Categorical shadows lurking behind integral formulas for genera
Domenico Fiorenza (Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza")
Abstract: Professor Friedrich: And so, if you have a complex genus taking rational values, i.e., a ring homomorphism from the complex cobordism ring to the field Q of rational numbers, you have an integral formula expressing it.
The Categorist: If a formula is true, it must be expressed by a commutative diagram.
Professor Friedrich: But my formula is true!
The Categorist: Then it must be expressed by a commutative diagram.
Professor Friedrich: Show me.
The Categorist: Let us consider the category of spectra…
Professor Friedrich: And so?
The Categorist: Well… I don’t see a commutative diagram here.
Professor Friedrich: And so?
The Categorist: And so your formula must be false.
Professor Friedrich: But my formula is true!
The Categorist: Impossible.
Sir Michael: There is something I think I know on the Spanier-Whitehead dual of a smooth manifold that may happen to be of some relevance here.
(Emil Ionesco, Triceratops)
category theory
Audience: researchers in the topic
Series comments: ItaCa Fest is an online webinar aimed to gather the community of ItaCa.
Organizer: | Progetto ItaCa* |
*contact for this listing |