The problem of the homotopy invariance of configuration spaces

The problem of the homotopy invariance of configuration spaces

Thu, 29/10/2009
12:00 		George Raptis (Oxford) Junior Geometry and Topology Seminar Add to calendar SR1
The problem of the homotopy invariance of configuration spaces
The talk is about the homotopy type of configuration spaces. Once upon a time there was a conjecture that it is a homotopy invariant of closed manifolds. I will discuss the strong evidence supporting this claim, together with its recent disproof by a counterexample. Then I will talk about the corrected version of the original conjecture.