Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

Branched covers are a generalization of covering spaces, and give rise to interesting questions in smooth as well as contact topology. All 3 manifolds arise as branched coverings of the 3-sphere. The talk will involve a discussion of the proof of this fact due to Montesinos, and will explore the work done towards understanding which contact 3 manifolds arise as the branched cover of the standard tight 3 sphere, and how the branch set can be regulated.