Higher Reidemeister Torsion

Original Announcement

In the last fifteen or so years, certain invariants for fiber bundles have been constructed in three different ways: analytically, homotopy theoretically and Morse theoretically. Depending on how the theory is presented, the invariants take value in either the cohomology of the base space, or in some version of higher algebraic K-theory. We group these invariants under the collective name, higher torsion.

This workshop will focus on the various kinds of the higher torsion. At the current time it is not yet known whether the different approaches lead to the same invariant; this is probably the most fundamental question in the subject. Therefore, we hope to bring together geometrically minded analysts and topologists with the hope of developing a common language.

More precisely, the workshop will focus on

• the problem of whether the three approaches coincide
• axioms for higher torsion
• the translation from the analytical to the topological approaches
• applications to various kinds of moduli problems.
• classification of fibre bundles and topology of Diff(M)

Material from the workshop

The workshop schedule.

A report on the workshop activities.

Papers arising from the workshop: