Ricci Solitons and Symmetry

Ricci solitons were introduced by Richard Hamilton in the 80's and they are a generalization of the better know Einstein metrics. During this talk we will define the notion of Ricci soliton and I will try to convince you that these metrics arise "naturally" in a number of different settings. I will also present various examples and talk a bit about some symmetry properties that Ricci solitons have.

Note: This talk is meant to be introductory and no prior knowledge about Einstein metrics will be assumed (or necessary).