Geometric Analysis and Topology Seminar

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Diffeomorphism groups of three-manifolds and minimal surfaces

Speaker: Daniel Ketover, Rutgers University

Location: Warren Weaver Hall 512

Date: Friday, December 15, 2023, 11 a.m.

Synopsis:

In 1983 A. Hatcher proved the Smale conjecture asserting that the space of diffeomorphisms of the round three-sphere retracts onto the space of isometries.  A long-standing question is whether this conjecture or its generalizations could be proved using methods of geometric analysis.  In fact, the corresponding statement for RP^3 was proved only in 2019 by Bamler-Kleiner using Ricci flow. I will explain a new proof of this result for RP^3 (and all lens spaces) using minimal surfaces.  This is joint with Y. Liokumovich.