HL Cone, Foams, and Graph Coloring | ICTS

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Seminar
Speaker
Amit Kumar (Louisiana State University, United States)
Date & Time
Thu, 03 April 2025, 16:00 to 17:30
Venue
Chern Lecture Hall
Resources
Abstract

We begin with a review of the modern perspective on graph coloring, which appeared in the work of Kronheimer-Mrowka and Khovanov-Robert. Next, we outline how the work of Treuman-Zaslow and Caslas-Zaslow led to graph coloring being seen as topological defects labeled by the elements of Klein-Four Group. This highlights the quantum nature of graph coloring, namely, it satisfies the sum over all the possible intermediate state properties of a path integral. In our case, the topological field theory (TFT) with defects gives meaning to it. This TFT has the property that when evaluated on a planar trivalent graph, it provides the number of Tait-Coloring of it. Defects can be considered as a generalization of groups. With the Klein-four group as a 1-defect condition, we reinterpret graph coloring as sections of a certain cover, distinguishing a coloring (global-sections) from a coloring process (local-sections), and give a new formulation of some of Tait's work.

Zoom link: https://icts-res-in.zoom.us/j/91318289557?pwd=lt0FdplW8TdUvAhKHO7vu7RE8cNnhs.1
Meeting ID: 913 1828 9557
Passcode: 000691