Seminars Sorted by Series

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Sep
25
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Symplectic fillings and star surgery
Laura Starkston
11:30am|S-101

Although the existence of a symplectic filling is well-understood for many contact 3-manifolds, complete classifications of all symplectic fillings of a particular contact manifold are more rare. Relying on a recognition theorem of McDuff for closed...

Oct
10
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Superconformal simple type and Witten's conjecture on the relation between Donaldson and Seiberg-Witten invariants
1:30pm|Fine 322, Princeton University

We shall discuss two new results concerning gauge-theoretic invariants of "standard" four-manifolds, namely closed, connected, four-dimensional, orientable, smooth manifolds with \(b^1 = 0\) and \(b^+ \geq 3\) and odd. We first describe how the SO(3...

Oct
17
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Equivariant structures in mirror symmetry
1:30pm|S-101

When a variety \(X\) is equipped with the action of an algebraic group \(G\), it is natural to study the \(G\)-equivariant vector bundles or coherent sheaves on \(X\). When \(X\) furthermore has a mirror partner \(Y\), one can ask for the...

Oct
31
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

On the Gromov width of polygon spaces
Alessia Mandini
1:30pm|S-101

After Gromov's foundational work in 1985, problems of symplectic embeddings lie in the heart of symplectic geometry. The Gromov width of a symplectic manifold \((M, \omega)\) is a symplectic invariant that measures, roughly speaking, the size of the...

Nov
07
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

C0-characterization of symplectic and contact embeddings
1:30pm|S-101

Symplectic and anti-symplectic embeddings can be characterized as those embeddings that preserve the symplectic capacity (of ellipsoids). This gives rise to a proof of \(C^0\)-rigidity of symplectic embeddings, and in particular, diffeomorphisms....

Nov
14
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Stability in Fukaya categories of surfaces
Fabian Haiden
10:45am|Math 407, Columbia University

I will report on recent joint work with L. Katzarkov and M. Kontsevich (arXiv:1409.8611) in which we construct Bridgeland stability conditions on partially wrapped Fukaya categories of surfaces. Stable objects in these stability conditions...

Nov
14
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

The Lefschetz Hyperplane Theorem is mostly wrong (symplectically speaking)
1:30pm|Math 407, Columbia University

We show that for any symplectic manifold of dimension \(2n > 4\), there exists a symplectic hypersurface Poincare dual to some positive multiple of the symplectic form whose \((n - 2)\)th Betti number is as large as we like. The idea here is to find...

Nov
21
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Cyclic homology and S1-equivariant symplectic cohomology
1:30pm|S-101

In this talk, we study two natural circle actions in Floer theory, one on symplectic cohomology and one on the Hochschild homology of the Fukaya category. We show that the geometric open-closed string map between these two complexes is \(S^1\)...

Dec
05
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Gauged linear σ-model and gauged Witten equation
Guangbo Xu
1:30pm|Fine 322, Princeton University

This is a joint work with Gang Tian. I will talk about the analytical properties of the classical equation of motion in gauged linear $\sigma$-model, which we call the gauged Witten equation. This is a generalization of the Witten equation in Landau...

Dec
12
2014

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

On normal crossings symplectic divisors
1:30pm|Fine 322, Princeton University

I will describe purely symplectic notions of normal crossings divisor and configuration. They are compatible with the existence of the desired auxiliary almost Kahler structures, provided ``existence" is suitably interpreted. These notions lead to a...

Jan
30
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Symplectic forms in algebraic geometry
1:30pm|S-101

Imposing the existence of a holomorphic symplectic form on a projective algebraic variety is a very strong condition. After describing various instances of this phenomenon (among which is the fact that so few examples are known!), I will focus on...

Feb
06
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Path products in projective space
1:30pm|S-101

We compute the mod 2 homology of the space of paths in $\mathbb CP^n$ with endpoints in $\mathbb RP^n$, and its algebra structure with respect to the Pontryagin-Chas-Sullivan product. Our method combines Morse theory with geometry. Joint work with...

