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Lectures on exotic spheres (Summer Semester 2024)

One of the milestones in differential topology is Milnor’s discovery of exotic spheres (that is, smooth manifolds that are homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the standard sphere) and his subsequent classification of them in homotopy-theoretic terms together with Kervaire. Assuming only basic knowledge in algebraic and differential topology, this minicourse aims to explain these results and their proofs in detail. This will involve touching on a variety of key techniques in manifold topology along the way, such as surgery, characteristic classes, bordism theory, and stable homotopy theory.

This lecture series is part of the biweekly RTG day of the RTG 2229 Asymptotic Invariants and Limits of Groups and Spaces.

Schedule
Lecture: Tuesday 10:00-11:30 (every 2nd week) Mathematikon Heidelberg 5. OG Konferenzraum
Tuesday 15:15-16:45 (every 2nd week) Mathematikon Heidelberg 5. OG Konferenzraum