Past

In this talk we will introduce the (bounded) derived category of coherent sheaves on a smooth projective variety X, and explain how the geometry of X endows this category with a very rigid structure. In particular we will give an overview of a theorem of Orlov which states that any sufficiently ‘nice’ functor between such categories must be Fourier-Mukai.

Suppose we have a finite graph. We can view this as a resistor network where each edge has unit resistance. We can then calculate the resistance between any two vertices and ask questions like `which graph with $n$ vertices and $m$ edges minimises the average resistance between pairs of vertices?' There is a `obvious' solution; we show that this answer is not correct.

This problem was motivated by some questions about the design of statistical experiments (and has some surprising applications in chemistry) but this talk will not assume any statistical knowledge.

This is joint work with Robert Johnson.

When high-frequency acoustic or electromagnetic waves are incident upon an obstacle, the resulting scattered field is composed of rapidly oscillating waves. Conventional numerical methods for such problems use piecewise-polynomial approximation spaces which are not well-suited to capture the oscillatory solution. Hence these methods are prohibitively expensive in the high-frequency regime. Much work has been done in developing “hybrid numerical-asymptotic” (HNA) boundary element methods which utilise approximation spaces containing oscillatory functions carefully chosen to capture the high-frequency asymptotic behaviour of the solution. The computational cost of this approach is significantly smaller than that of conventional methods, and for many problems it is independent of the frequency. In this talk, I will outline the HNA method and discuss its extension to scattering by penetrable obstacles.​

I will present a systematic approach to two-dimensional N=(2,2) supersymmetric gauge theories in curved space, with a particular focus on the two-dimensional Omega deformation. I will explain how to compute Omega-deformed A-type topological correlation functions in purely field theoretic terms (i.e. without relying on a target-space picture), improving on previous techniques. The resulting general formula simplifies previous results in the Abelian (toric) case, while it leads to new results for non-Abelian GLSMs.

Abstract: We introduce a data-based approach to estimating key quantities which arise in the study of nonlinear control and random dynamical systems. Our approach hinges on the observation that much of the existing linear theory may be readily extended to nonlinear systems -with a reasonable expectation of success - once the nonlinear system has been mapped into a high or infinite dimensional Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space. In particular, we develop computable, non-parametric estimators approximating controllability and observability energy/Lyapunov functions for nonlinear systems, and study the ellipsoids they induce. It is then shown that the controllability energy estimator provides a key means for approximating the invariant measure of an ergodic, stochastically forced nonlinear system. We also apply this approach to the problem of model reduction of nonlinear control systems.

In all cases the relevant quantities are estimated from simulated or observed data. These results collectively argue that there is a reasonable passage from linear dynamical systems theory to a data-based nonlinear dynamical systems theory through reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces. This is a joint work with J. Bouvrie (MIT).

We consider Euler equations on a fixed Lorentzian manifold. The fluid is initially supported on a compact domain and the boundary between the fluid and the vacuum is allowed to move. Imposing the so-called physical vacuum boundary condition, we will explain how to obtain a priori estimates for this problem. In particular, our functional framework allows us to track the regularity of the free boundary. This is joint work with S. Shkoller and J. Speck.

In 1937 Vinogradov showed that every sufficiently large odd number is the sum of three primes, using bounds on the sums of additive characters taken over the primes. He was improving, rather dramatically, on an earlier result of Schnirelmann, which showed that every sufficiently large integer is the sum of at most 37 000 primes. We discuss a natural analogue of this question in the multiplicative group (Z/pZ)* and find that, although the current unconditional character sum technology is too weak to use Vinogradov's approach, an idea from Schnirelmann's work still proves fruitful. We will use a result of Selberg-Delange, an application of a small sieve, and a few easy ideas from additive combinatorics. 

Let $G$ be a reductive group such as $SL_n$ over the field $k((t))$, where $k$ is an algebraic closure of a finite field, and let $W$ be the affine Weyl group of $G$.  The associated affine Deligne-Lusztig varieties $X_x(b)$ were introduced by Rapoport.  These are indexed by elements $x$ in $G$ and $b$ in $W$, and are related to many important concepts in algebraic geometry over fields of positive characteristic.  Basic questions about the varieties $X_x(b)$ which have remained largely open include when they are nonempty, and if nonempty, their dimension.  We use techniques inspired by geometric group theory and representation theory to address these questions in the case that $b$ is a translation.  Our approach is constructive and type-free, sheds new light on the reasons for existing results and conjectures, and reveals new patterns.  Since we work only in the standard apartment of the building for $G$, which is just the tessellation of Euclidean space induced by the action of the reflection group $W$, our results also hold over the p-adics.  This is joint work with Elizabeth Milicevic (Haverford) and Petra Schwer (Karlsruhe).

