Prof. D. Kotschick: Seminar on the h-cobordism theorem

• Place and time (changed/corrected!): Mon 12--14 in B 039
• Summary: The h-cobordism theorem is one of the highlights of differential topology. It states that, for simply connected compact smooth manifolds of dimension at least six, the classification of differentiable structures reduces to a classification up to a suitable kind of bordism. The proof we will discuss uses the modification of Morse functions. This is equivalent to the manipulation of handle decompositions.
  
• List of talks: Talks 1-4 contain background in Morse theory. Talks 5-12 contain the actual proof of the h-cobordism theorem.
  If all participants know Morse theory already, or if we should be short on speakers, then I would suggest leaving out the first four talks, and concentrating the seminar meetings on the later talks. If we have enough speakers, then we should cover all 12 talks.
• Intended audience: Master and PhD students of mathematics and/or physics.
• Prerequisites: Some knowledge of differential and algebraic topology.
• References:
  [M1] J.W. Milnor: Morse Theory, Princeton University Press
  [M2] J.W. Milnor: Lectures on the h-Cobordism Theorem, Princeton University Press
  
• Special note because of Covid-19 restrictions: The time and format of meetings is still to be determined, and I will take into consideration participants' preferences. To get access to information about the seminar, you need to sign up by email. To do so, please send me an email adhering closely to the following format:
  Recipient: D.Kotschick@lmu.de
  subject line: h-Cobordism Seminar
  In the body of the message please write the following data, in the order given here:
  Last name, First name,
  Email address,
  Matriculation number,
  Course of study (e.g. master mathematics, or TMP).
  Please indicate at least two talks from the above list that you would be willing to give, perhaps with preferences, if you have any.