Topology Seminar Fall 2009

The topology seminar for the fall will discuss the potential use of invariants from knot theory in detecting counterexamples to the 4-dimensional Poincare conjecture. The idea originates in a recent preprint of Freedman, Gompf, Morrison, and Walker that certain homotopy 4-spheres would be shown to have exotic structures by computing the so-called Rasmussen s-invariant from Khovanov homology. There are several interesting subjects involved: most notably Khovanov homology and 4-dimensional handlebody theory (and other constructions in 4-manifold theory). Not much background will be assumed; this is a nice opportunity to learn some mathematics from an active and interesting area.

We will also have a roster of guest speakers, including Chuck Livingston and Daniel Moskovitch.

For the schedule, please consult the Current Brandeis Mathematics Calendar, which displays all future talks and events. You can also consult the new Seminar page.