Algebra/Topology Seminar

Speaker: Maximilian Stegemeyer

Title: How (non-)trivial is the string topology coproduct?

Abstract: The string topology coproduct is often perceived as a
counterpart in string topology to the Chas-Sullivan product. However,
in certain aspects the string topology coproduct is much harder to
understand than the Chas-Sullivan product. In particular the coproduct
is not homotopy-invariant and it seems much harder to compute. In this
talk I will give an overview over the string topology coproduct and
show that the string topology coproduct is trivial for products of
spheres and higher rank simply connected Lie groups by using Morse
theory for the free loop space of compact symmetric spaces.