IAS Lecture: Morse Complexity of Homology Classes
Guest Lecturer: Professor Shmuel Weinberger, USA
How Complex Are the Fundamental Structures Underlying Manifolds?
The Institute of Advanced Studies invites you to the lecture by Professor Shmuel Weinberger, from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Chicago.
Professor Weinberger is visiting Tel Aviv University as part of the IAS Distinguished Lectures in Mathematics series 2025–2026 and will speak at the Geometry and Dynamics Seminar of the School of Mathematical Sciences.
In his lecture on Morse complexity of homology classes, Prof Weinberger will discuss a refined approach to understanding the topology of manifolds. Building on Gromov’s 1970s pseudonorm and ideas inspired by Thurston, he will explore the concept of minimizing the number of critical points in a Morse function for a manifold representing a homology class. While this aligns with Gromov’s approach in dimension two, higher dimensions reveal striking differences.
The lecture will touch on connections to classical topology—including open book decompositions and surgery theory—representation theory, and elliptic operators, highlighting joint work with Manin and Tshishiku.
When: November 12, 2025 | 14:00
Where: Schreiber Building, Room 309
Light refreshments will be served before the lecture.
The lecture will be conducted in English and is open to the public.
View the invitation flyer
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