Tom Nevins
Hilbert Schemes of Points


I will discuss Hilbert schemes of points, primarily in the affine plane and mostly from a very elementary point of view (suitable for beginning graduate students in any area). The features of Hilbert schemes of points in the plane are illustrative of many of the general features of Hilbert schemes of points in surfaces, though in the plane various things may by computed by "bare hands." I hope to indicate how these spaces arise in connection with integrable systems and with representation theory.