TOPICS IN DIFFERENTIAL TOPOLOGY

MATH 753

Higher homotopy groups, elements of obstruction theory, fibrations, bundle theory, classifying spaces, applications to smooth mainfolds, differential forms, vector bundles, characteristic classes, cobordism, applications and calculations. Basic graduate topology courses (e.g.MATH 751and752) are strongly recommended.

MATH 751

An introduction to algebraic and differential topology. Elements of homotopy theory, fundamental group, covering spaces. Differentiable manifolds, tangent vectors, regular values, transversality, examples of compact Lie groups. Homological algebra, chain complexes, cell complexes, singular and cellular homology, calculations for surfaces, spheres, projective spaces, etc. Familiarity with undergraduate algebra and topologyMATH 541or551) is strongly recommended.

MATH 621

Integration in Euclidean spaces, change of variables, multilinear algebra, vector fields and differential forms, manifolds and tangent spaces, integration on manifolds, Stokes theorem. Classical vector analysis. Cauchy integral theorem.

MATH 765

Covers the metric properties of Riemannian manifolds. The following topics will be covered: Vector bundles and connections, Riemannian metrics, submanifolds and second fundamental form, first variation of arc length, geodesics, Hopf-Rinow theorem, second variation of arc length, Jacobi fields and index lemmas, Bonnet-Meyer theorem, Rauch comparison theorem, spaces of constant curvature, Hodge-de Rham theory. Familiarity with the topics in a differential manifolds course (e.g.MATH 761) is strongly recommended.

MATH 761

Differentiable manifolds, vector bundles, implicit function theorem, submersions and immersions, vector fields and flows, foliations and Frobenius theorem, differential forms and exterior calculus, integration and Stokes' theorem, De Rham theory, Riemannian metrics. Familiarity with basic undergraduate analysis coursesMATH 521and522orMATH 621) is strongly recommended.