Model Theory Meets Geometric Group Theory
Model Theory meets GGT is a week-long conference aimed at bringing together young researchers in the areas of Model Theory and Geometric Group Theory. These two areas exhibit a rich interplay, and the mini-courses and research talks will be aimed to display topics in this intersection. Furthermore, there will be a lightning talks session in which all participants are encouraged to give a brief introduction to their own research and interests, so as to foster even more interaction between the participants.
Speakers
Mini courses:
Research Talks:
Crash Course on Model Theory:
Titles and Abstracts
Mini Courses:
Simon André: On the Tarski problem for free and hyperbolic groups
In the 1940s, Tarski posed the following question, known as the Tarski problem: are non-abelian free groups elementarily equivalent? This problem remained open for a long time and was finally solved by Sela using tools from geometric group theory (see also the work of Kharlampovich and Myasnikov). Then, Sela generalized his work to torsion-free hyperbolic groups (in the sense of Gromov) and gave a classification of the finitely generated groups that have the same elementary theory as a given torsion-free hyperbolic group. In this minicourse, I will discuss this classification and present partial generalizations to hyperbolic groups possibly with torsion, and to larger classes of groups (such as acylindrically hyperbolic groups).
Montse Casals: On the model theory of right-angled Artin groups
In this minicourse, we will discuss the problem of classification of groups up to universal and elementary equivalence. In the first lecture, we will review two classical examples, namely abelian and nilpotent groups; in the second one, we will characterise models of the universal theory from algebraic and geometric points of view. In the last lecture, we will center on the classification of right-angled Artin groups up to their universal and elementary theories.
Thomas Koberda: Studying surfaces with model theory
Mapping class groups of surfaces are central objects of study in geometric group theory. Curve graphs of surfaces are crucial combinatorial and geometric tools for investigating mapping class groups. In my minicourse, I will discuss how ideas from model theory can be used to study curve graphs, and approach the Ivanov Metaconjecture, which says that the automorphism group of any "natural" complex associated to a surface should be precisely the extended mapping class group of the surface. I will also discuss applications of model theory to the problem of classifying virtual injections between mapping class groups.
Organisers
Marco Amelio
Benjamin Brück
Zahra Mohammadi
Schedule
tba
Registration
Registration is open! Please register via this link.
The registration deadline is December 31, 2024.
If you require an invitation letter to support your visa application for attending the event, please email us at modeltheory.meets.ggt@gmail.com.
Financial support
There is limited funding for accommodation available that you can apply for when you register. The deadline to apply for accommodation funding is 30 November 2024.
You can also apply for the ASL Student Travel Awards to help cover your travel expenses. To apply for these travel awards, you must be (or become) an ASL member and submit your application at least three months in advance. For more details, please visit ASL Student Travel Awards .
Support and child care
Childcare is available free of charge for all conference participants.
Venue and Travel Information
The event takes place in room SRZ 216/217 on the second floor of the seminar building (Seminarraumzentrum, SRZ) next to the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Cluster of Excellence Mathematics Münster.
University of Münster
Seminar Room Center (SRZ)
Orléans-Ring 12
48149 Münster
Germany
Directions can be found on openstreetmap , on the University of Münster campus map , and on the MM websites .
We have also collected practical information in a leaflet: Information for conference guests / Informationsblatt für Tagungsteilnehmer:innen [enIde]
Poster
You are welcome to download the poster and display it at your institution.
Sponsors
The conference is jointly supported by the Cluster of Excellence Mathematics Münster and the Collaborative Research Center 1442 Geometry: Deformations and Rigidity .
This event is also sponsored by the Association for Symbolic Logic (ASL) .
Contact
Please direct any inquiries to modeltheory.meets.ggt@gmail.com.