Department Colloquium

Department Colloquium

Department of Mathematics
Princeton University

April 19th, 2000

C*-Algebras and the Novikov Conjecture

I will give an introductory account of some of the pros and cons of attacking the Novikov conjecture (and related problems in manifold theory) using C*-algebra methods. To its credit, C*-algebra theory has helped prove some of the most general known theorems about the Novikov conjecture. But the limitations of the C*-algebra method are now becoming apparent, and it is unclear if further real progress can be made using it.