Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

Since Jones introduced his knot polynomial using representation theory, there has been a wide variety of invariants defined this way, e.g., HOMFLY-PT and Reshetikhin-Turaev. Recently, through the work of Bonahon-Wong and Constantino-Le, some of these invariants are reinterpreted as quantum matrices. In this talk, we will review the history of these representation theoretical knot invariants. Then we will discuss one particular connection to the quantum special linear group.

Growth control establishes organism size, requiring mechanisms to sense and adjust growth. Studies of single cells revealed that size homeostasis uses distinct control methods: Size, Timer, and Adder. In multicellular organisms, mechanisms that regulate single cell growth must integrate control across organs and tissues during development to generate adult size and shape. We leveraged the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans as a scalable and tractable model to collect precise growth measurements of thousands of individuals, measure feeding behavior, and quantify changes in animal size and shape. Using quantitative measurements and mathematical modeling, we propose two models of physical mechanisms by which C. elegans can control growth. First, constraints on cuticle stretch generate mechanical signals through which animals sense body size and initiate larval-stage transitions. Second, mechanical control of food intake drives growth rate within larval stages. These results suggest how physical constraints control developmental timing and growth rate in C. elegans.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.01.438121v2

Recording link: https://bluejeans.com/s/9NyLSfq4tGD

Donaldson’s Diagonalization Theorem has been used extensively over the past 15 years as an obstructive tool. For example, it has been used to obstruct: rational homology 3-spheres from bounding rational homology 4-balls; knots from being (smoothly) slice; and knots from bounding (smooth) Mobius bands in the 4-ball. In this multi-part series, we will see how this obstruction works, while getting into the weeds with concrete calculations that are usually swept under the rug during research talks.

I will revisit the relation between Anosov 3-flows and invariant volume forms, from a contact geometric point of view. Consequently, I will give a contact geometric characterization of when a flow with dominated splitting is Anosov based on its divergence, as well as a Reeb dynamical interpretation of when such flows are volume preserving. Moreover, I will discuss the implications of this study on the surgery theory of Anosov 3-flows. In particular, I will conclude that the Goodman-Fried surgery of Anosov flows can be reconstructed, using a bi-contact surgery of Salmoiraghi.