Stanford University
Department of Mathematics

 

Geometry Seminar Fall 2011

Organizers: Jacob Bernstein (jbern@math.*), Brian Clarke (bfclarke@*) and Yanir Rubinstein (yanir@math.*)

Time: Wednesdays at 4 PM

Location: 383N

 

(*=stanford.edu)


Next Seminar

 
30 November

Speaker: David Fisher (Indiana/MSRI)

Title: Hodge-de Rham theory for infinite dimensional bundles and local rigidity

Abstract:

It is well known that every cohomology class on a manifold can be represented by a harmonic form. While this fact continues to hold for cohomology with coefficients in finite dimensional vector bundles, it is also fairly well known that it fails for infinite dimensional bundles. In this talk, I will formulate a notion of a harmonic cochain in group cohomology and explain what piece of the cohomology can be represented by harmonic cochains. I will use these ideas to prove a vanishing theorem that motivates a family of generalizations of property (T) of Kazhdan. If time permits, I will discuss applications to local rigidity of group actions.


Fall Quarter

 
28 September
4:15pm-5:15pm

Speaker: Bo'az Klartag (Tel Aviv)

Title: Poincaré Inequalities and Moment Maps (Joint with MRC)

Abstract:

We will discuss emerging connections between Poincar\'e-type inequalities on convex bodies and K\"ahler geometry. Most of the volume of a high-dimensional convex body is concentrated near the surface of its Legendre ellipsoid of inertia. This unexpected effect lies at the heart of the analysis related to the central limit theorem for convex bodies. In order to prove such ``thin shell estimates'', we are led to the study of Poincar\'e-type inequalities on convex bodies in high dimension. Excellent estimates are known in the presence of symmetries, but not in the general case. For an arbitrary convex body, our idea is to introduce additional symmetries to the problem by considering a certain transportation of measure from a space of twice or thrice the dimension. In this talk we will analyze the method via a few examples which demonstrate its potential.

5 October

Speaker: TBA

Title: TBA

Abstract:

TBA

12 October

Speaker: Thomas Mettler (MSRI)

Title: Weyl metrisability for projective surfaces

Abstract:

The existence problem for Riemannian metrics on a surface with prescribed unparametrised geodesics was first studied by R. Liouville. He observed that the problem can be formulated as a linear first order PDE system which in general will not admit solutions. The necessary and sufficient conditions for local existence of solutions were found only recently by Bryant, Dunajski and Eastwood. Surprisingly the conditions are rather complicated. However if one looks for Weyl structures on surfaces with prescribed unparametrised geodesics the situation is different. In this talk I will use techniques from complex geometry to show that the corresponding PDE system always admits local solutions. I will also show that the Weyl structures on the 2-sphere whose geodesics are the great circles, are in one-to-one correspondence with the smooth quadrics without real points in the complex projective plane. If time permits, I will explain that the Weyl metrisability problem for projective surfaces has a natural analogue in all even dimensions.

19 October

Speaker: TBA

Title: TBA

Abstract:

TBA

26 October
(3pm in 383N)

Speaker: Robert Haslhofer (ETH)

Title: Singularities in 4d Ricci flow

Abstract:

In this talk, we discuss the formation of singularities in higher-dimensional Ricci flow without pointwise curvature assumptions. We show that the space of singularity models with bounded entropy and locally bounded energy is orbifold-compact in arbitrary dimensions. In dimension four, a delicate localized Gauss-Bonnet estimate even allows us to drop the assumption on energy in favor of (essentially) an upper bound for the Euler characteristic. We will also see how these results are part of a larger project exploring high curvature regions in 4d Ricci flow. This is all joint work with Reto Mueller.

26 October
(4pm in 383N)

Speaker: Fernando Marques (IMPA)

Title: Deforming four-manifolds with positive isotropic curvature

Abstract:

We have recently been able to prove that the moduli space of metrics with positive scalar curvature of an orientable compact 3-manifold is path-connected. The proof uses the Ricci flow with surgery, the conformal method, and the connected sum construction of Gromov and Lawson. The work of Perelman on Hamilton's Ricci flow was fundamental.

In this talk we will review the proof of that result and discuss the necessary modifications to prove similar theorems in the context of 4-manifolds with positive isotropic curvature.

2 November

Speaker: Mu-Tao Wang (Columbia)

Title: Construction of soliton solutions of curvature flows

Abstract:

I shall discuss new constructions of self-similar solutions of Lagrangian mean curvature flows and K\"ahler-Ricci flows based on a separation of variable ansatz.

9 November

Speaker: Dmitry Jakobson (McGill)

Title: Curvature of random metrics

Abstract:

We study Gauss curvature for random Riemannian metrics on a compact surface, lying in a fixed conformal class; our questions are motivated by comparison geometry. Next, analogous questions are considered for the scalar curvature in dimension n>2, and for the Q-curvature of random Riemannian metrics. This is joint work with I. Wigman and Y. Canzani.

16 November

Speaker: Lu Wang (Johns Hopkins/MSRI)

Title: Uniqueness of Self-shrinkers of Mean Curvature Flow

Abstract:

Recently, using the desingularization technique, a new family of complete properly embedded self-shrinkers (of mean curvature flow) asymptotic to cones in three dimensional Euclidean space have been constructed by Kapouleas-Kleene-Moeller and independently by Nguyen.

In this talk, we present the uniqueness of self-shrinking ends asymptotic to any given cone in general Euclidean space. The feature of our uniqueness result is that we do not require the control on the boundaries of self-shrinking ends or the rate of convergence to cones at infinity. As applications, we show that, there do not exist complete properly embedded self-shrinkers other than hyperplanes having ends asymptotic to rotationally symmetric cones.

30 November

Speaker: David Fisher (Indiana/MSRI)

Title: TBA

Abstract:

TBA


Past Quarters

 
For the Spring 2011 Schedule go here
For the Winter 2011 Schedule go here
For the Fall 2010 Schedule go here
For the Spring 2010 Schedule go here
For the Winter 2010 Schedule go here
For the Fall 2009 Schedule go here