On 20 September 2022 I gave a zoom talk in the Topology seminar at Tsinghua University, Beijing, entitled “A symplectic approach to 3-manifold triangulations and hyperbolic structures”.
Monash topology talk on Symplectic approach to 3-manifold Triangulations, September 2022
On 14 September 2022 I gave a talk (in person!) in the Monash Topology seminar, entitled “A symplectic approach to 3-manifold triangulations and hyperbolic structures”.
A symplectic basis for 3-manifold triangulations
In the 1980s, Neumann and Zagier introduced a symplectic vector space associated to an ideal triangulation of a cusped 3-manifold, such as a knot complement. We give a geometric interpretation for this symplectic structure in terms of the topology of the 3-manifold, via intersections of certain curves on a Heegaard surface. We also give an algorithm to construct curves forming a symplectic basis.
Talk at Knots in Washington 49.75
On 22 April 2022 I gave a (virtual) talk at the 49.75th (!) Knots in Washington conference.
A Symplectic Basis for 3-manifold Triangulations, AustMS 2021
On 8 December 2021 I gave a (virtual) talk in the Topology session of the 2021 meeting of the Australian Mathematical Society.
Liouville structures and convex surfaces
Starting from a Liouville 1-form on a surface, we have been led to 3-dimensional contact geometry, and convex surfaces. We now go in the other direction.
From Liouville geometry to contact geometry
(Technical) We’re going to take Liouville structures and move them into 3 dimensions, to obtain contact structures.
Lovely Liouville geometry
(Technical) I’d like to show you some very nice geometry, involving some vector fields and differential forms.
Emmy had a theorem (mathematical nursery rhyme #2)
In the spirit of previous work in abstract algebra, I have, erm, adapted another nursery rhyme. To the tune of “Mary had a little lamb”, a discussion of Noether’s theorem.