Wednesday, February 21, 2018
4:20 PM - 5:20 PM (ET)
Exley Science Center Tower ESC 638
Event Type
Seminar/Colloquium
Contact
Canalia, Caryn
2182
Link
https://eaglet.wesleyan.edu/MasterCalendar/EventDetails.aspx?EventDetailId=79037
Kyle Hayden, Boston College
From algebraic curves to ribbon disks and back
Abstract: There is a rich, symbiotic relationship between
knot theory and the study of algebraic curves in complex spaces. In particular,
intersecting an algebraic curve in C^2 with a three-sphere of constant radius
yields a knot or link that contains useful information about the algebraic
curve. We'll look at a thirty-year-old conjecture about the relationship
between different knots associated to the same algebraic curve. Using a simple
construction, we'll show that the conjecture is false and that counterexamples
are quite common.