Topological recursion and geometry

Abstract

This paper aims at explaining some incarnations of the idea of topological recursion: in two-dimensional quantum field theories (2d TQFTs), in cohomological field theories (CohFT), and in the computation of volumes of the moduli space of curves. It gives an introduction to the formalism of quantum Airy structures on which the topological recursion is based, which is seen at work in the above topics.