Chris Bowman: Tautological p-Kazhdan-Lusztig Theory for cyclotomic Hecke algebras

We discuss a new explicit isomorphism between (truncations of) quiver Hecke algebras and Elias-Williamson’s diagrammatic endomorphism algebras of Bott-Samelson bimodules. This allows us to deduce that the decomposition numbers of these algebras (including as examples the symmetric groups and generalised blob algebras) are tautologically equal to the associated p-Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials, provided that the characteristic is greater than the Coxeter number. This allows us to give an elementary and explicit proof of the main theorem of Riche-Williamson’s recent monograph and extend their categorical equivalence to cyclotomic Hecke algebras, thus solving Libedinsky-Plaza’s categorical blob conjecture.

Scott Larson: Small Resolutions of Closures of K-Orbits in Flag Varieties I

The geometry of closures of K-orbits in the flag variety governs key properties in representation theory of real reductive groups. For example, Kazhdan-Lusztig-Vogan polynomials and characteristic cycles of Harish-Chandra modules are of current interest but difficult to compute. Barbasch-Evens constructed resolutions for K-orbits on grassmannian flag varieties and found some small resolutions. We do the same thing for isotropic flag varieties of the symplectic group, where K=GLn. This leads us to describe natural resolutions for K-orbits, generalizing many constructions found in the literature.

Frances Kirwan: Variation of non-reductive geometric invariant theory

Mumford's geometric invariant theory (GIT) provides a method for constructing quotient varieties for linear actions of reductive groups on projective varieties. The GIT quotient depends on the choice of linearization for the group action, and this dependence was described using 'variation of GIT' (VGIT) by Thaddeus and Dolgachev & Hu in the 1990s. GIT has been extended to non-reductive actions; many of the nice features of classical GIT fail in general, but are satisfied given the extra data of a graded linearization for an action of a linear algebraic group with graded unipotent radical. The aim of this talk is to describe this picture and a version of VGIT which applies to it.

Jacob Lurie: Categorification of the Fourier Transform

In this talk, I will discuss the process of 'categorification'; that is, taking a known statement about concrete objects (like sets) and looking for a generalization (or analogue) in a more abstract setting. I will give some specific examples, beginning with the classical theory of the Fourier transform, and (if time permits) briefly discuss how the 'categorification' of this theory arises in geometric representation theory.

Jacob Lurie: Categorification of the Fourier Transform

In this talk, I will discuss the process of 'categorification'; that is, taking a known statement about concrete objects (like sets) and looking for a generalization (or analogue) in a more abstract setting. I will give some specific examples, beginning with the classical theory of the Fourier transform, and (if time permits) briefly discuss how the 'categorification' of this theory arises in geometric representation theory.