Abstract:
Given an isolated complex singularity, any smoothing (i.e. Milnor fibre) of it naturally carries a symplectic form. This leads to a rich interplay, first suggested by Arnol'd: one the one hand, ideas from singularity theory
yield a wealth of interesting symplectic phenomena; and conversely, symplectic topology is a very fertile view-point from which to revisit and shed light on classical singularity theory. The talk will give a biased
introduction to aspects of this circle of ideas, including some recent results. No prior knowledge of symplectic geometry (or singularity theory) will be assumed.