Related papers: Nielsen Realization for sphere twists on 3-manifol…

We prove that for every compact, connected, differentiable 3--manifold $M$ there is a compact complex manifold $X$ which can be obtained from projective 3--space by a sequence of smooth, real blow ups and downs such that $M$ is…

We introduce a formula for the action of Dehn twists on the HOMFLY-PT type skein module of a surface. As an application of the formula to mapping class group, we give an embedding from the Torelli group of a surface $\Sigma_{g,1}$ of genus…

In the twisted M-theory setting, various types of fusion of M2 and M5 branes induce coproducts between the algebra of operators on M2 branes and the algebra of operators on M5 branes. By doing a perturbative computation in the gravity side,…

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…

One way to better understand the smooth mapping class group of the 4-sphere would be to give a list of generators in the form of explicit diffeomorphisms supported in neighborhoods of submanifolds, in analogy with Dehn twists on surfaces.…

We study the classifying space B Diff(M) of the diffeomorphism group of a connected, compact, orientable 3-manifold M. In the case that M is reducible we build a contractible space parametrising the systems of reducing spheres. We use this…

This chapter provides a comprehensive survey of foundational results and recent advances concerning minimal generating sets for the mapping class group of a nonorientable surface, $\mathrm{Mod}(N_{g})$, and its index-two twist subgroup,…

Isotopy classes of diffeomorphisms of the 4-sphere can be described either from a Cerf theoretic perspective in terms of loops of 5-dimensional handle attaching data, starting and ending with handles in cancelling position, or via certain…

In this paper we study M-theory compactifications on seven-dimensional manifolds with SU(3) structure. As such manifolds naturally pick out a specific direction, the resulting effective theory can be cast into a form which is similar to…

Let $M$ be a locally symmetric irreducible closed manifold of dimension $\ge 3$. A result of Borel [Bo] combined with Mostow rigidity imply that there exists a finite group $G = G(M)$ such that any finite subgroup of $\text{Homeo}^+(M)$ is…

N-Higgs-doublet models (NHDM) are among the most popular examples of electroweak symmetry breaking mechanisms beyond the Standard Model. Discrete symmetries imposed on the NHDM scalar potential play a pivotal role in shaping the…

If M is an oriented 3-manifold, let S(M) denote the Homflypt skein module of M. We show that S(M_1 connect sum M_2) is isomorphic to S(M_1) tensor S(M_2) modulo torsion. In fact, we show that S(M_1 connect sum M_2) is isomorphic to S(M_1)…

Fix a finite group $G$. We analyze the computational complexity of the problem of counting homomorphisms $\pi_1(X) \to G$, where $X$ is a topological space treated as computational input. We are especially interested in requiring $G$ to be…

Gromov's Conjecture states that for a closed $n$-manifold $M$ with positive scalar curvature the macroscopic dimension of its universal covering $\tilde M$ satisfies the inequality $\dim_{mc}\tilde M\le n-2$\cite{G2}. We prove this…

Let $M=V\setminus D$ be a smooth quasi-projective variety for some smooth projective variety $V$ and a divisor $D$ with normal crossings. Assume that $M$ is diffeomorphic to a non-compact nilmanifold $\Gamma\backslash N\times\mathbb{R}^m$.…

For a complete hyperbolic three manifold M, we consider the representations of its fundamental group obtained by composing a lift of the holonomy with complex finite dimensional representations of SL(2,C). We prove a vanishing result for…

An invariant for twisted K theory classes on a 3-manifold is introduced. The invariant is then applied to the twisted equivariant classes arising from the supersymmetric Wess-Zumino-Witten model based on the group SU(2). It is shown that…

We provide a classification of compact Euclidean submanifolds $M^n\subset{\mathbb{R}}^{n+2}$ with nonnegative sectional curvature, for $n\ge 3$. The classification is in terms of the induced metric (including the diffeomorphism…

We study curvature functionals for immersed 2-spheres in a compact, three-dimensional Riemannian manifold M. Under the assumption that the sectional curvature of M is strictly positive, we prove the existence of a smoothly immersed sphere…

In this thesis, we use normal surface theory to understand certain properties of minimal triangulations of compact orientable 3-manifolds. We describe the collapsing process of normal 2-spheres and disks. Using some geometrical…