Skip to main content
MathOverflow

You are not logged in. Your edit will be placed in a queue until it is peer reviewed.

We welcome edits that make the post easier to understand and more valuable for readers. Because community members review edits, please try to make the post substantially better than how you found it, for example, by fixing grammar or adding additional resources and hyperlinks.

11
  • 10
    $\begingroup$ A claimed negative solution? It's not been refereed yet, though big names in geometry gave seen and discussed the details, apparently. $\endgroup$
    – David Roberts ♦
    Commented Oct 31, 2016 at 7:50
  • 9
    $\begingroup$ I'm not sure that there's consensus but I'd certainly upvote (and vote reopening, if applicable) such a question. (By the way, I'd rather like a question sounding like "Can somebody explain the argument in ...?" than "Is this paper correct?") $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Oct 31, 2016 at 17:58
  • 34
    $\begingroup$ According to some experts I've consulted and who have discussed the proof with Atiyah himself, there is a lot of skepticism of Atiyah's proof. Given Atiyah's stature in our community, I doubt you'll find much public discussion about this. But there is plenty of indirect evidence of the skepticism. $\endgroup$
    – Deane Yang
    Commented Oct 31, 2016 at 18:06
  • 13
    $\begingroup$ If there's skepticism about the proof, it should be fairly easy for experts to point out where the problems might lie, because it's so short. For example: does the problem arise in the step Atiyah writes in bold-face? $\endgroup$
    – John Baez
    Commented Nov 1, 2016 at 21:46
  • 9
    $\begingroup$ @JohnBaez I suspect that every mathematical sentence hides a lot of mathematics, and so pointing to one such doesn't narrow down the problem. No doubt that when we zoom in to the details, as experts have apparently been pushing Atiyah to do, there will be lots in that boldface sentence that holds up, and perhaps only one weakness, if the proof doesn't end up holding water. $\endgroup$
    – David Roberts ♦
    Commented Nov 2, 2016 at 5:26