Feb
13
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Symplectic homology via Gromov-Witten theory
Luis Diogo
1:30pm|S-101

Symplectic homology is a very useful tool in symplectic topology, but it can be hard to compute explicitly. We will describe a procedure for computing symplectic homology using counts of pseudo-holomorphic spheres. These counts can sometimes be...

Feb
19
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Existence of Lefschetz fibrations on Stein/Weinstein domains
2:30pm|Fine 110, Princeton University

I will describe joint work with E. Giroux in which we show that every Weinstein domain admits a Lefschetz fibration over the disk (that is, a singular fibration with Weinstein fibers and Morse singularities). We also prove an analogous result for...

Feb
20
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

The symplectic displacement energy
Peter Spaeth
1:30pm|S-101

To begin we will recall Banyaga's Hofer-like metric on the group of symplectic diffeomorphisms, and explain its conjugation invariance up to a factor. From there we will prove the positivity of the symplectic displacement energy of open subsets in...

Feb
27
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Disc filling and connected sum
Kai Zehmisch
1:30pm|S-101

In my talk I will report on recent work with Hansjörg Geiges about a strong connection between the topology of a contact manifold and the existence of contractible periodic Reeb orbits. Namely, if the contact manifold appears as non-trivial contact...

Mar
02
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

From knots to clusters: the path via sheaves
Eric Zaslow
4:30pm|Fine 110, Princeton University

Given a Legendrian knot, I will construct a category of constructible sheaves, invariant under Legendrian isotopy up to equivalence. The constructble sheaves live on the front plane and are stratified by the front diagram of the Legendrian knot. I...

Mar
23
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Floer-like complexes for surfaces, maximally unlinked braids, and finite energy foliations
9:30am|Fine 801, Princeton University

In this talk I will present an approach to constructing finite energy foliations by pseudo-holomorphic curves with prescribed asymptotic orbits in the symplectization of a mapping torus. The idea is that so called maximally unlinked braids of...

Apr
03
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

On symplectic homology of the complement of a normal crossing divisor
Khoa Nguyen
1:30pm|S-101

In this talk, we discuss our work in progress about how degeneration of the divisor at infinity into a normal crossing divisor affects the symplectic homology of an affine variety. From an anti-surgery picture, by developing an anti-surgery formula...

Apr
10
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Equivalent notions of high-dimensional overtwistedness
1:30pm|Fine 322, Princeton University

In recent joint work with Borman and Eliashberg, a new definition of overtwisted contact structures was given for high-dimensional contact manifolds, which were then classified up to isotopy. However, the definition is fairly cumbersome, so much so...

Apr
17
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Unlinked fixed points of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms and a dynamical construction of spectral invariants
1:30pm|S-101

Hamiltonian spectral invariants have had many interesting and important applications in symplectic geometry. Inspired by Le Calvez's theory of transverse foliations for dynamical systems of surfaces, we introduce a new dynamical invariant, denoted...

May
01
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Periodic symplectic cohomologies
1:30pm|S-101

Periodic cyclic homology group associated to a mixed complex was introduced by Goodwillie. In this talk, I will explain how to apply this construction to the symplectic cochain complex of a Liouville domain and obtain two periodic symplectic...

Sep
18
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Fixed-point expressions for the Fukaya endomorphism algebra of RP2m and higher genus open invariants
Amitai Zernik
2:00pm|Fine 322, Princeton University

The Atiyah-Bott localization formula has become a valuable tool for computation of symplectic invariants given in terms of integrals on the moduli spaces of holomorphic stable maps. In contrast, the ``open'' moduli spaces, of stable maps of marked...

Oct
09
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Real Gromov-Witten theory in all genera
Penka Georgieva
1:45pm|Fine 322, Princeton University

We construct positive-genus analogues of Welschinger's invariants for many real symplectic manifolds, including the odd-dimensional projective spaces and the quintic threefold. Our approach to the orientability problem is based entirely on the...

