Reading course on Khovanov homology

This is an informal reading course on Khovanov homology and low-dimensional topology.
The main topic for Winter 2021 will be topology of singularities .
Organizers: Roger Casals , Eugene Gorsky , Laura Starkston .
The seminar meets on Thursdays at 1-2pm 3-4pm.
Older notes: Winter-Spring 2020 , Fall 2020 .

Program


1/7: Introductory meeting, A1 singularity notes

Problem set 1

1/14: Milnor fibration, vanishing cycles notes

1/21: Resolution of singularities Solutions to problems , notes

1/28: More on blow-ups notes, Solution to problem 4

Problem set 2

2/4: Plane curve singularities: Puiseaux expansion notes

2/11: Plane curve singularities: semigroup notes

2/18: Resolution of singularities: multiplicities notes

2/25: Resolution of singularities: intersection form notes

3/4: Monodromy, Seifert form

3/11: Zeta function and Alexander polynomial

Course materials

  1. J. Milnor. Singular Points of Complex Hypersurfaces.
  2. V. Arnold, S. Gusein-Zade, A. Varchenko.Singularities of Differentiable Maps (Volume 2).
  3. D. Eisenbud, W. Neumann. Three-Dimensional Link Theory and Invariants of Plane Curve Singularities.
  4. C. T. C. Wall. Singular Points of Plane Curves.