GT seminar: "Graph manifolds with rational homology ball fillings"

Abstract: The subfield of low-dimensional topology colloquially called "3.5-dimensional topology" studies closed 3-manifolds through the eyes of the 4-manifolds that they bound. This talk focusses on Casson's question of which rational homology 3-spheres bound rational homology 4-balls. Since rational homology 3-spheres bounding rational homology 4-balls is a rare phenomenon, we will discuss how to construct examples.

This is a seminar in our geometry and topology seminar series.