Acyclic Varieties

Alok Maharana
Abstract
Acyclic varieties are by definition complex varieties with integral or rational singular homologies isomorphic to that of a point. Contractible varieties are important examples of acyclics. I will introduce acyclic curves, surfaces and threefolds with the aim of demonstrating their rich structure and their relation to questions of rationality and Zariski's cancellation problem. I will also report on a joint work with Gurjar about C*-fibrations on special type affine surfaces which are complete intersections and its consequences for acyclic surfaces.