Speaker Professor Jason Lotay from Oxford University

Abstract 3-Sasakian 7-manifolds admit two natural Einstein metrics with positive scalar curvature, both of which are induced by special structures in 7 dimensions known as nearly parallel G2-structures.  Up to scaling, Einstein metrics are critical points for the Ricci flow and nearly parallel G2-structures are critical points for two different flows in G2 geometry: the Laplacian flow and the Laplacian coflow.  In this talk, I will describe how the behaviour is very different for each of these flows on 3-Sasakian 7-manifolds, particularly in terms of the stability and instability of the critical points. This is joint work with A. Kennon.

Graduate students are encouraged to attend.