LSU
Mathematics

# Calendar

Time interval:   Events:

Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Posted January 12, 2018

3:30 pm - 4:20 pm Lockett 241

Christine Lee, University of Texas at Austin
Understanding quantum link invariants via surfaces in 3-manifolds

Abstract: Quantum link invariants lie at the intersection of hyperbolic geometry, 3-dimensional manifolds, quantum physics, and representation theory, where a central goal is to understand its connection to other invariants of links and 3-manifolds. In this talk, we will introduce the colored Jones polynomial, an important example of quantum link invariants. We will discuss how studying properly embedded surfaces in a 3-manifold provides insight into the topological and geometric content of the polynomial. In particular, we will describe how relating the definition of the polynomial to surfaces in the complement of a link shows that it determines boundary slopes and bounds the hyperbolic volume of many links, and we will explore the implication of this approach on these classical invariants.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Posted January 19, 2018

3:30 pm - 4:20 pm Lockett 241

Shawn X. Cui, Stanford, Institute for Theoretical Physics
Four Dimensional Topological Quantum Field Theories

Abstract: We give an introduction to topological quantum field theories (TQFTs), which have wide applications in low dimensional topology, representation theory, and topological quantum computing. In particular, TQFTs provide invariants of smooth manifolds. We give an explicit construction of a family of four dimensional TQFTs. The input to the construction is a class of tensor categories called $G$-crossed braided fusion categories where $G$ is any finite group. We show that our TQFTs generalize most known examples such as Yetter's TQFT and the Crane-Yetter TQFT. It remains to check if the resulting invariant of 4-manifolds is sensitive to smooth structures. It is expected that the most general four dimensional TQFTs should arise from spherical fusion 2-categories, the proper definition of which has not been universally agreed upon. Indeed, we prove that a $G$-crossed braided fusion category corresponds to a 2-category which does not satisfy the criteria to be a spherical fusion 2-category as defined by Mackaay. Thus the question of what axioms properly define a spherical fusion 2-category is open.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Posted January 22, 2018

3:30 pm - 4:20 pm Lockett 241

Larry Rolen, Trinity College Dublin & Georgia Tech
tba

Friday, February 2, 2018

Posted January 21, 2018

3:30 pm - 4:20 pm Lockett 241

Chun-Hung Liu, Princeton University
tba

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Posted December 17, 2017

3:30 pm - 4:20 pm TBD

Habib Ouerdiane, University of Tunis El Manar
TBD

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Posted December 17, 2017

3:30 pm - 4:20 pm TBD

Guozhen Lu, University of Connecticut
TBD

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Posted December 26, 2017

3:30 pm - 4:20 pm TBD

Stefan Kolb, Newcastle University
TBD

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Posted January 12, 2018

3:30 pm - 4:20 pm TBD

Birge Huisgen-Zimmermann, University of California, Santa Barbara
TBD