Oct
16
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

3d mirror symmetry and symplectic duality
Tudor Dimofte
3:00pm|Fine 224, Princeton University

In recent work of Braden, Licata, Proudfoot, and Webster, a "symplectic duality" was described between pairs of module categories $O(M)$, $O(M')$ associated to certain pairs of complex symplectic manifolds $(M, M')$. The duality generalizes the...

Oct
23
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Dehn twists exact sequences through Lagrangian cobordism
Weiwei Wu
2:00pm|S-101

In this talk we first introduce a new "singularity-free" approach to the proof of Seidel's long exact sequence, including the fixed-point version. This conveniently generalizes to Dehn twists along Lagrangian submanifolds which are rank one...

Nov
06
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Negative and positive results in the intersection between systolic and symplectic geometry
Umberto Hryniewicz
2:00pm|S-101

How small is the smallest period of a closed trajectory of a Reeb flow? In this talk I will present recent answers to instances of this question in three-dimensions which reveal connections between systolic and symplectic geometry. I will present...

Nov
13
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Legendrian fronts in contact topology
Roger Casals
2:00pm|S-101

In this talk we focus on Legendrian presentations of Weinstein manifolds; in particular, we discuss loose Legendrian embeddings and their absolute analogues, flexible Weinstein manifolds and overtwisted contact structures. The required definitions...

Nov
20
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Low-area Floer theory and non-displaceability
Dmitry Tonkonog
2:30pm|Fine 322, Princeton University

I will introduce a "low-area" version of Floer cohomology of a non-monotone Lagrangian submanifold and prove that a continuous family of Lagrangian tori in $\mathbb CP^2$, whose Floer cohomology in the usual sense vanishes, is Hamiltonian non...

Dec
04
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Point-like bounding chains in open Gromov-Witten theory
1:45pm|Fine 322, Princeton University

Over a decade ago Welschinger defined invariants of real symplectic manifolds of complex dimensions 2 and 3, which count $J$-holomorphic disks with boundary and interior point constraints. Since then, the problem of extending the definition to...

Dec
18
2015

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Absolute vs. relative Gromov-Witten invariants
Mohammad Tehrani
2:00pm|S-101

We compare absolute and relative Gromov-Witten invariants with the basic contact vector for very positive divisors. For such divisors, one might expect that these invariants are the same up to a natural multiple. We show that this is indeed the case...

Jan
21
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

From symplectic geometry to combinatorics and back
Dan Cristofaro-Gardiner
10:30am|S-101

A much studied combinatorial object associated to a polytope is its "Ehrhart function". This is typically studied for integral or rational polytopes. The first part of the talk will be about joint work with Li and Stanley extending this theory to...

Feb
18
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Spectral invariants for contactomorphisms of prequantization bundles and applications
Frol Zapolsky
10:30am|S-101

I'll outline the construction and computation of a Floer homology theory for contact manifolds which are prequantization spaces over monotone symplectic manifolds, and of the spectral invariants resulting therefrom, and present some applications...

Feb
25
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Positive loops---on a question by Eliashberg-Polterovich and a contact systolic inequality
10:30am|S-101

In 2000 Eliashberg-Polterovich introduced the concept of positivity in contact geometry. The notion of a positive loop of contactomorphisms is central. A question of Eliashberg-Polterovich is whether $C^0$-small positive loops exist. We give a...

Mar
03
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Subflexible symplectic manifolds
Kyler Siegel
10:30am|S-101

After recalling some recent developments in symplectic flexibility, I will introduce a class of open symplectic manifolds, called "subflexible", which are not flexible but become so after attaching some Weinstein handles. For example, the standard...

Mar
10
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Homological Mirror Symmetry for singularities of type Tpqr
10:30am|S-101

We present some homological mirror symmetry statements for the singularities of type $T_{p,q,r}$. Loosely, these are one level of complexity up from so-called 'simple' singularities, of types $A$, $D$ and $E$. We will consider some symplectic...

