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Hodge theory and the Goldman-Turaev Lie bialgebra

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Monday, September 10, 2018
3:15 pm - 4:15 pm
Richard Hain
Geometry Topology Seminars

In the 1980s, Bill Goldman use intersection theory to define a Lie algebra structure on the free Z module L(X) generated by the closed geodesics on a hyperbolic surface X. This bracket is related to a formula for the Poisson bracket of functions on the variety of flat G-bundles over X. In related work (1970s and 1990s), Vladimir Turaev (with contributions by Kawazumi and Kuno in the 2000s) constructed a cobracket on L(X) that depends on the choice of a framing. In this talk, I will review the definition of the Goldman-Turaev Lie bialgebra of a framed surface and discuss its relevance to questions in other areas of mathematics. I'll discuss how Hodge theory can be applied to these questions. I may also discuss some related questions, such as the classification of mapping class group orbits of framings of a punctured surface.