIMENTO DI MATEMATICA E INFORMATICA

COLLOQUIUM SEMINAR

Wednesday, July 6, 2011, at 3 p.m.


Prof. Tomasz MROWKA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Title: Knot theory as seen by geometry, physics and algebra.

Abstract: Knot theory has a long history of interactions with 
physics, geometry and algebra.  This talk
will survey recent developments in this area in particular my work 
with Peter Kronheimer which connects
Khovanov homology (a purely algebraic construction) with geometry and 
physics via a variant
of Floer homology based on the use of Yang-Mills instantons. 
Instanton Floer homology and its cousins Seiberg-Witten Monopole
Floer homology and Ozsvath and Szabo's Heegaard Floer homology are 
powerful tools for understanding
three manifolds.  This story leads to a number of insights into 
Khovanov homology including
a proof that it detects the unknot.



Venue: Seminar Room of the Dept of Mathematics and Computer Science 
(H2 building, Via Valerio 12/1, 3rd floor).
Everybody interested is much welcome to attend.


-- 
Prof. Emilia Mezzetti

Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica
Universita' di Trieste
Via Valerio 12/1
34127 Trieste, Italia

Stanza 227, II piano
e-mail: mezzette at units.it
tel. studio (+39) 040 558 2650
skype: emiliamezzetti
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http://www.dmi.units.it/~mezzette/