Lecture II: Geometric Evolution Equations
Dr. Gerhard Huisken
Director, Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (MFO)
Professor, University of Tübingen
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Chandler-Ullmann (CU) 218, 4:30 PM
Tea Time at 4:00 PM in the Assmus Conference Room (CU 212)
Abstract
The lecture describes the deformation of hypersurfaces in normal direction with a speed depending on the curvature of the surface at the given point and time. This leads to non-linear systems of partial differential equations of parabolic type that have a smoothing effect similar to the heat equation for a short time while allowing the development of singularities for larger times that in some cases can be overcome by surgery methods. We describe the geometric structure of solutions and the analytical techniques needed for their study.
This talk is part of the 2026 A. Everett Pitcher Lecture Series. Visit the series page for Dr. Huisken's biography and details on all three lectures.