Mar
21
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Stable homotopy theory and Floer theory
Thomas Kragh
3:10pm|S-101

In this talk I will define and explain some basic notions from stable homotopy theory, and illustrate how it relates to (and refines) the notion of Floer homology in some simple cases. I will also discuss what extra kind of information this...

Mar
31
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Cellular homology, augmentations and generating families for Legendrian surfaces
4:30pm|Fine 314, Princeton University

Given a Legendrian surface in a contact one jet space, there is a local combinatorial DGA associated to the cell decomposition of the base projection of the Legendrian. The DGA is quasi-isomorphic to the Legendrian contact DGA. Using this...

Apr
07
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Stein fillings of cotangent bundles of surfaces
Jeremy van Horn Morris
9:45am|S-101

I'll outline recent results with Steven Sivek classifying the Stein fillings, up to topological homotopy equivalence, of the canonical contact structure on the unit cotangent bundle of a surface. The proof begins with Li, Mak and Yasui's technology...

Apr
07
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Classification results for two-dimensional Lagrangian tori
Georgios Dimitroglou-Rizell
11:00am|S-101

We present several classification results for Lagrangian tori, all proven using the splitting construction from symplectic field theory. Notably, we classify Lagrangian tori in the symplectic vector space up to Hamiltonian isotopy; they are either...

Apr
07
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Filtering the Heegaard-Floer contact invariant
4:30pm|Fine 314, Princeton University

We define an invariant of contact structures in dimension three based on the contact invariant of Ozsvath and Szabo from Heegaard Floer homology. This invariant takes values in $\\mathbb Z_{\\geq0}\\cup\\{\\infty\\}$, is zero for overtwisted contact...

Apr
15
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Symplectic embeddings and infinite staircases
Ana Rita Pires
10:30am|S-101

McDuff and Schlenk studied an embedding capacity function, which describes when a 4-dimensional ellipsoid can symplectically embed into a 4-ball. The graph of this function includes an infinite staircase determined by the odd index Fibonacci numbers...

Apr
21
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

A Heegaard Floer analog of algebraic torsion
10:30am|S-101

The dichotomy between overtwisted and tight contact structures has been central to the classification of contact structures in dimension 3. Ozsvath-Szabo's contact invariant in Heegaard Floer homology proved to be an efficient tool to distinguish...

Apr
28
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Small symplectic and exotic 4-manifolds via positive factorizations
R. İnanç Baykur
10:30am|Fine 1201, Princeton University

We will discuss new ideas and techniques for producing positive Dehn twist factorizations of surface mapping classes (joint work with Mustafa Korkmaz) which yield novel constructions of interesting symplectic and smooth 4-manifolds, such as small...

Sep
20
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Lagrangian cell complexes and Markov numbers
Jonny Evans
10:30am|West Building Lecture Hall

Joint work with Ivan Smith. Let p be a positive integer. Take the quotient of a 2-disc by the equivalence relation which identifies two boundary points if the boundary arc connecting them subtends an angle which is an integer multiple of ($2 \pi / p...

Sep
27
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Cost of splitting Lagrangians
10:30am|S-101

Assume that the derived Fukaya category of a symplectic manifold admits a collection of triangular generators. By definition, this means that any other Lagrangian submanifold which is an object of this category can be decomposed in terms of exact...

Oct
04
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Packaging the construction of Kuranishi structure on the moduli space of pseudo-holomorphic curve
1:30pm|S-101

This is a part of my joint work with Oh-Ohta-Ono and is a part of project to rewrite the whole story of virtual fundamental chain in a way easier to use. In general we can construct virtual fundamental chain on (basically all) the moduli space of...

Oct
11
2016

Joint IAS/Princeton University Symplectic Geometry Seminar

Monotone Lagrangians in cotangent bundles
Luis Diogo
1:30pm|S-101

We show that there is a 1-parameter family of monotone Lagrangian tori in the cotangent bundle of the 3-sphere with the following property: every compact orientable monotone Lagrangian with non-trivial Floer cohomology is not Hamiltonian...