Topology Seminar: Patrick Dehornoy

  • Date: 07/03/2014
  • Time: 15:15
Lecturer(s):
Patrick Dehornoy, Université de Caen
Location: 

University of British Columbia

Topic: 

Laver Tables

Description: 

Discovered (or invented?) by Richard Laver in the 1990s, the tables that are now known as Laver tables are finite structures obeying the self-distributivity law x(yz)=(xy)(xz). Although their construction is totally explicit, some of their combinatorial properties are (so far) established only using unprovable set theoretical axioms, a quite unusual and paradoxical situation. We shall explain the construction of Laver tables, their connection with set theory, and their potential applications in low-dimensional topology via the recent computation of some associated cocycles.

Other Information: 

Location: ESB 4133

 

 

Prof. Dehornoy will also be giving a special lecture, sponsored by the French Consulate, PWIAS and PIMS on Monday, July 7, at 5pm in ESB1012. Reception afterwards (please RSVP at the PIMS website).