18.969: Topics in Geometry (Fall 2009)

This course will discuss aspects of Gromov-Witten theory and related algebraic structures. A course outline is here.

Lecture notes:

Chapter 1 (Configuration spaces, operad structures, compactification)

  • Lecture 1, by Kartik Venkatram, with figures.
  • Lecture 2, by Anatoly Preygel.
  • Lecture 3, by Dale Winter.
  • Lecture 4, by PS. Parts one, two, three.

    • Chapter 2 (Deligne-Mumford spaces in genus zero, gravitational descendants)

  • Lecture 5, by Steven Sam.
  • Lecture 6, by PS, with an important correction.
  • Lecture 7, by Lu Wang.
  • Lecture 8, by PS. Parts one, two (this part is not particularly good, and can be skipped without any problems), three. Alternatively, notes by John Lesieutre.
  • Lecture 9, by Fang Wang.

    • Chapter 3 (Genus zero Gromov-Witten theory, gravitational descendants)

  • Lecture 10, by PS, parts one and two.
  • Lecture 11, by Eric Marberg.
  • Lecture 12, by Josh Batson and PS.
  • Lecture 13, by PS. Part one, two.
  • Lecture 14, by Josh Batson.
  • Lecture 15, by PS.
  • Lecture 16, by Nick Sheridan.