Normal form of equivariant maps in infinite dimensions

Local normal form theorems for smooth equivariant maps between infinite-dimensional manifolds are established. These normal form results are new even in finite dimensions. The proof is inspired by the Lyapunov–Schmidt reduction for dynamical systems and by the Kuranishi method for moduli spaces. It uses a slice theorem for Fréchet manifolds as the main technical tool. As a consequence, the abstract moduli space obtained by factorizing a level set of the equivariant map with respect to the group action carries the structure of a Kuranishi space, i.e., such moduli spaces are locally modeled on the quotient by a compact group of the zero set of a smooth map. The general results are applied to the moduli space of anti-self-dual instantons, the Seiberg–Witten moduli space and the moduli space of pseudoholomorphic curves.

Large N behaviour of the two-dimensional Yang–Mills partition function

We compute the large N limit of the partition function of the Euclidean Yang–Mills measure on orientable compact surfaces with genus $g\geqslant 1$ and non-orientable compact surfaces with genus $g\geqslant 2$ , with structure group the unitary group ${\mathrm U}(N)$ or special unitary group ${\mathrm{SU}}(N)$ . Our proofs are based on asymptotic representation theory: more specifically, we control the dimension and Casimir number of irreducible representations of ${\mathrm U}(N)$ and ${\mathrm{SU}}(N)$ when N tends to infinity. Our main technical tool, involving ‘almost flat’ Young diagram, makes rigorous the arguments used by Gross and Taylor (1993, Nuclear Phys. B400(1–3) 181–208) in the setting of QCD, and in some cases, we recover formulae given by Douglas (1995, Quantum Field Theory and String Theory (Cargèse, 1993), Vol. 328 of NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series B: Physics, Plenum, New York, pp. 119–135) and Rusakov (1993, Phys. Lett. B303(1) 95–98).

Effective Density for Inhomogeneous Quadratic Forms I: Generic Forms and Fixed Shifts

We establish effective versions of Oppenheim’s conjecture for generic inhomogeneous quadratic forms. We prove such results for fixed shift vectors and generic quadratic forms. When the shift is rational we prove a counting result, which implies the optimal density for values of generic inhomogeneous forms. We also obtain a similar density result for fixed irrational shifts satisfying an explicit Diophantine condition. The main technical tool is a formula for the 2nd moment of Siegel transforms on certain congruence quotients of $SL_n(\mathbb{R}),$ which we believe to be of independent interest. In a sequel, we use different techniques to treat the companion problem concerning generic shifts and fixed quadratic forms.

Explicit Correlation Amplifiers for Finding Outlier Correlations in Deterministic Subquadratic Time

We derandomize Valiant’s (J ACM 62, Article 13, 2015) subquadratic-time algorithm for finding outlier correlations in binary data. This demonstrates that it is possible to perform a deterministic subquadratic-time similarity join of high dimensionality. Our derandomized algorithm gives deterministic subquadratic scaling essentially for the same parameter range as Valiant’s randomized algorithm, but the precise constants we save over quadratic scaling are more modest. Our main technical tool for derandomization is an explicit family of correlation amplifiers built via a family of zigzag-product expanders by Reingold et al. (Ann Math 155(1):157–187, 2002). We say that a function $$f:\{-1,1\}^d\rightarrow \{-1,1\}^D$$ f : { - 1 , 1 } d → { - 1 , 1 } D is a correlation amplifier with threshold $$0\le \tau \le 1$$ 0 ≤ τ ≤ 1 , error $$\gamma \ge 1$$ γ ≥ 1 , and strength p an even positive integer if for all pairs of vectors $$x,y\in \{-1,1\}^d$$ x , y ∈ { - 1 , 1 } d it holds that (i) $$|\langle x,y\rangle |<\tau d$$ | ⟨ x , y ⟩ | < τ d implies $$|\langle f(x),f(y)\rangle |\le (\tau \gamma )^pD$$ | ⟨ f ( x ) , f ( y ) ⟩ | ≤ ( τ γ ) p D ; and (ii) $$|\langle x,y\rangle |\ge \tau d$$ | ⟨ x , y ⟩ | ≥ τ d implies $$\left (\frac{\langle x,y\rangle }{\gamma d}\right )^pD \le \langle f(x),f(y)\rangle \le \left (\frac{\gamma \langle x,y\rangle }{d}\right )^pD$$ ⟨ x , y ⟩ γ d p D ≤ ⟨ f ( x ) , f ( y ) ⟩ ≤ γ ⟨ x , y ⟩ d p D .

