Geometry, Topology and Dynamics Seminar
Miriam Kuzbary
Amherst College
Heegaard Floer homology and the word metric on the Torelli group
Abstract: Since its inception, Heegaard Floer homology has been an invaluable tool for the study of 3- and 4- manifolds. Diffeomorphisms of surfaces (up to isotopy) are inherent to its construction; however, more remains to be explored about how invariants in Heegaard Floer homology interact with techniques and structures in mapping class groups of surfaces. In this talk, I will discuss work with Santana Afton and Tye Lidman where we study the relationship between the Heegaard Floer homology correction terms of integral homology spheres and the word metric on the Torelli group and discover some surprising phenomena.
Wednesday March 18, 2026 at 3:00 PM in 636 SEO