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Directed graph algebras have long been studied as tractable examples of C*-algebras, but they are limited by their inability to have torsion in their K_1 group. Graphs of groups, which are famed in geometric group theory because of their intimate connection with group actions on trees, are a more recent addition to the C*-algebra scene. In this talk, I will introduce the child of these two concepts – directed graphs of groups – and describe how their algebras inherit the best properties of its parents’, with a view to outlining how we can use these algebras to model a class of C*-algebras (stable UCT Kirchberg algebras) which is classified completely by K-theory.

Jochen Koenigsmann’s Habilitation introduced a classification of fields elementarily characterised by their absolute Galois groups, including two conjecturally empty families. The emptiness of one of these families would follow from a Galois cohomological conjecture concerning radically closed fields formulated by Koenigsmann. A promising approach to resolving this conjecture involves the use of local-global principles in Galois cohomology. This talk examines the conceptual foundations of this method, highlights its relevance to Koenigsmann’s classification, and evaluates existing local-global principles with regard to their applicability to this conjecture.

The set $M_n(\mathbb{R})$ of all $n \times n$ matrices over the real numbers is an example of an algebraic structure called a $C^*$-algebra. The subalgebra $D$ of diagonal matrices has special properties and is called a \emph{Cartan subalgebra} of $M_n(\mathbb{R})$. Given an arbitrary $C^*$-algebra, it can be very hard (but also very rewarding) to find a Cartan subalgebra, if one exists at all. However, if the $C^*$-algebra is generated by a cocycle $c$ and a group (or groupoid) $G$, then it is natural to look within $G$ for a subgroup (or subgroupoid) $S$ that may give rise to a Cartan subalgebra. In this talk, we identify sufficient conditions on $S$ and $c$ so that the subalgebra generated by $(S,c)$ is indeed a Cartan subalgebra of the $C^*$-algebra generated by $(G,c)$. We then apply our theorem to $C^*$-algebras generated by $k$-graphs, which are directed graphs in higher dimensions. This is joint work with J. Briones Torres, A. Duwenig, L. Gallagher, E. Gillaspy, S. Reznikoff, H. Vu, and S. Wright.

 Structural properties of C*-Algebras such as Stable Rank One, Real Rank Zero, and radius of comparison have played an important role in classification.  Crossed product C*-Algebras are useful examples to study because knowledge of the base Algebra can be leveraged to determine properties of the crossed product.  In this talk we will discuss the permanence of various structural properties when taking crossed products of several types.  Crossed products considered will include the usual C* crossed product by a group action along with generalizations such as crossed products by a partial automorphism.  

This talk is based on joint work with Julian Buck and N. Christopher Phillips and on joint work with Maria Stella Adamo, Marzieh Forough, Magdalena Georgescu, Ja A Jeong, Karen Strung, and Maria Grazia Viola.

The Zappa–Szép (ZS) product of two groupoids is a generalization of the semi-direct product: instead of encoding one groupoid action by homomorphisms, the ZS product groupoid encodes two (non-homomorphic, but “compatible”) actions of the groupoids on each other. I will show how to construct the ZS product of two twists over such groupoids and give an example using Weyl twists from Cartan pairs arising from Kumjian--Renault theory.

 Based on joint work with Boyu Li, New Mexico State University

A self-similar k-graph is a pair consisting of a (discrete countable) group and a k-graph, such that the group acts on the k-graph self-similarly. For such a pair, one can associate it with a universal C*-algebra, called the self-similar k-graph C*-algebra. This class of C*-algebras embraces many important and interesting C*-algebras,  such as the higher rank graph C*-algebras of Kumjian-Pask, the Katsura algebras,  the Nekrashevych algebras constructed from self-similar groups, and the Exel-Pardo algebra. 

In this talk, we will survey some results on self-similar k-graph C*-algebras. 

In 1989, Mazur defined the deformation functor associated to a residual Galois representation, which played an important role in the proof by Wiles of the modularity theorem. This was used as a basis over which many mathematicians constructed variations both to further specify it or to expand the contexts where it can be applied. These variations proved to be powerful tools to obtain many strong theorems, in particular of modular nature. In this talk I will give an overview of the deformation theory of Galois representations and describe two variants of Mazur's functor that allow one to properly deform reducible residual representations (which is one of the shortcomings of Mazur's original functor). Namely, I will present the theory of determinant-laws initiated by Bellaïche-Chenevier on the one hand, and an idea developed by Calegari-Emerton on the other.
If time permits, I will also describe results that seem to indicate a possible comparison between the two seemingly unrelated constructions.

I will survey Cartan respectively diagonal subalgebras of nuclear C*-algebras. This setup corresponds to a presentation of the ambient C*-algebra as an amenable groupoid C*-algebra, which in turn means that there is an underlying structure akin to an amenable topological dynamical system.

The existence of such subalgebras is tightly connected to the UCT problem; the classification of Cartan pairs is largely uncharted territory. I will present new constructions of diagonals of the Jiang-Su algebra Z and of the Cuntz algebra O_2, and will then focus on distinguishing Cantor Cartan subalgebras of O_2.

A complex irreducible admissible representation of a reductive p-adic group is typically infinite-dimensional. To quantify the "size" of such representations, we introduce the concept of canonical dimension. To do so we have to discuss the Moy-Prasad filtrations. These are natural filtrations of the parahoric subgroups. Next, we relate the canonical dimension to the Harish-Chandra local character expansion, which expresses the distribution character of an irreducible representation in terms of nilpotent orbital integrals. Using this, we consider the wavefront set of a representation. This is an invariant the naturally arises from the local character expansion. We conclude by explaining why the canonical dimension might be considered a weaker but more computable alternative to the wavefront set.