Knot types of generalized Kirchhoff rods

Kirchhoff energy is a classical functional on the space of arclength-parameterized framed curves whose critical points approximate configurations of springy elastic rods. We introduce a generalized functional on the space of framed curves of arbitrary parameterization, which model rods with axial stretch or cross-sectional inflation. Our main result gives explicit parameterizations for all periodic critical framed curves for this generalized functional. The main technical tool is a correspondence between the moduli space of shape similarity classes of closed framed curves and an infinite-dimensional Grassmann manifold. The critical framed curves have surprisingly simple parameterizations, but they still exhibit interesting topological features. In particular, we show that for each critical energy level there is a one-parameter family of framed curves whose base curves pass through exactly two torus knot types, echoing a similar result of Ivey and Singer for classical Kirchhoff energy. In contrast to the classical theory, the generalized functional has knotted critical points which are not torus knots.

Co-tame polynomial automorphisms

A polynomial automorphism of [Formula: see text] over a field of characteristic zero is called co-tame if, together with the affine subgroup, it generates the entire tame subgroup. We prove some new classes of automorphisms of [Formula: see text], including nonaffine [Formula: see text]-triangular automorphisms, are co-tame. Of particular interest, if [Formula: see text], we show that the statement “Every [Formula: see text]-triangular automorphism is either affine or co-tame” is true if and only if [Formula: see text]; this improves upon positive results of Bodnarchuk (for [Formula: see text], in any dimension [Formula: see text]) and negative results of the authors (for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]). The main technical tool we introduce is a class of maps we term translation degenerate automorphisms; we show that all of these are either affine or co-tame, a result that may be of independent interest in the further study of co-tame automorphisms.

The non-archimedean SYZ fibration

We construct non-archimedean SYZ (Strominger–Yau–Zaslow) fibrations for maximally degenerate Calabi–Yau varieties, and we show that they are affinoid torus fibrations away from a codimension-two subset of the base. This confirms a prediction by Kontsevich and Soibelman. We also give an explicit description of the induced integral affine structure on the base of the SYZ fibration. Our main technical tool is a study of the structure of minimal dlt (divisorially log terminal) models along one-dimensional strata.

Controllability of a 2 × 2 parabolic system by one force with space-dependent coupling term of order one

This paper is devoted to the controllability of linear systems of two coupled parabolic equations when the coupling involves a space dependent first order term. This system is set on an bounded interval I ⊂⊂ R, and the first equation is controlled by a force supported in a subinterval of I or on the boundary. In the case where the intersection of the coupling and control domains is nonempty, we prove null controllability at any time. Otherwise, we provide a minimal time for null controllability. Finally we give a necessary and sufficient condition for the approximate controllability. The main technical tool for obtaining these results is the moment method.

Uniformity, universality, and computability theory

We prove a number of results motivated by global questions of uniformity in computabi- lity theory, and universality of countable Borel equivalence relations. Our main technical tool is a game for constructing functions on free products of countable groups. We begin by investigating the notion of uniform universality, first proposed by Montalbán, Reimann and Slaman. This notion is a strengthened form of a countable Borel equivalence relation being universal, which we conjecture is equivalent to the usual notion. With this additional uniformity hypothesis, we can answer many questions concerning how countable groups, probability measures, the subset relation, and increasing unions interact with universality. For many natural classes of countable Borel equivalence relations, we can also classify exactly which are uniformly universal. We also show the existence of refinements of Martin’s ultrafilter on Turing invariant Borel sets to the invariant Borel sets of equivalence relations that are much finer than Turing equivalence. For example, we construct such an ultrafilter for the orbit equivalence relation of the shift action of the free group on countably many generators. These ultrafilters imply a number of structural properties for these equivalence relations.

On a memory game and preferential attachment graphs

In their recent paper Velleman and Warrington (2013) analyzed the expected values of some of the parameters in a memory game; namely, the length of the game, the waiting time for the first match, and the number of lucky moves. In this paper we continue this direction of investigation and obtain the limiting distributions of those parameters. More specifically, we prove that when suitably normalized, these quantities converge in distribution to a normal, Rayleigh, and Poisson random variable, respectively. We also make a connection between the memory game and one of the models of preferential attachment graphs. In particular, as a by-product of our methods, we obtain the joint asymptotic normality of the degree counts in the preferential attachment graphs. Furthermore, we obtain simpler proofs (although without rate of convergence) of some of the results of Peköz et al. (2014) on the joint limiting distributions of the degrees of the first few vertices in preferential attachment graphs. In order to prove that the length of the game is asymptotically normal, our main technical tool is a limit result for the joint distribution of the number of balls in a multitype generalized Pólya urn model.