Universität Zürich Topology Seminar (Fall 2026)
Universität Zürich Topology Seminar (Fall 2026)
Day/Time: Tuesdays at 2:00pm
Location: Y27H26
November 3rd: Simon Riche (Clermont Auvergne University)
Title and abstract TBA.
February 17th: Aleksei Andreev (UZH)
Title: Homological construction of Kerler--Lyubashenko TQFT
Abstract: In the 90s, Lawrence initiated a program aimed at providing a homological interpretation of quantum invariants in order to understand their topological nature. The main idea is to reinterpret those invariants as some natural objects of classical algebraic topology. In particular, representations of quantum groups can be realized as some twisted homology of configuration spaces of surfaces. These homology groups naturally form representations of mapping class groups, and it was recently shown that, for a specific choice of coefficients, it recovers a projective version of Lyubashenko’s mapping class group representation. This representation is a part of a 3-dimensional non-semisimple TQFT, which raises the question of whether it admits a reformulation in the topological setting.
In my talk I will answer this question by providing a natural homological action of cobordisms using their multi-trajectory spaces and Juhasz’ presentation of cobordism categories. In the first part of the talk I will introduce the presentation and use it to formulate Donaldson’s TQFT as a basic example of a homological TQFT. In the second part I will sketch the topological interpretation of the Kerler--Lyubashenko TQFT and show that it can be viewed as a natural deformation of the Donaldson’s TQFT.
February 24th, 3-4pm: Aleksei Andreev (UZH), cont.
Note the time change!
March 10th: Pavel Mnev (University of Notre Dame)
Title: Contribution of non-acyclic flat connections in Chern-Simons theory and invariants of 3-manifolds
Abstract: Perturbative path integral of Chern-Simons theory on a 3-manifold M, accounting for fluctuations around a flat connection A, can be used to construct a volume form on the smooth irreducible stratum of the moduli space of flat connections. This volume form a priori depends on a choice of metric on M. However, a change of metric changes the volume form by an exact form. Thus, one obtains invariants of 3-manifolds, as volumes of smooth irreducible components of the moduli space. The talk is based on a joint work with Konstantin Wernli, arXiv:2510.18653, arxiv:2512.17638.
April 14th: Ivelina Bobtcheva (UZH)
Title: Invariants of 2-complexes coming from finite dimensional Hopf algebras over fields
Abstract: I will present the proof that TQFT's deriving from functors from the bordisms category of 2-equivalence classes of 2-dimensional CW-complexes into finite symmetric $k$-linear abelian categories over algebraically closed fields of characteristic 0 produce only homotopy invariants. The proof is based on the algebraic presentation of the category of bordisms of 2-complexes and on a result of Deligne according to which the above categories are of supergroup type. The work is part of a joint project with Anna Beliakova and Marco De Renzi.
May 5th: Leon Goertz (University of Hamburg)
Title: Invariants of 4-dimensional 2-handlebodies from surface skein TQFTs
Abstract: Generalizing structures arising in the construction of Khovanov homology, Asaeda–Frohman and Kaiser introduced the surface skein module of a 3-manifold M, spanned by decorated surfaces with relations determined by a commutative Frobenius algebra. These skein modules form the state spaces of a (2,3,3+ε)-dimensional TQFT, which can be partially extended to dimension 4 via an inductive state-sum construction following Walker.
In this talk, I will introduce surface skein theory and outline the construction of this TQFT and its extension to 4-dimensional 2-handlebodies. Finally, I will emphasize the case of the Frobenius algebra underlying Lee’s deformation of Khovanov homology.
May 19th, 1:15-2:15pm: Luke Conners (UZH)
Note the time change!
Title: Categorified Link Invariants from Representation Theory
Abstract: I will discuss the family of link invariants arising from the representation theory of the general linear Lie superalgebras gl(m|n), focusing mostly on the Reshetikhin--Turaev link polynomials and their categorification to the Khovanov--Rozansky link homologies. Many relationships among these polynomials follow from their status as specializations of the HOMFLY polynomial, and I will discuss known and conjectural categorifications of these specializations. I will close by discussing ongoing joint work with Ben-Micheal Kohli in which we fit new approaches to the Links--Gould polynomials into this framework by two avenues: automorphisms of braided Hopf algebras and stable MOY calculus.
