Initial state estimation from limited observations of the heat equation in metric graphs

This paper deals with initial state estimation problems of the heat equation in equilateral metric graphs being admitted to have cycles. Particularly, we are concerned with suitable placements of observation points in order to uniquely determine the initial state from observation data. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for suitable placements of observation points, and such suitable placements are determined from transition matrices of metric graphs. From numerical simulations, we confirm effectiveness of a necessary and sufficient condition.

Cluster capacity functionals and isomorphism theorems for Gaussian free fields

We investigate level sets of the Gaussian free field on continuous transient metric graphs $$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$ G ~ and study the capacity of its level set clusters. We prove, without any further assumption on the base graph $${\mathcal {G}}$$ G , that the capacity of sign clusters on $$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$ G ~ is finite almost surely. This leads to a new and effective criterion to determine whether the sign clusters of the free field on $$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$ G ~ are bounded or not. It also elucidates why the critical parameter for percolation of level sets on $$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$ G ~ vanishes in most instances in the massless case and establishes the continuity of this phase transition in a wide range of cases, including all vertex-transitive graphs. When the sign clusters on $$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$ G ~ do not percolate, we further determine by means of isomorphism theory the exact law of the capacity of compact clusters at any height. Specifically, we derive this law from an extension of Sznitman’s refinement of Lupu’s recent isomorphism theorem relating the free field and random interlacements, proved along the way, and which holds under the sole assumption that sign clusters on $$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$ G ~ are bounded. Finally, we show that the law of the cluster capacity functionals obtained in this way actually characterizes the isomorphism theorem, i.e. the two are equivalent.

On fully supported eigenfunctions of quantum graphs

We prove that every metric graph which is a tree has an orthonormal sequence of generic Laplace-eigenfunctions, that are eigenfunctions corresponding to eigenvalues of multiplicity one and which have full support. This implies that the number of nodal domains $$\nu _n$$ ν n of the n-th eigenfunction of the Laplacian with standard conditions satisfies $$\nu _n/n \rightarrow 1$$ ν n / n → 1 along a subsequence and has previously only been known in special cases such as mutually rationally dependent or rationally independent side lengths. It shows in particular that the Pleijel nodal domain asymptotics from two- or higher dimensional domains cannot occur on these graphs: Despite their more complicated topology, they still behave as in the one-dimensional case. We prove an analogous result on general metric graphs under the condition that they have at least one Dirichlet vertex. Furthermore, we generalize our results to Delta vertex conditions and to edgewise constant potentials. The main technical contribution is a new expression for a secular function in which modifications to the graph, to vertex conditions, and to the potential are particularly easy to understand.

Invariant Differential Forms on Complexes of Graphs and Feynman Integrals

We study differential forms on an algebraic compactification of a moduli space of metric graphs. Canonical examples of such forms are obtained by pulling back invariant differentials along a tropical Torelli map. The invariant differential forms in question generate the stable real cohomology of the general linear group, as shown by Borel. By integrating such invariant forms over the space of metrics on a graph, we define canonical period integrals associated to graphs, which we prove are always finite and take the form of generalised Feynman integrals. Furthermore, canonical integrals can be used to detect the non-vanishing of homology classes in the commutative graph complex. This theory leads to insights about the structure of the cohomology of the commutative graph complex, and new connections between graph complexes, motivic Galois groups and quantum field theory.