I will review how the equations of general relativity near a spacetime singularity map onto an arithmetic hyperbolic billiard dynamics. The semiclassical quantum states for this dynamics are Maaβ cusp forms on fundamental domains of modular groups. For example, gravity in four spacetime dimensions leads to PSL(2,Z) while five dimensional gravity leads to PSL(2,Z[w]), with Z[w] the Eisenstein integers. The automorphic forms can be expressed, in a dilatation (Mellin transformed) basis as L-functions. The Euler product representation of these L-functions indicates that these quantum states admit a dual interpretation as a "primon gas" partition function. I will describe some physically motivated mathematical questions that arise from these observations.

An old conjecture of Graham asks whether there are infinitely many integers n such that \binom{2n}{n} is coprime to 105. This is equivalent to asking whether there are infinitely many integers which only have the digits 0,1 in base 3, 0,1,2 in base 5, and 0,1,2,3 in base 7. In general, one can ask whether there are infinitely many integers which only have 'small' digits in multiple bases simultaneously. For two bases this was established in 1975 by Erdos, Graham, Ruzsa, and Straus, but the case of three or more bases is much more mysterious. I will discuss recent joint work with Ernie Croot, in which we prove that (assuming the bases are sufficiently large) there are infinitely many integers such that almost all of the digits are small in all bases simultaneously. 

Wave energy has the theoretical potential to meet global electricity demand, but it remains less mature and less cost-competitive than wind or solar power. A key barrier is the absence of engineering convergence on an optimal wave energy converter (WEC) design. In this work, I demonstrate how geometry optimisation can deliver step-change improvements in WEC performance. I present methodology and results from optimisations of two types of WECs: an axisymmetric point-absorber WEC and a top-hinged WEC. I show how the two types need different optimisation frameworks due to the differing physics of how they make waves. For axisymmetric WECs, optimisation achieves a 69% reduction in surface area (a cost proxy) while preserving power capture and motion constraints. For top-hinged WECs, optimisation reduces the reaction moment (another cost proxy) by 35% with only a 12% decrease in power. These result show that geometry optimisation can substantially improve performance and reduce costs of WECs.