Michel Kervaire | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 April 1927 |
| Died | 19 November 2007 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | ETH Zürich |
| Known for | Kervaire invariant Kervaire manifold Kervaire semi-characteristic |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | New York University University of Geneva |
| Doctoral advisor | Heinz Hopf Beno Eckmann |
| Doctoral students | Eva Bayer-Fluckiger Frank Quinn |
Michel André Kervaire (26 April 1927 – 19 November 2007) was a French mathematician who made significant contributions to topology and algebra.
He introduced the Kervaire semi-characteristic. He was the first to show the existence of topological n-manifolds with no differentiable structure (using the Kervaire invariant), and (with John Milnor) computed the number of exotic spheres in dimensions greater than four. He is also well known for fundamental contributions to high-dimensional knot theory. The solution of the Kervaire invariant problem was announced by Michael Hopkins in Edinburgh on 21 April 2009.