I will present some recent results concerning the higher gradient integrability of

σ-harmonic functions u with discontinuous coefficients σ, i.e. weak solutions of

div(σ∇u) = 0. When σ is assumed to be symmetric, then the optimal integrability

exponent of the gradient field is known thanks to the work of Astala and Leonetti

& Nesi. I will discuss the case when only the ellipticity is fixed and σ is otherwise

unconstrained and show that the optimal exponent is attained on the class of

two-phase conductivities σ: Ω⊂R27→ {σ1,σ2} ⊂M2×2. The optimal exponent

is established, in the strongest possible way of the existence of so-called

exact solutions, via the exhibition of optimal microgeometries.

(Joint work with V. Nesi and M. Ponsiglione.)

Joint work with Anders Hansen (Cambridge), Olavi Nevalinna (Aalto) and Markus Seidel (Zwickau).             

I will present two recent results concerning the stability of boundary layer asymptotic expansions of solutions of Navier-Stokes with small viscosity. First, we show that the linearization around an arbitrary stationary shear flow admits an unstable eigenfunction with small wave number, when viscosity is sufficiently small. In boundary-layer variables, this yields an exponentially growing sublayer near the boundary and hence instability of the asymptotic expansions, within an arbitrarily small time, in the inviscid limit. On the other hand, we show that the Prandtl asymptotic expansions hold for certain steady flows. Our proof involves delicate construction of approximate solutions (linearized Euler and Prandtl layers) and an introduction of a new positivity estimate for steady Navier-Stokes. This in particular establishes the inviscid limit of steady flows with prescribed boundary data up to order of square root of small viscosity. This is a joint work with Emmanuel Grenier and Yan Guo.

Inspired by a question posed by Lax, in recent years it has received  

an increasing attention the study of quantitative compactness  

estimates for the solution operator $S_t$, $t>0$ that associates to  

every given initial data $u_0$ the corresponding solution $S_t u_0$ of  

a conservation law or of a first order Hamilton-Jacobi equation.



Estimates of this type play a central roles in various areas of  

information theory and statistics as well as of ergodic and learning  

theory. In the present setting, this concept could provide a measure  

of the order of ``resolution'' of a numerical method for the  

corresponding equation.



In this talk we shall first review the results obtained in  

collaboration with O. Glass and K.T. Nguyen, concerning the  

compactness estimates for solutions to conservation laws. Next, we  

shall turn to the  analysis of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation pursued in  

collaboration with P. Cannarsa and K.T.~Nguyen.

In this talk I present a recent result about the free-boundary problem for 2D current-vortex sheets in ideal incompressible magneto-hydrodynamics near the transition point between the linearized stability and instability. In order to study the dynamics of the discontinuity near the onset of the instability, Hunter and Thoo have introduced an asymptotic quadratically nonlinear integro-differential equation for the amplitude of small perturbations of the planar discontinuity. We study such amplitude equation and prove its nonlinear well-posedness under a stability condition given in terms of a longitudinal strain of the fluid along the discontinuity. This is a joint work with A.Morando and P.Trebeschi.

Expansion, Random Walks and Sieving in $SL_2 (\mathbb{F}_p[t])$

We pose the question of how to characterize "generic" elements of finitely generated groups. We set the scene by discussing recent results for linear groups in characteristic zero. To conclude we describe some new work in positive characteristic.

 This is joint work with Angus Macintyre. We prove a general model-completeness theorem for Henselian valued fields
stating that a Henselian valued field of characteristic zero with value group a Z-group and with finite ramification is model-complete in the language of rings provided that its residue field is model-complete. We apply this to extensions of p-adic fields showing that any finite or infinite extension of p-adics with finite ramification is model-complete in the language of rings.

The talk will discuss the mean value theorem and Wooley's breakthrough with his "efficent congruencing" method.