Alexandrov Geometry in the light of symmetry and topology

• Applicant: Dr. Masoumeh Zarei
• Subject Area: Mathematics
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 441899338

Alexandrov spaces are a generalization of complete Riemannian manifolds with a lower sectional curvature bound. However, they may exhibit behaviors different from Riemannian manifolds due to the topological and metric singularities that they carry. It is then of fundamental importance to investigate whether one can extend a given property in the Riemannian setting to the Alexandrov setting.In this project we address some of these properties and explore how Alexandrov spaces behave with respect to each property. In the one direction, we focus our attention on the topological features. The primary objective here is to understand how far the topology of Alexandrov spaces are from that of the smooth manifolds. More specifically, on the one hand we aim to investigate the basic and important question of whether Alexandrov spaces admit a triangulation and on the other hand we want to analyze, using rational homotopy theory, the cohomological properties of Alexandrov spaces, such as Poincaré duality, in the presence of symmetry. In the other direction, we examine cohomogeneity one Alexandrov spaces with positive curvature and the goal is to classify them. To this end, we need to find obstructions and recognition tools, which, in particular, rely upon our understanding of topological behaviors of cohomogeneity one Alexandrov spaces investigated in the former direction.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2026: Geometry at Infinity