EVENT DETAILS AND ABSTRACT

Title: The Hilbert scheme of points on affine space
Speaker: Burt Totaro
Speaker Info: UCLA
Brief Description:
Special Note:
Abstract:

I will discuss the Hilbert scheme of d points in affine n-space, with some examples. This is a "configuration space" with a simple description as a space of ideals in the polynomial ring, but it has been largely mysterious for n greater than 2. We determine the homotopy type of the Hilbert scheme in a range of dimensions, using the homotopy theory of algebraic stacks. Many questions remain. (Joint work with Marc Hoyois, Joachim Jelisiejew, Denis Nardin, Maria Yakerson.)