ALGB Seminar: Urban Jezernik (University of the Basque Country)

Title: Rationality of quotient varieties

Abstract: The rationality problem in algebraic geometry asks whether a given variety is birational to a projective space. We will gently introduce the problem and take a look at some recent advances, principally in the direction of negative examples constructed via cohomological obstructions. Special focus will be set on quotient varieties by linear group actions.