Kontsevich invariants in knot theory

Arnaud Mortier, Dublin City University. Part of the Algebra Seminar Series

We will investigate different aspects of the Kontsevich integral, a strong knot invariant with roots in mathematical physics, algebraically related to the study of knots via singularity theory. We will see how to define a $1$-cocycle using the same ideas. I will explain the grounds of knot theory, what a 1-cocycle is in this context, and what we can expect from such a tool.