Differential Geometry Seminar Schedule for
Spring 2011
Fridays 3:00 - 3:50pm, SH 6617
4/8 Paul Feehan, Rutgers University
``American-style options, stochastic volatility, and degenerate variational inequalities"
Abstract: Elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations arising in option pricing problems involving the Cox-Ingersoll-Ross or Heston stochastic processes are well-known to be degenerate parabolic. We provide a report on our work on the existence, uniqueness, and regularity questions for stationary and evolutionary variational equalities and inequalities (obstacle problems) involving degenerate elliptic and parabolic differential operators and applications to American-style option pricing problems for the Heston model, as well as stochastic representations for the solutions. This is joint work with Panagiota Daskalopoulos (Department of Mathematics, Columbia University) and Camelia Pop (Department of Mathematics, Rutgers University).
4/22 Changfeng Gui, University of Connecticut, visiting UCI
``Minimal surfaces, Mean curvature solitons and the Allen-Cahn
equation"
Abstract: In this talk, I will talk about the connection between the
minimal surfaces, mean curvature solitons and the Allen-Cahn
equation. Namely, the level sets of stationary and traveling wave
solutions of the Allen-Cahn equation resemble minimal surfaces and
translating mean curvature surfaces respectively. Some analogous
results for stationary Allen-Cahn equation as for minimal surfaces
are shown rigorously, as conjectured by De Giorgi. Recently, some
progresses are made on the traveling wave solutions as well. In
particular, it is shown that any monotone traveling wave solutions
must be symmetric in dimension 2. More investigation is needed to
understand the deep connection.
4/26, 27, 28 Please attend the Distinguished Lecture by Jeff Cheeger
Lecture 1: QUANTITATIVE DIFFERENTIATION
Lecture 2: LIPSCHITZ MAPS TO $L_1$
Lecture 3: CURVATURE ESTIMATES FOR K\"AHLER-EINSTEIN MANIFOLDS
Abstract: The lectures will deal with the notion of {\it quantitative differentiation} and its
applications. The simplest instance concerns functions $f:[0,1]\to \R$ with $|f'|\leq 1$.
The basic assertion, which appears
in work of Peter Jones from 1988, can be paraphrased as stating that in a precise quantitative sense, "$f$
is as close as one likes to being linear at most locations and scales". In the first lecture, it will be explained how
the above is actually a particular case of something considerably more general.
An "axiomatic" formulation
is given in an appendix to a joint paper with B. Kleiner and A. Naor.
This paper is discussed in the second lecture. The specific quantitative differentiation result
concerns Lipschitz maps from the Heisenberg group to $L_1$.
It turns out that there is an application to theoretical computer science. In the third lecture we will explain a quantitative differentiation result in
riemannian geometry, which leads to curvature estimates for
K\"ahler-Einstein manifolds off sets of small volume.
5/5 Please attend the Colloquium by Wolfgang Ziller
Title: Manifolds with positive curvature
Abstract: Over the last 10 years the question of which manifolds do or do not admit positive curvature
has been studied extensively under the presence of a large symmetry group.
We will review some of the results, discuss a recent new example of positive curvature, and an obstruction
as well.
5/6 John Lott, UC Berkeley
``Remarks on optimal transport and geometry"
10/14 Yanir Rubinstein, Stanford University
``"
Abstract:
Differential Geometry Seminar Schedule for
Winter 2011
Fridays 3:00 - 3:50pm, SH 6617
1/28 Peng Wu, UCSB
``On gradient steady Ricci solitons"
Abstract: Ricci soliton are natural extension of Einstein manifolds, they are also
possible singularity models of the Ricci flow. Recently there are a lot of
work on geometry/topology of Ricci solitons and their classifications. In
this talk, I will derive an estimate for potential function of complete
noncompact gradient steady Ricci solitons. As a consequence, we show there
is no nontrivial complete noncompact gradient steady Ricci soliton with
bounded potential function or uniformly positive scalar curvature.
2/25 James Isenberg, University of Oregon
``Ricci Flow on NonCompact Surfaces (Plus Comments on Kaluza-Klein Ricci Flow on Surfaces)"
3/4 Dan Knopf, University of Texas, Austin
``Ricci flow through singularities"
Abstract: We construct and describe smooth forward Ricci flow evolutions of singular initial metrics resulting from rotationally symmetric neckpinches, without performing an intervening surgery. In the restrictive context of rotational symmetry, our construction gives evidence in favor of Perelman's hope for a "canonically defined Ricci flow through singularities." This is joint work with Sigurd Angenent and Cristina Caputo.
3/11 Yu Zheng, East China Normal University, visiting UCI
``On the curvature preserving under the Ricci flow"
Differential Geometry Seminar Schedule for
Fall 2010
Fridays 3:00 - 3:50pm, SH 6617
10/8 Christina Sormani, CUNY Lehman College and Graduate Center
``The Intrinsic Flat Convergence of Riemannian Manifolds"
Abstract: We define a new distance between oriented Riemannian manifolds that we call the intrinsic flat distance based upon Ambrosio-Kirchheim's theory of integral currents on metric spaces. Limits of sequence of manifolds, with a uniform upper bound on their volumes, the volumes of their boundaries and diameters are countably Hm rectifiable metric spaces with an orientation and multiplicity that we call integral current spaces.
In general the Gromov-Hausdorff and intrinsic flat limits do not agree. However, we show that they do agree when the sequence of manifolds has nonnegative Ricci curvature and a uniform lower bound on volume and also when the sequence of manifolds has a uniform linear local geometric contractibility function. These results are proven using work of Greene-Petersen, Gromov, Cheeger-Colding and Perelman.
We present an example of three manifolds with positive scalar curvature constructed using Gromov-Lawson connected sums attaching two standard 3 spheres with increasingly many tiny wormholes which converge in the Gromov Hausdorff sense to the standard three sphere but in the intrinsic flat sense to the 0 space due to the cancelling orientation of the two spheres. We conjecture this cannot occur if we exclude spaces with interior minimal surfaces.
This is joint work with S. Wenger.
11/12 Xianzhe Dai, UCSB
``An Introduction to Orbifolds"
Abstract: Orbifolds are generalizations of smooth manifolds which allow finite quotient singularities.
It is a very useful generalization that appears often in math and physics. On the other hand,
it does not require significantly new technical tools to deal with. We will start with the basics
of the theory and end with the orbifold index theorem.
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