RIKEN iTHEMS & AIPmath Special Lecture: Contact geometry in 3-dimensional space and higher

In mathematics, contact geometry is a type of geometry describing a variety of dynamical systems. They are the phase spaces of systems arising in geometric optics, semi-classical quantum systems, classical dynamics, and control theory. On the mathematical side, contact geometry relates to a variety of other geometric structures, such as Kahler geometry, smooth topology, and foliation theory. It can be especially interesting to look at contact geometry in 3-dimensional space, because we can explicitly visualize the spaces. Additionally, by connecting contact geometry with our understanding of 3-D topology, mathematicians have the ability to understand the large-scale structure of these spaces like never before.
The talk will introduce the basics of contact geometry and its applications. We'll particularly focus on the 3-dimensional case, while also mentioning some of the unique properties of higher-dimensional spaces which are recently being explored.

Registration required: Register before Wednesday, July 24, 15:00.