Thu, November 15, 2018
1:50 pm - 2:50 pm
Enarson Classroom 240
Title: Profinite Completions and Representations of Groups
Speaker: Ryan Spitler (Purdue University)
Abstract: The profinite completion of a group encodes all of the information of the finite quotients of that group. A group is called profinitely rigid if it is determined up to isomorphism by its profinite completion. I will discuss some ways that the profinite completion can be used to understand linear representations of a group and applications to questions related to profinite rigidity. In particular, I will explain the role this plays in forthcoming work with Bridson, McReynolds, and Reid which establishes the profinite rigidity of the fundamental groups of certain hyperbolic 3-manifolds and orbifolds.