Universiteit Leiden Mathematisch Instituut
Geometry Seminar

Tuesday, 5 December 2006, 15:00 - 16:00, room 401.

Maxim Hendriks: Automorphisms of surfaces.

Abstract:

In which ways can one map a surface homeomorphically to itself? This topological question is the beginning of an entire area. For my master's thesis I studied pieces of it. I will explain what a mapping class group is, I will describe some of these groups and I will discuss a specific question known as Nielsen's realisation problem. Like with many topological subjects the results are very insightful and beautiful pictures will come into play.