An SU(n) Casson-Lin invariant for links

LA Joint Topology Seminar - Double Header (Held at UCLA)

Monday, November 26, 2012 : 4:00pm to 5:00pm

UCLA
MS 6229


LA Joint Topology Seminar (Double Header) H. Boden & C. Gordon

Hans Boden, McMaster University,

Abstract:

This talk will describe some recent joint work with Eric Harper defining a family of invariants of links in S^3 in terms of irreducible projective SU(N) representations of the link group. We will explain the compactness and irreducibility results needed to construct the invariants and outline how they can be computed in terms of braid representatives of the link.