Asher Auel : Universal triviality of 0-cycles and the degeneration method

Posted by Kevin Tucker , part of the Algebraic Geometry Seminar.

At

April 29, 2016, 10:30 a.m.

In

SEO 512

Abstract

The notion of the universal triviality of the Chow group of 0-cycles has emerged as a powerful new invariant for obstructing the stable rationality of algebraic varieties. The degeneration method introduced by Voisin has led to incredible progress in the last few years. I will explain the geometric origins of universal cycles as well as the degeneration method and its application to the rationality problem for hypersurfaces, Fano threefolds, and quadric bundles.