May 26th: Anna Beliakova (UZH)
Title: Habiro’s unification and non-semisimple invariants
Abstract: We will review seminal papers of Habiro, giving an expansion of the universal sl(2) link invariant and a construction of unified WRT invariants. In some special cases we will relate this construction to the non-semisimple ADO and CGP invariants, Luke spoke about last week, and finish by formulating few explicit conjectures.
November 4th: Muze Ren (UZH)
Title: Reduced coaction Lie algebra and double shuffle Lie algebra
Abstract: In the study of intersections of curves on surfaces, the Goldman-Turaev Lie bialgebra and its noncommutative analogue, the necklace Lie bialgebra play a fundamental role. The reduced coaction was introduced as a refinement of those cobrackets. I will introduce a Lie algebra consists of skew-symmetric solutions to a noncommutative differential equation involving reduced coaction. The double shuffle Lie algebra is a number theoretic object introduced by Racinet to study the relations in multiple zeta values and multiple polylogarithms. I will discuss the relation between those two Lie algebras, one in surface topology, one in number theory.
The talk is based on a joint work with M. Howarth, see also the preprints arxiv.2504.17416, arxiv.2509.20275
November 18th: Ben-Michael Kohli (Université de Genève)
Title: Alexander and Jones-type properties of the Links-Gould invariant of links
Abstract: The Links-Gould polynomial is a two-variable link invariant derived from the quantum supergroup Uq(sl(2|1)). As such, LG has a “hybrid” flavor between the Jones and Alexander polynomials. Thus one can wonder what properties of the Jones polynomial and what properties of the Alexander polynomial are inherited by LG. Several recent results have shown that the Links-Gould invariant shares some of the Alexander polynomial’s most geometric features—a surprising fact for a quantum invariant. In this talk, we will review these properties, then focus on proving that the Links-Gould polynomial and its colored counterparts provide lower bounds for the 3-genus of a knots that are quite precise. In particular, the 2-colored Links-Gould polynomial provides a genus bound that is sharp for all 58 million prime knots with up to 18 crossings.
November 25th: Gwenael Massuyeau (Institut de Mathématiques de Bourgogne)
Title: The twist group and the Lie algebra of tree diagrams with beads
Abstract: Let V be a 3-dimensional handlebody. The twist group of V is the subgroup of the handlebody group (i.e., the mapping class group of V) that acts trivially on the fundamental group of V. The natural action of the handlebody group on (a Malcev-like completion of) the fundamental group of ∂V defines an embedding of the twist group into a Lie algebra of ``special derivations'', which can also be described as a Lie algebra of ``tree diagrams with beads''. At the graded level, we obtain analogues of the Johnson homomorphisms, whose images are constrained by analogues of Morita's traces (or ``divergence cocycles'' as in the Kashiwara-Vergne problem), providing new insights into the lower central series of the twist group. This is based on joint work with Kazuo Habiro, and ongoing work with Kazuo Habiro and Mai Katada.
December 2nd: Liam Rogel (University of Kaiserslautern-Landau)
Title: Computing Idempotents and Dimensions in the Asymptotic Hecke Category
Abstract: The diagrammatic Hecke category, introduced by Elias and Williamson, provides a categorical framework for studying Soergel bimodules using diagrams. We present results from recent joint work with Ben Elias and Dani Tubbenhauer on idempotents, traces, and dimensions in Hecke categories.
We begin by motivating general string-diagram notation for monoidal categories. We then define the diagrammatic Hecke category of Soergel bimodules and illustrate it with numerous examples. The main contribution of the paper is an algorithmic construction of clasp idempotents. Using these new idempotents, we define the asymptotic Hecke category and compute the dimensions of objects within it.
December 9th: Lukas Woike (Institut de Mathématiques de Bourgogne)
Title: Differential graded modular functors
Abstract: In my talk, I will present the construction of a chain complex valued modular functor from a non-semisimple modular category featuring homotopy coherent mapping class group representations and gluing laws using homotopy coends. This is a homotopy coherent version of Lyubashenko's well-known construction. Afterwards, I will cover in more detail the space of differential graded conformal blocks for the torus and its E_2 multiplicative structure generalizing the well-known Verlinde algebra. This is based on work with C. Schweigert from a few years ago.