Title: Rigidity of Mapping Class Group Actions and Ivanov’s Meta-Conjecture
Speaker: Fulin Zhong
Abstract: Ivanov’s rigidity theorem for the curve complex—asserting that its automorphism group coincides with the extended mapping class group—has inspired a broader meta-conjecture predicting similar rigidity for any natural geometric or combinatorial object associated with a surface.
In this talk, I will outline several results in this direction, beginning with the rigidity of the Teichmüller and Weil–Petersson metrics on Teichmüller space, after recalling Thurston’s compactification. I will also discuss rigidity phenomena for mapping class group actions on various spaces of foliations and laminations.
Some snacks will be provided before and after the talk.