Return to Colloquia & Seminar listing
Configuration spaces and braid groups of graphs
Geometry/Topology| Speaker: | Aaron Abrams, U.C.Berkeley |
| Location: | 493 Kerr |
| Start time: | Wed, Jun 14 2000, 4:10PM |
The classical $n$-string braid group can be described as the fundamental group of a certain topological space, namely the configuration space of $n$ points in the plane. From this point of view we develop a theory of braid groups of graphs, based on studying the configuration spaces of points in a graph. A variety of topological, geometric, algebraic, and combinatorial properties will be investigated, and examples will be emphasized.