The lecture will introduce the notion of a folded 4-dimensional hyperkähler manifold, give examples and prove a local existence theorem from boundary data using twistor methods, following an idea of Biquard.  

The field of transseries was introduced by Ecalle to give a solution to Dulac's problem, a weakening of Hilbert's 16th problem. They form an elementary extension of the real exponential field and have received the attention of model theorists. Another such elementary extension is given by Conway's surreal numbers, and various connections with the transseries have been conjectured, among which the possibility of introducing a Hardy type derivation on the surreal numbers. I will present a complete solution to these conjectures obtained in collaboration with Vincenzo Mantova.
 

In sieve theory, one is concerned with estimating the size of a sifted set, which avoids certain residue classes modulo many primes. For example, the problem of counting primes corresponds to the situation when the residue class 0 is removed for each prime in a suitable range. This talk will be concerned about what happens when a positive proportion of residue classes is removed for each prime, and especially when this proporition is more than a half. In doing so we will come across an algebraic question: given a polynomial f(x) in Z[x], what is the average size of the value set of f reduced modulo primes?

We consider the dynamic casino gambling model initially proposed by Barberis (2012) and study the optimal stopping strategy of a pre-committing gambler with cumulative prospect theory (CPT) preferences. We illustrate how the strategies computed in Barberis (2012) can be strictly improved by reviewing the entire betting history or by tossing random coins, and explain that such improvement is possible because CPT preferences are not quasi-convex. Finally, we develop a systematic and analytical approach to finding the optimal strategy of the gambler. This is a joint work with Prof. Xue Dong He (Columbia University), Prof. Jan Obloj, and Prof. Xun Yu Zhou.

Nonlinear systems of partial differential equations (PDEs) may permit several distinct solutions. The typical current approach to finding distinct solutions is to start Newton's method with many different initial guesses, hoping to find starting points that lie in different basins of attraction. In this talk, we present an infinite-dimensional deflation algorithm for systematically modifying the residual of a nonlinear PDE problem to eliminate known solutions from consideration. This enables the Newton--Kantorovitch iteration to converge to several different solutions, even starting from the same initial guess. The deflated Jacobian is dense, but an efficient preconditioning strategy is devised, and the number of Krylov iterations is observed not to grow as solutions are deflated. The technique is then applied to computing distinct solutions of nonlinear PDEs, tracing bifurcation diagrams, and to computing multiple local minima of PDE-constrained optimisation problems.

Motivated by an open conjecture in anabelian geometry, we investigate which arithmetic properties of the rationals are encoded in the absolute Galois group G_Q. We give a model-theoretic framework for studying absolute Galois groups and discuss in what respect orderings and valuations of the field are known to their first-order theory. Some questions regarding local-global principles and the transfer to elementary extensions of Q are raised.

Compact F-spaces play an important role in the area of compactification theory, the prototype being w*, the Stone-Cech remainder of the integers. Two curious topological characteristics of compact F-spaces are that they don’t contain convergent sequences (apart from the constant ones), and moreover, that they often contain points that don’t lie in the boundary of any countable subset (so-called weak P-points). In this talk we investigate the space of self-maps S(X) on compact zero-dimensional F-spaces X, endowed with the compact-open topology. A natural question is whether S(X) reflects properties of the ground space X. Our main result is that for zero-dimensional compact F-spaces X, also S(X) doesn’t contain convergent sequences. If time permits, I will also comment on the existence of weak P-points in S(X). This is joint work with Richard Lupton.

In Bass-Serre theory, one derives structural properties of groups from their actions on simplicial trees. In this talk, we introduce the theory of groups acting on $\mathbb{R}$-trees. In particular, we explain how the Rips machine is used to classify finitely generated groups which act freely on $\mathbb{R}$-trees.

In particular, some nice things about branch groups, whose subgroup structure  "sees" all actions on rooted trees.

All-at-once schemes aim to solve all time-steps of parabolic PDE-constrained optimization problems in one coupled computation, leading to exceedingly large linear systems requiring efficient iterative methods. We present a new block diagonal preconditioner which is both optimal with respect to the mesh parameter and parallelizable over time, thus can provide significant speed- up. We will present numerical results to demonstrate the effectiveness of this preconditioner.

There is a beautiful problem resulting from arithmetic number theory where a continuous and compactly supported function's 3-fold autoconvolution is constant. In this talk, we optimize the coefficients of a Chebyshev series multiplied by an endpoint singularity to obtain a highly accurate approximation to this constant. Convolving functions with endpoint singularities turns out to be a challenge for standard quadrature routines. However, variable transformations inducing double exponential endpoint decay are used to effectively annihilate the singularities in a way that keeps accuracy high and complexity low.

