Cornell Math - MATH 752, Spring 2004

MATH 752: Berstein Seminar in Topology (Spring 2004)

Instructor: Tara Brendle

Meeting Time & Room

The Berstein Seminar this semester will cover various aspects of braid groups and mapping class groups, with an emphasis on subgroups and representations thereof. Some possible topics (among many) include the Burau representation,the Lawrence-Krammer representation (both of braid groups), centralizers in braid groups, pure braids, the symplectic representation of the mapping class group and its kernel the Torelli group, the Birman-Craggs homomorphisms, Johnson's homomorphism, representations of mapping class groups arising from TQFTs (Topological Quantum Field Theory), Nielsen-Thurston classification of braids and mapping classes, and decision problems in braid groups.