University of Georgia
Department of Mathematics
Seminar Schedule
October 24– October 28, 2005
All Seminars are held in Boyd Graduate Studies Bldg. unless otherwise noted.

MONDAY, October 24, 2005

Topology/Geometry
3:15 pm at Georgia Tech, Skiles 269
Speaker: Tom Mark (Southeastern Louisiana University)
Title: Ozsvath-Szabo invariants of fiber sums
Abstract: The symplectic normal connected sum, or fiber sum, of symplectic manifolds is a primary tool in the construction of "exotic" symplectic 4-manifolds. In this talk, we will focus on the case of a fiber sum along surfaces with trivial normal bundle, and the effect of this operation on the Ozsvath-Szabo invariants. After a brief introduction to Ozsvath-Szabo thoery, we will discuss a product formula, obtained in joint work with S. Jabuka, that essentially determines the behavior of the invariants under this operation. Special cases of our formula have analogues in Seiberg-Witten theory due to Taubes, Morgan-Szabo-Taubes, and others. In particular we will describe the situation in case the fiber summands do not have "simple type"--which so far is not fully understood in Seiberg-Witten theory--and if time permits give some examples and applications.

4:30 pm at Georgia Tech, Skiles 269
Speaker: Lenny Ng (Stanford University)
Title: Knot invariants from contact homology
Abstract: I will describe a technique of constructing invariants of knots and other submanifolds through contact topology and holomorphic curves. The knot invariant can be described purely topologically, with no reference to contact geometry, and is fairly strong. In particular, it encodes the Alexander polynomial and is closely related to the A-polynomial.

Algebra
2:30-3:30pm., Room 410
Speaker: Daniel Nakano, University of Georgia
Title of talk: Cohomology of quantum groups I, continued

Faculty and Graduate Social
3:00pm, Room 409
Coffee, Cookies, Tea

TUESDAY, October 25, 2005

VIGRE-Graduate Student Seminar
2:00p.m., Room 303
Speaker: Erin McNelis, Western Carolina University
Title of talk: TBA

Number Theory
3:30-5:00pm., Room 304
No Meeting this week

WEDNESDAY, October 26, 2005

Algebraic Geometry
2:30-3:45pm, Room 410
No Meeting this week

Faculty and Graduate Social
3:00pm, Room 409
Coffee, Cookies, Tea

VIGRE-Algebra Group
3:45p.m., Room 302

THURSDAY, October 27, 2005

Fall Break

FRIDAY, October 28, 2005

Fall Break