In a quantum quench, a system is prepared in some state
$|\psi_0\rangle$, usually the ground state of a hamiltonian $H_0$, and then
evolved unitarily with a different hamiltonian $H$. I study this problem
when $H$ is a 1+1-dimensional conformal field theory on a large circle of
length $L$, and the initial state has short-range correlations and
entanglement. I argue that (a) for times $\ell/2<t<(L-\ell)/2$  the
reduced density matrix of a subinterval of length $\ell$ is exponentially
close to that of a thermal ensemble; (b) despite this, for a rational CFT
the return amplitude $\langle\psi_0|e^{-iHt}|\psi_0\rangle$ is $O(1)$ at
integer multiples of $2t/\ell$ and has interesting structure at all rational
values of this ratio. This last result is related to the modular properties
of Virasoro characters.

In particular, some nice things about branch groups, whose subgroup structure "sees" all actions on rooted trees.

We analyze wave propagation in random media in the so-called paraxial regime, which is a special high-frequency regime in which the wave propagates along a privileged axis. We show by multiscale analysis how to reduce the problem to the Ito-Schrodinger stochastic partial differential equation. We also show how to close and solve the moment equations for the random wave field. Based on these results we propose to use correlation-based methods for imaging in complex media and consider two examples: virtual source imaging in seismology and ghost imaging in optics.

In this talk I will discuss the notion of o-minimality, which can be approached from either a model-theoretic standpoint, or an algebraic one.  I will exhibit some o-minimal structures, focussing on those most relevant to number theorists, and attempt to explain how o-minimality can be used to attain an assortment of results.

Building a suitable family of walls in the Cayley complex of a finitely
presented group G leads to a nontrivial action of G on a CAT(0) cube
complex, which shows that G does not have Kazhdan's property (T).  I
will discuss how this can be done for certain random groups in Gromov's
density model.  Ollivier and Wise (building on earlier work of Wise on
small-cancellation groups) have built suitable walls at densities <1/5,
but their method fails at higher densities.  In recent joint work with
Piotr Przytycki we give a new construction which finds walls at densites
<5/24.

tba

 We describe how cross-kernel matrices, that is, kernel matrices between the data and a custom chosen set of `feature spanning points' can be used for learning. The main potential of cross-kernel matrices is that (a) they provide Nyström-type speed-ups for kernel learning without relying on subsampling, thus avoiding potential problems with sampling degeneracy, while preserving the usual approximation guarantees and the attractive linear scaling of standard Nyström methods and (b) the use of non-square matrices for kernel learning provides a non-linear generalization of the singular value decomposition and singular features. We present a novel algorithm, Ideal PCA (IPCA), which is a cross-kernel matrix variant of PCA, showcasing both advantages: we demonstrate on real and synthetic data that IPCA allows to (a) obtain kernel PCA-like features faster and (b) to extract novel features of empirical advantage in non-linear manifold learning and classification.

I will discuss how singular fibers in higher codimension in elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau fourfolds can be studied using Coulomb branch phases for d=3 supersymmetric gauge theories. This approach gives an elegent description of the generalized Kodaira fibers in terms of combinatorial/representation-theoretic objects called "box graphs", including the network of flops connecting distinct small resolutions. For physics applications, this approach can be used to constrain the possible matter spectra and possible U(1) charges (models with higher rank Mordell Weil group) for F-theory GUTs.

A form of PDE-constrained inversion is today used as an engineering tool for seismic imaging. Today there are some successful studies and good workflows are available. However, mathematicians will find some important unanswered questions: (1) robustness of inversion with highly nonconvex objective functions; (2) scalable solution highly oscillatory problem; and (3) handling of uncertainties. We shall briefly illustrate these challenges, and mention some possible solutions.

Genomic sequences contain rich evolutionary information about functional constraints on macromolecules such as proteins. This information can be efficiently mined to detect evolutionary couplings between residues in proteins and address the long-standing challenge to compute protein three-dimensional structures from amino acid sequences. Substantial progress on this problem has become possible because of the explosive growth in available sequences and the application of global statistical methods. In addition to three-dimensional structure, the improved analysis of covariation helps identify functional residues involved in ligand binding, protein-complex formation and conformational changes. We expect computation of covariation patterns to complement experimental structural biology in elucidating the full spectrum of protein structures, their functional interactions and evolutionary dynamics. Use the http://evfold.org  server to compute EVcouplings and to predict 3D structure for large sequence families. References:  http://bit.ly/tob48p - Protein 3D Structure from high-throughput sequencing;  http://bit.ly/1DSqANO - 3D structure of transmembrane proteins from evolutionary constraints; http://bit.ly/1zyYpE7 - Sequence co-evolution gives 3D contacts and structures of protein complexes.

