Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: 106 McAllister Building
Name: Dusa McDuff
Affiliation: SUNY Stony Brook
Title: Symplectic Characteristic Classes
Abstract: This talk will explain various methods that can be used to calculate the homotopy of groups of symplectomorphisms and diffeomorphisms. For example the action homomorphism can be used to understand π1 of the symplectomorphism group of a toric manifold M (joint work with Sue Tolman). By using the coupling class and various Gromov-Witten classes one can also compare the homotopy of the groups of symplectomorphisms and diffeomorphisms of a blow up.
