Prof. Ivan Smith
(Cambrigde)


Symplectic linear systems

Abstract:
This sequence of four lectures will discuss the geometry of Lefschetz fibrations on symplectic manifolds concentrating on dimension four. We will sketch Donaldson's approximately holomorphic geometry algebraic invariants (and perhaps categorical ones) and end by describing how to obtain symplectic surfaces in four manifolds using these methods. This in particular reproves various theorems of Taubes from Seiberg-Witten Theory.



Titles of lectures:
L1    Introduction to Lefschetz fibrations
L2    Approximately holomorphic geometry
L3    Algebraic Invariants
L4    Symmetric products and the canonical class