CR structures and their appearance in physics
Organizers
Speaker
Pawel Nurowski
Time
Friday, April 11, 2025 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Venue
A3-2-301
Online
Zoom 787 662 9899
(BIMSA)
Abstract
I will discuss how the notion of a CR structure has evolved over the past 100 years. In particular, I will argue that these are objects situated at the border of analysis and geometry. I will demonstrate how 3-dimensional and 5-dimensional nondegenerate CR structures of hypersurface type appear in General Relativity - or more generally, in conformal (Fefferman) or optical (Trautman) Lorentzian geometry. If time permits, I will also mention their relevance in nonholonomic mechanics. I also plan to explain what CR structures of higher codimension are, and I intend to show that, similar to nondegenerate CR structures of hypersurface type, some of them serve as examples of parabolic geometries.