Modulation spaces as a smooth structure in noncommutative geometry

We demonstrate how to construct spectral triples for twisted group $$C^*$$ C ∗ -algebras of lattices in phase space of a second-countable locally compact abelian group using a class of weights appearing in time–frequency analysis. This yields a way of constructing quantum $$C^k$$ C k -structures on Heisenberg modules, and we show how to obtain such structures using Gabor analysis and certain weighted analogues of Feichtinger’s algebra. We treat the standard spectral triple for noncommutative 2-tori as a special case, and as another example we define a spectral triple on noncommutative solenoids and a quantum $$C^k$$ C k -structure on the associated Heisenberg modules.

Twisted Donaldson invariants

Fundamental group of a manifold gives a deep effect on its underlying smooth structure. In this paper we introduce a new variant of the Donaldson invariant in Yang–Mills gauge theory from twisting by the Picard group of a 4-manifold in the case when the fundamental group is free abelian. We then generalise it to the general case of fundamental groups by use of the framework of non commutative geometry. We also verify that our invariant distinguishes smooth structures between some homeomorphic 4-manifolds.

On quasisymmetric plasma equilibria sustained by small force

We construct smooth, non-symmetric plasma equilibria which possess closed, nested flux surfaces and solve the magnetohydrostatic (steady three-dimensional incompressible Euler) equations with a small force. The solutions are also ‘nearly’ quasisymmetric. The primary idea is, given a desired quasisymmetry direction $\xi$ , to change the smooth structure on space so that the vector field $\xi$ is Killing for the new metric and construct $\xi$ –symmetric solutions of the magnetohydrostatic equations on that background by solving a generalized Grad–Shafranov equation. If $\xi$ is close to a symmetry of Euclidean space, then these are solutions on flat space up to a small forcing.

maxsmooth: rapid maximally smooth function fitting with applications in Global 21-cm cosmology

ABSTRACT Maximally Smooth Functions (MSFs) are a form of constrained functions in which there are no inflection points or zero crossings in high-order derivatives. Consequently, they have applications to signal recovery in experiments where signals of interest are expected to be non-smooth features masked by larger smooth signals or foregrounds. They can also act as a powerful tool for diagnosing the presence of systematics. The constrained nature of MSFs makes fitting these functions a non-trivial task. We introduce maxsmooth, an open-source package that uses quadratic programming to rapidly fit MSFs. We demonstrate the efficiency and reliability of maxsmooth by comparison to commonly used fitting routines and show that we can reduce the fitting time by approximately two orders of magnitude. We introduce and implement with maxsmooth Partially Smooth Functions, which are useful for describing elements of non-smooth structure in foregrounds. This work has been motivated by the problem of foreground modelling in 21-cm cosmology. We discuss applications of maxsmooth to 21-cm cosmology and highlight this with examples using data from the Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionization Signature (EDGES) and the Large-aperture Experiment to Detect the Dark Ages (LEDA) experiments. We demonstrate the presence of a sinusoidal systematic in the EDGES data with a log-evidence difference of 86.19 ± 0.12 when compared to a pure foreground fit. MSFs are applied to data from LEDA for the first time in this paper and we identify the presence of sinusoidal systematics. maxsmooth is pip installable and available for download at https://github.com/htjb/maxsmooth.

Spaces of knotted circles and exotic smooth structures

Suppose that $N_1$ and $N_2$ are closed smooth manifolds of dimension n that are homeomorphic. We prove that the spaces of smooth knots, $ \operatorname {\mathrm {Emb}}(\mathrm {S}^1, N_1)$ and $ \operatorname {\mathrm {Emb}}(\mathrm {S}^1, N_2),$ have the same homotopy $(2n-7)$ -type. In the four-dimensional case, this means that the spaces of smooth knots in homeomorphic $4$ -manifolds have sets $\pi _0$ of components that are in bijection, and the corresponding path components have the same fundamental groups $\pi _1$ . The result about $\pi _0$ is well-known and elementary, but the result about $\pi _1$ appears to be new. The result gives a negative partial answer to a question of Oleg Viro. Our proof uses the Goodwillie–Weiss embedding tower. We give a new model for the quadratic stage of the Goodwillie–Weiss tower, and prove that the homotopy type of the quadratic approximation of the space of knots in N does not depend on the smooth structure on N. Our results also give a lower bound on $\pi _2 \operatorname {\mathrm {Emb}}(\mathrm {S}^1, N)$ . We use our model to show that for every choice of basepoint, each of the homotopy groups, $\pi _1$ and $\pi _2,$ of $ \operatorname {\mathrm {Emb}}(\mathrm {S}^1, \mathrm {S}^1\times \mathrm {S}^3)$ contains an infinitely generated free abelian group.

The Subplate: A Potential Driver of Cortical Folding?

In many species of Mammalia, the surface of the brain develops from a smooth structure to one with many fissures and folds, allowing for vast expansion of the surface area of the cortex. The importance of understanding what drives cortical folding extends beyond mere curiosity, as conditions such as preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, and fetal alcohol syndrome are associated with impaired folding in the infant and child. Despite being a key feature of brain development, the mechanisms driving cortical folding remain largely unknown. In this review we discuss the possible role of the subplate, a developmentally transient compartment, in directing region-dependent development leading to sulcal and gyral formation. We discuss the development of the subplate in species with lissencephalic and gyrencephalic cortices, the characteristics of the cells found in the subplate, and the possible presence of molecular cues that guide axons into, and out of, the overlying and multilayered cortex before the appearance of definitive cortical folds. An understanding of what drives cortical folding is likely to help in understanding the origins of abnormal folding patterns in clinical pathologies.

Flows of measures generated by vector fields

The scope of the paper is twofold. We show that for a large class of measurable vector fields in the sense of Weaver (i.e. derivations over the algebra of Lipschitz functions), called in the paper laminated, the notion of integral curves may be naturally defined and characterized (when appropriate) by an ordinary differential equation. We further show that for such vector fields the notion of a flow of the given positive Borel measure similar to the classical one generated by a smooth vector field (in a space with smooth structure) may be defined in a reasonable way, so that the measure ‘flows along’ the appropriately understood integral curves of the given vector field and the classical continuity equation is satisfied in the weak sense.

Smooth structures on nonorientable four-manifolds and free involutions

In this paper, we investigate existence of inequivalent smooth structures on closed smooth nonorientable 4-manifolds building upon results of Akbulut, Cappell–Shaneson, Fintushel–Stern, Gompf and Stolz. We add to the number of known constructions and provide new examples of exotic manifolds that are obtained as an application of Gluck twists to the standard smooth structure. Inspection of the smooth structure on the orientation 2-covers yields existence results of orientation-reversing exotic free involutions.