The Smale Conjecture for RP^3 and Minimal Surfaces

Explore a mathematical physics lecture where Daniel Ketover from Rutgers University discusses a new proof of the Smale Conjecture for RP^3 using minimal surfaces. Learn how this approach offers an alternative to the 2019 resolution that relied on Ricci flow with surgeries. The Smale Conjecture, which asserts that the diffeomorphism group of the three-sphere retracts onto its isometry group, was proven for S^3 by Hatcher in the early 1980s, but the corresponding problem for RP^3 remained open for nearly 40 years. Ketover presents joint work with Yevgeny Liokumovich that provides a novel solution using minimal surface techniques. This 58-minute talk is part of the Analysis and Mathematical Physics series at the Institute for Advanced Study and will take place on April 8, 2025, at 2:30pm in Simonyi Hall 101, with remote access available.