We consider a controlled stochastic system in presence of state-constraints. Under the assumption of exponential stabilizability of the system near a target set, we aim to characterize the set of points which can be asymptotically driven by an admissible control to the target with positive probability. We show that this set can be characterized as a level set of the optimal value function of a suitable unconstrained optimal control problem which in turn is the unique viscosity solution of a second order PDE which can thus be interpreted as a generalized Zubov equation.

VerdErg Renewable Energy Ltd is developing a new hydropower unit for cost-effective energy generation at very low heads of pressure. The device is called the VETT after the underlying technology – Venturi Enhanced Turbine Technology. Flow into the VETT is split into two. The larger flow at low head transfers its energy to the smaller flow at a greater head. The smaller flow powers a conventional turbo-generator which can be a smaller, faster unit at an order of magnitude lower cost. Further, there are significant environmental benefits to fish and birds compared to the conventional hydropower solution. After several physical model test programmes* in the UK, France and The Netherlands along with CFD studies the efficiency now stands at 50%. We wish to increase that by understanding the major loss mechanisms and how they might be avoided or minimised.

The presentation will explain the VETT’s working principles and key relationships, together with some possible ideas for improvement. The comments of attendees on problem areas, potential solutions and how an enhanced understanding of key phenomena may be applied will be most welcome.

*(One was observed by Prof John Ockendon who identified a fairly extreme flow condition in a region previously thought to be benign.)

 In this talk I will present a basic introduction to conformal symmetry from a physicist perspective. I will talk about infinitesimal and finite conformal transformations and the conformal group in diverse dimensions. 

Given an abelian variety A over a number field k, its Kummer variety X is the quotient of A by the automorphism that sends each point P to -P. We study p-adic density and weak approximation on X by relating its rational points to rational points of quadratic twists of A. This leads to many examples of K3 surfaces over Q whose rational points lie dense in the p-adic topology, or in product topologies arising from p-adic topologies. Finally, the same method is used to prove that if the Brauer--Manin obstruction controls the failure of weak approximation on all Kummer varieties, then ranks of quadratic twists of (non-trivial) abelian varieties are unbounded. This last fact arises from joint work with David Holmes.

Abstract: Motivated loosely by the problem of carbon sequestration in underground aquifers, I will describe computations and analysis of one-sided two-dimensional convection of a solute in a fluid-saturated porous medium, focusing on the case in which the solute decays via a chemical reaction.   Scaling properties of the flow at high Rayleigh number are established and rationalized through an asymptotic model, that addresses the transient stability of a near-surface boundary layer and the structure of slender plumes that form beneath.  The boundary layer is shown to restrict the rate of solute transport to deep domains.  Knowledge of the plume structure enables slow erosion of the substrate of the reaction to be described in terms of a simplified free boundary problem.

Co-authors: KA Cliffe, H Power, DS Riley, TJ Ward

In this talk we will describe the steps towards self-consistent computer simulations of the evolution of the universe beginning soon after the Big Bang and ending with the formation of realistic stellar systems like the Milky Way. This is a multi-scale problem of vast proportions. The first step has been the Millennium Simulation, one of the largest and most successful numerical simulations of the Universe ever carried out. Now we are in the midst of the next step, where this is carried to a much higher level of physical fidelity on the latest supercomputing platforms. This talk will be illustrate how the role of mathematics is essential in this endeavor. Also computer simulations will be shown. This is joint work among others with Volker Springel.

The generation of functional interfaces such as superconducting and ferroelectric twin boundaries requires new ways to nucleate as many interfaces as possible in bulk materials and thin films. Materials with high densities of twin boundaries are often ferroelastics and martensites. Here we show that the nucleation and propagation of twin boundaries depend sensitively on temperature and system size. The geometrical mechanisms for the evolution of the ferroelastic microstructure under strain deformation remain similar in all thermal regimes, whereas their thermodynamic behavior differs dramatically: on heating, from power-law statistics via the Kohlrausch law to a Vogel-Fulcher law.We find that the complexity of the pattern can be well characterized by the number of junctions between twin boundaries. Materials with soft bulk moduli have much higher junction densities than those with hard bulk moduli. Soft materials also show an increase in the junction density with diminishing sample size. The change of the complexity and the number density of twin boundaries represents an important step forward in the development of ‘domain boundary engineering’, where the functionality of the materials is directly linked to the domain pattern.

Everything measurable about a quantum system, as modelled by a noncommutative operator algebra, is captured by its commutative subalgebras. We briefly survey this programme, and zoom in one specific incarnation: any bilinear associative function on the set of n-by-n matrices over a field of characteristic not two, that makes the same vectors orthogonal as ordinary matrix multiplication and gives the same trace as ordinary matrix multiplication, must in fact be ordinary matrix multiplication (or its opposite). Model-theoretic questions about the hypotheses and scope of this theorem are raised.