The Weil representation leads one to consider certain Lie groups that arise as universal covers of matrix groups. I will give some examples of how these arise in topology, describing first a theorem of W. Meyer about the signature of surface bundles, and then a more recent theorem about 3-manifolds that involves a more subtle characteristic class. This is joint work with Amina Abdurrahman.
Rademacher Lectures
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 - 3:45pm
Akshay Venkatesh
Institute for Advanced Study