Related papers: Introduction to Whitney Towers

We study statistical models, specifically transfer matrices corresponding to a multiparameter hierarchy of braid matrices of $(2n)^2\times(2n)^2$ dimensions with $2n^2$ free parameters $(n=1,2,3,...)$. The simplest, $4\times 4$ case is…

We relate degree one grasper families of embedded circles to various constructions of diffeomorphisms found in the literature -- theta clasper classes of Watanabe, barbell diffeomorphisms of Budney and Gabai, and twin twists of Gay and…

In this brief expository article we review the background for biquandle bracket quivers -- including biquandles, biquandle homsets, biquandle coloring quivers and biquandle brackets -- for a talk at the 70th Topology Symposium at Nara…

This paper studies properly embedded surfaces in the 4-ball that are exotically knotted (i.e., topologically but not smoothly isotopic), and leverages this local phenomenon to study surfaces in larger 4-manifolds. The main results provide a…

This is an extended abstract of my talk at the Oberwolfach Workshop "Representation Theory of Quivers and Finite-Dimensional Algebras" (February 12 - February 18, 2023 ). It is based on a joint work with R. Bennett-Tennenhaus…

We introduce new obstructions to topological knot concordance. These are obtained from amenable groups in Strebel's class, possibly with torsion, using a recently suggested $L^2$-theoretic method due to Orr and the author. Concerning…

This text is a set of lecture notes for a series of four talks given at I.P.A.M., Los Angeles, on March 18-20, 2003. The first lecture provides a quick overview of symplectic topology and its main tools: symplectic manifolds, almost-complex…

These are lecture notes from author's mini-course during Session 1: "Vertex algebras, W-algebras, and application" of INdAM Intensive research period "Perspectives in Lie Theory", at the Centro di Ricerca Matematica Ennio De Giorgi, Pisa,…

Four level quantum systems, known as quartits, and their relation to two- qubit systems are investigated group theoretically. Following the spirit of Klein's lectures on the icosahedron and their relation to Hopf sphere bra- tions,…

Just as knots and links can be algebraically described as certain morphisms in the category of tangles in 3 dimensions, compact surfaces smoothly embedded in R^4 can be described as certain 2-morphisms in the 2-category of `2-tangles in 4…

This is the note for the four lectures given by the author in the ``International Short-School/Conference on Affine Algebraic Geometry and the Jacobian Conjecture" at Chern Institute of Mathematics, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. July…

We consider four-dimensional Riemannian manifolds with commuting higher order Jacobi operators defined on two-dimensional orthogonal subspaces (polygons) and on their orthogonal subspaces. More precisely, we discuss higher order Jacobi…

We provide an algorithm for unfolding the surface of any orthogonal polyhedron that falls into a particular shape class we call Manhattan Towers, to a nonoverlapping planar orthogonal polygon. The algorithm cuts along edges of a 4x5x1…

This article is based on a talk given at the Ghent Geometric Analysis Seminar in 2023. We review basic notions from the theory of weightings along submanifolds, with special emphasis on multiplicative weightings for Lie groupoids along…

These lecture notes are devoted to the theory of equations of associativity describing geometry of moduli spaces of 2D topological field theories. Introduction. Lecture 1. WDVV equations and Frobenius manifolds. {Appendix A.} Polynomial…

Given a finite CW complex $K$, we use a version of the Goodwillie-Weiss tower to formulate an obstruction theory for embedding $K$ into a Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^d$. For $2$-dimensional complexes in $\mathbb{R}^4$, a geometric analogue…

Finite-order invariants of knots in arbitrary 3-manifolds (including non-orientable ones) are constructed and studied by methods of the topology of discriminant sets. Obstructions to the integrability of admissible weight systems to…

Jacobi sigma models are two-dimensional topological non-linear field theories which are associated with Jacobi structures. The latter can be considered as a generalization of Poisson structures. After reviewing the main properties and…

We calculate the Seiberg-Witten invariants of branched covers of prime degree, where the branch locus consists of embedded spheres. Aside from the formula itself, our calculations give rise to some new constraints on configurations of…

We give uniform, explicit, and simple face-pairing descriptions of all the branched cyclic covers of the 3-sphere, branched over two-bridge knots. Our method is to use the bi-twisted face-pairing constructions of Cannon, Floyd, and Parry;…