Braids in symplectic and algebraic geometry

Incarnations of braid groups, or generalizations thereof, naturally arise in a range of active research areas in symplectic and algebraic geometry. This is a rich and diverse ecosystem, and the workshop will aim to bring together speakers from all corners of it. A unifying theme is monodromy: one the one hand, generalized braid groups arise in symplectic and algebraic geometry as fundamental groups of moduli spaces, loosely construed -- for instance, of complements of discriminant loci of singularities or of hyperplane arrangements, or moduli spaces of deformations of complex or symplectic structures. On the other hand, monodromy ideas motivate representations of generalized braid groups as various flavors of geometric automorphisms -- for instance, as (framed) mapping class group elements, symplectic Dehn twists, spherical twists in derived categories, or flop functors for 3-folds. These perspectives lead in turn to a wide array of further geometric applications, from classifications of Stein fillings to the study of spaces of Bridgeland stability conditions.

From a community perspective, one aim of the workshop is to bring together mathematicians from adjacent research communities with a shared interest in braids as they arise in symplectic or algebraic geometry. We hope the conference will accelerate the cross-pollination of ideas, and help foster collaborations, at what is a very exciting time for the field. Much of this research also lies at an interface with other aspects of the thematic semester -- for instance, braids in representation theory (e.g. in connection with cluster algebras or Bridgeland stability conditions), or in low-dimensional topology (e.g. in connection with monodromies of open books) -- and many of the talks should be of interest to a broader set of semester participants.