Roland Lötscher

   

Mathematisches Institut Universität Basel Rheinsprung 24 CH-4051 Basel Switzerland

Tel (+4161) 267 26 83 Fax (+4161) 267 26 95 Email: roland.loetscher@unibas.ch

New address!

I have moved to Munich and I'm working as an assistant in Prof. Fabien Morel's group at the University of Munich (LMU) since April 1, 2010. My new homepage is here!
On April 15 I have succesfully defended my thesis (see talk abstract). Some impressions: 1, 2.

Thesis

My PhD thesis "Contributions to the Essential Dimension of Finite and Algebraic Groups" can be found here in electronic form.

Activities

Giordano Favi and I have organized a symposium on Trends in Essential Dimension on December 17, 2009.
Go to the symposium website for details.

Teaching

• Current teaching: (HS09/10) Algebra, Dr. S.Vénéreau
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• Past teaching: For a complete list of my teaching in Basel and Zurich click here!

         

Mathematical Interests

• Essential and covariant dimension of finite and algebraic groups
• Modular and integral representation theory
• Quadratic forms and modules
• Central simple algebras, Clifford algebras

         

List of Publications (from more to less recent)

• Essential p-Dimension of Algebraic Tori with M.MacDonald, A.Meyer and Z.Reichstein, submitted, preprint at Arxiv
• Application of Multihomogeneous Covariants to the Essential Dimension of Finite Groups, accepted for publication in Transformation Groups. A preprint is available here. For an extended version including representation theoretic results see Arxiv.
  
• Compression of Finite Group Actions and Covariant Dimension II with H.Kraft and G.W.Schwarz
  Journal of Algebra, Volume 322, Issue 1 July 2009, pages 94-107. See also Arxiv.
  
• Quadratic and Symmetric Bilinear Compositions of Quadratic Forms over Commutative Rings
  Communications in Algebra, Volume 36, Issue 1 January 2008, pages 258 - 268
• A Generalized Composition of Quadratic Forms based on Quadratic Pairs
  2006, Arxiv
  
• Eine Verallgemeinerung der Komposition von Quadratischen Formen My diploma work (in German)
  2006, Available here
  

         

Talks

• Essential dimension of algebraic tori,
  AG Algebra, Basel, December 4, 2009 Abstract
• Essentielle Dimension von Tori und verwandten algebraischen Gruppen,
  LMU München, Oberseminar Motive und algebraische Topologie, October 22, 2009
• A multihomogenization technique for the study of essential dimension of algebraic groups,
  Banff, Conference on Algebraic Groups and Related Structures, September 14, 2009 Abstract, Slides
  
• Multihomogeneous covariants and the essential dimension of finite groups,
  EPFL Lausanne, Group theory seminar, November 6, 2008 Abstract, Slides
  
• Multihomogeneous covariants and the essential dimension of finite groups,
  Université de Neuchâtel, Graduate Colloquium, Mai 18, 2008 Abstract, Slides
  
• Small faithful representations and the essential dimensions of finite groups
  Université de Genève, Séminaire d'algèbre et géomètrie, April 8, 2008 Abstract, Slides (slightly corrected version)
• What is a faithful group?
  AG Algebra, Basel, October 19, 2007 Abstract, Slides
• Composition of quadratic forms when 2 is NOT invertible
  University of Basel, Graduate Colloquium, Mai 29, 2007 Abstract , Slides

         

Posters

• Multihomogenization: a new technique in essential dimension
  University of Fribourg, Graduate Colloquium, January 29-30, 2009 Poster (202 kb)
  

         

Prizes and Awards

• Birkhäuser Prize for the best Graduate Colloquium poster, Fribourg, 2009
• Birkhäuser Prize for the best Graduate Colloquium talk, Neuchâtel, 2008
• 1st prize at the "Schweizer Jugend forscht" contest, St. Gallen, 2002
  qualifying for the "14th European Union Contest for Young Scientists", Vienna, 2002

Short CV

• Since April 2010 Assistant position at the LMU Munich.
• April 15, 2010 Day of graduation.
• April/May 2009: Research visit at the UBC with a grant of the FAG Basel.
• October 2006-present: Ph.D student under the supervision of Prof. Hanspeter Kraft, University of Basel
• April 2006-October 2006: Teaching assistant, ETH Zurich
• February 2004-June 2004: Semester abroad, Saint-Petersburg State University
• October 2001-March 2006: Study of Mathematics at ETH Zurich
• February 5, 1982 Born in Wolhusen (LU), Switzerland