SMS scnews item created by Dominic Tate at Tue 1 Aug 2017 1441
Type: Seminar
Distribution: World
Expiry: 31 Oct 2017
Calendar1: 7 Aug 2017 1700-1800
CalLoc1: Carslaw 535A
CalTitle1: MaPSS: Becky Armstrong -- Group actions, groupoids, and their C*-algebras
Auth: dominict@10.17.71.9 (dtat6918) in SMS-WASM

# MaPSS: Mathematical Postgraduate Seminar Series: Armstrong -- Group actions, groupoids, and their C*-algebras

Dear All,

We are delighted to present the MaPSS Seminar topic of Monday 07/08; please see the
abstract below.

**This Semester the Seminar will always run on Monday, at 5:00pm in 535A**

Following the talk, there will be pizza on offer.

Speaker: Becky Armstrong (Sydney University)

Title: Group actions, groupoids, and their C*-algebras

Abstract: C*-algebras were first introduced in order to model physical observables in
quantum mechanics, but are now studied more abstractly in pure mathematics.  Much of the
current research of C*-algebraists involves constructing interesting classes of
C*-algebras from various mathematical objects---such as groups, groupoids, and directed
graphs---and studying their properties.  Groupoid C*-algebras were introduced by Renault
in 1980, and provide a unifying model for C*-algebras associated to groups, group
actions, and graphs.  In this talk, I will define topological groupoids and examine
Renault’s construction of groupoid C*-algebras.  I will discuss several examples of
groupoids, including group actions and graph groupoids, and will conclude with a brief
description of my PhD research.