Tue, 27 May 2014

15:45 - 16:45
L4

The geometry of auctions and competitive equilibrium with indivisible goods

Elizabeth Baldwin
(Oxford)
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.

Wed, 12 Mar 2014

16:00 - 17:00
C6

Property (T) for SL<sub>n</sub>(&#8484;)

Henry Bradford
(Oxford)
Abstract
Kazhdan's Property (T) is a powerful property of groups, with many useful consequences. Probably the best known examples of groups with (T) are higher rank lattices. In this talk I will provide a proof that for n ≥ 3, SLn(ℤ) has (T). A nice feature of the approach I will follow is that it works entirely within the world of discrete groups: this is in contrast to the classical method, which relies on being able to embed a group as a lattice in an ambient Lie group.
Mon, 03 Mar 2014
14:00
C6

Generalised metrisable spaces and the normal Moore space conjecture

Robert Leek
(Oxford)
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?

Wed, 26 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:00
C6

Volumes of representations of 3-manifold groups.

Claudio Llosa Isenrich
(Oxford)
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.

Mon, 24 Feb 2014
14:00
C6

Elementary submodels in topology

Richard Lupton
(Oxford)
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.

Wed, 19 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:00
C6

Embedding symplectic manifolds in comlpex projective space

Manuel Araújo
(Oxford)
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.

Wed, 12 Feb 2014

16:00 - 17:00
C6

Automatic Groups

Giles Gardam
(Oxford)
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).

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