Generalized geometry: 3-manifolds and applications

Objectif

Generalized geometry is a revolutionary approach to geometric structures pioneered by Hitchin in 2003, soon becoming an active topic catching the interest and bringing together the expertise of geometers and theoretical physicists. Generalized complex structures, defined for even-dimensional manifolds, are both a genuinely interesting mathematical structure, providing insight of complex and symplectic geometry, and the suitable notion for some physical theories like mirror symmetry. Odd-dimensional manifolds within generalized geometry have not been satisfactorily studied until the recent introduction of generalized geometry of type Bn and its study in my PhD thesis. There, the case of 3-manifolds drew special attention thanks to the recent Thurston's geometrization theorem and the fact that the type-change locus of a 3-manifold is a link, bringing in knot and link theory. This action combines the generalized geometry expertise of the experienced researcher with the host’s expertise on 3-manifold and knot and link theory in order to set a novel geometrical framework for structures on odd-dimensional manifolds, understand the case of 3-manifolds in depth, and create a two-way bridge between these previously unrelated areas, with innovative applications in both.