IN 1970 Lawson [22] proved that two embedded closed diffeomorphic minimal surfaces in the unit three-dimensional sphere S3 in lRJ are ambiently isotopic in S3. Lawson proved this theorem by first proving that an embedded orientable closed minimal surface of genus y in a closed orientable Riemannian three-manifold Mwith positive Ricci curvature disconnects M-into two genus-8 handlebodics. A result of Frankel [7] was used to prove this. Lawson then applied a deep result of Waldhauscn [33] that states that decompositions of SJ into two genus-cl handlebodies arc unique up to ambient isotopy. More prcciscly. Waldhauscns uniqucncss thcorcm states that whenever a closed surface of genus y in S separates SJ into handlcbodics, then the embedding of the surface is as simple as possible; in other words, the surface is obtained from a two-sphere Sz c Sby adding handles in an unknotted manner.

We show that Norbury’s McShane identity for nonorientable cusped hyperbolic surfaces N generalizes to quasifuchsian representations of π1(N) as well as pseudo-Anosov mapping Klein bottles with singular fibers given by N.

This paper uses Morse-theoretic techniques to compute the equivariant Betti numbers of the space of semistable rank two degree zero Higgs bundles over a compact Riemann surface, a method in the spirit of Atiyah and Bott’s original approach for semistable holomorphic bundles. This leads to a natural proof that the hyperk¨ahler Kirwan map is surjective for the non-fixed determinant case.

We relate previously defined quantum characteristic classes to Morse theoretic aspects of the Hofer length functional on Ham (M, ω). As an application we prove a theorem which can be interpreted as stating that this functional is “virtually” a perfect Morse-Bott functional. This can be applied to study the topology and Hofer geometry of Ham(M, ω). We also use this to give a prediction for the index of some geodesics for this functional, which was recently partially verified by Yael Karshon and Jennifer Slimowitz[5].

Let $f : \sum_1 \to \sum_2$ be an area preserving diffeomorphism between compact Riemann surfaces of constant curvature. The graph of $f$ can be viewed as a Lagrangian submanifold in $ \sum_1 \times \sum_2$. This article discusses a canonical way to deform $f$ along area preserving diffeomorphisms. This deformation process is realized through the mean curvature flow of the graph of $f$ in $ \sum_1 \times \sum_2$. It is proved that the flow exists for all time and the map converges to a canonical map. In particular, this gives a new proof of the classical topological results that $O(3)$ is a deformation retract of the diffeomorphism group of $S^2$ and the mapping class group of a Riemman surface of positive genus is a deformation retract of the diffeomorphism group .