Paths to Matroid Representations

Explore a mathematical lecture from the Geometry of Matroid Workshop that delves into the evolution and advancement of matroid representations. Learn about the historical progression of matroid theory, starting with Tutte's foundational work in 1958, through Dress and Wenzel's generalizations in the 1980s, to recent refinements by Baker, Bowler, and Lorscheid using F1-algebra. Discover how connectivity statements in the lattice of flats serve as crucial elements for proving universal representation theorems. Examine the extension of this theoretical framework to orthogonal matroids, including their applications in type D_n Coxeter matroids and tight 2-matroids, while understanding the structural properties of orthogonal matroid lattices and their connectivity implications for representation theorems.