The geometry of auctions and competitive equilibrium with indivisible goods
Abstract
Auctioneers may wish to sell related but different indivisible goods in
a single process. To develop such techniques, we study the geometry of
how an agent's demanded bundle changes as prices change. This object
is the convex-geometric object known as a `tropical hypersurface'.
Moreover, simple geometric properties translate directly to economic
properties, providing a new taxonomy for economic valuations. When
considering multiple agents, we study the unions and intersections of
the corresponding tropical hypersurfaces; in particular, properties of
the intersection are deeply related to whether competitive equilibrium
exists or fails. This leads us to new results and generalisations of
existing results on equilibrium existence. The talk will provide an
introductory tour to relevant economics to show the context of these
applications of tropical geometry. This is joint work with Paul
Klemperer.
Property (T) for SL<sub>n</sub>(ℤ)
Abstract
14:00
Generalised metrisable spaces and the normal Moore space conjecture
Abstract
We will introduce a few class of generalised metrisable
properties; that is, properties that hold of all metrisable spaces that
can be used to generalise results and are in some sense 'close' to
metrisability. In particular, we will discuss Moore spaces and the
independence of the normal Moore space conjecture - Is every normal
Moore space metrisable?
Volumes of representations of 3-manifold groups.
Abstract
In some of their recent work Derbez and Wang studied volumes of representations of 3-manifold groups into the Lie groups $$Iso_e \widetilde{SL_2(\mathbb{R})} \mbox{ and }PSL(2,\mathbb{C}).$$ They computed the set of all volumes of representations for a fixed prime closed oriented 3-manifold with $$\widetilde{SL_2(\mathbb{R})}\mbox{-geometry}$$ and used this result to compute some volumes of Graph manifolds after passing to finite coverings.
In the talk I will give a brief introduction to the theory of volumes of representations and state some of Derbez' and Wang's results. Then I will prove an additivity formula for volumes of representations into $$Iso_e \widetilde{SL_2(\mathbb{R})}$$ which enables us to improve some of the results of Derbez and Wang.
14:00
Elementary submodels in topology
Abstract
We explore the technique of elementary submodels to prove
results in topology and set theory. We will in particular prove the
delta system lemma, and Arhangelskii's result that a first countable
Lindelof space has cardinality not exceeding continuum.
Embedding symplectic manifolds in comlpex projective space
Abstract
I will explain why one can symplectically embed closed symplectic manifolds (with integral symplectic form) into CPn and compute the weak homotopy type of the space of all symplectic embeddings of such a symplectic manifold into CP∞.
Automatic Groups
Abstract
The notion of automatic groups emerged from conversations between Bill Thurston and Jim Cannon on the nice algorithmic properties of Kleinian groups. In this introductory talk we will define automatic groups and then discuss why they are interesting. This centres on how automatic groups subsume many other classes of groups (e.g. hyperbolic groups, finitely generated Coxeter groups, and braid groups) and have good properties (e.g. finite presentability, fast solution to the word problem, and type FP∞).
11:00