Tue, 02 Mar 2010

14:30 - 15:30
L3

Decomposition of graphs and $\chi$-boundedness

Nicolas Trotignon
(Paris)
Abstract

A graph is $\chi$-bounded with a function $f$ is for all induced subgraph H of G, we have $\chi(H) \le f(\omega(H))$.  Here, $\chi(H)$ denotes the chromatic number of $H$, and $\omega(H)$ the size of a largest clique in $H$. We will survey several results saying that excluding various kinds of induced subgraphs implies $\chi$-boundedness. More precisely, let $L$ be a set of graphs. If a $C$ is the class of all graphs that do not any induced subgraph isomorphic to a member of $L$, is it true that there is a function $f$ that $\chi$-bounds all graphs from $C$? For some lists $L$, the answer is yes, for others, it is no.  

A decomposition theorems is a theorem saying that all graphs from a given class are either "basic" (very simple), or can be partitioned into parts with interesting relationship. We will discuss whether proving decomposition theorems is an efficient method to prove $\chi$-boundedness. 

Tue, 16 Feb 2010

14:30 - 15:30
L3

Boundary properties of graphs

Vadim Lozin
(Warwick)
Abstract

The notion of a boundary graph property is a relaxation of that of a

minimal property. Several fundamental results in graph theory have been obtained in

terms of identifying minimal properties. For instance, Robertson and Seymour showed that

there is a unique minimal minor-closed property with unbounded tree-width (the planar

graphs), while Balogh, Bollobás and Weinreich identified nine minimal hereditary

properties of labeled graphs with the factorial speed of growth. However, there are

situations where the notion of minimal property is not applicable. A typical example of this type

is given by graphs of large girth. It is known that for each particular value of k, the

graphs of girth at least k are of unbounded tree-width and their speed of growth is

superfactorial, while the limit property of this sequence (i.e., the acyclic graphs) has bounded

tree-width and its speed of growth is factorial. To overcome this difficulty, the notion of

boundary properties of graphs has been recently introduced. In the present talk, we use this

notion in order to identify some classes of graphs which are well-quasi-ordered with

respect to the induced subgraph relation.

Tue, 09 Feb 2010

14:30 - 15:30
L3

Combinatorial theorems in random sets

David Conlon
(Cambridge)
Abstract

The famous theorem of Szemerédi says that for any natural number $k$ and any $a>0$ there exists $n$ such that if $N\ge n$ then any subset $A$ of the set $[N] =\{1, 2,\ldots , N\}$ of size $|A| \ge a N$ contains an arithmetic progression of length $k$. We consider the question of when such a theorem holds in a random set. More precisely, we say that a set $X$ is $(a, k)$-Szemerédi if every subset $Y$ of $X$ that contains at least $a|X|$ elements contains an arithmetic progression of length $k$. Let $[N]_p$ be the random set formed by taking each element of $[N]$ independently with probability $p$. We prove that there is a threshold at about $p = N^{-1/(k-1)}$ where the probability that $[N]_p$ is $(a, k)$-Szemerédi changes from being almost surely 0 to almost surely 1.

There are many other similar problems within combinatorics. For example, Turán’s theorem and Ramsey’s theorem may be relativised, but until now the precise probability thresholds were not known. Our method seems to apply to all such questions, in each case giving the correct threshold. This is joint work with Tim Gowers.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010
12:00
L3

Characterization and Rigidity of the Kerr-Newman Solution

Willie W. Wong
(Cambridge)
Abstract

A celebrated result in mathematical general relativity is the uniqueness of the Kerr(-Newman) black-holes as regular solutions to the stationary and axially-symmetric Einstein(-Maxwell) equations. The axial symmetry can be removed if one invokes Hawking's rigidity theorem. Hawking's theorem requires, however, real analyticity of the solution. A recent program of A. Ionescu and S. Klainerman seeks to remove the analyticity requirement in the vacuum case. They were able to show that any smooth extension of "Kerr data" prescribed on the horizon, satisfying the Einstein vacuum equations, must be Kerr, using a characterization of Kerr metric due to M. Mars. In this talk I will give a characterization for the Kerr-Newman metric, and extend the rigidity result to cover the electrovacuum case.

Tue, 23 Feb 2010

15:45 - 16:45
L3

(HoRSe seminar) Cluster category and applications

Kentaro Nagao
(Oxford and Kyoto)
Abstract

I will introduce the theory of cluster categories after Amiot and Plamondon. For a quiver with a potential, the cluster category is defined as the quotient of the category of perfect dg-modules by the category of dg-modules with finite dimensional cohomologies. We can show the existence of the equivalence in the first talk as an application of the cluster category. I will also propose a definition of a counting invariant for each element in the cluster category.

Tue, 02 Mar 2010

15:45 - 16:45
L3

Thom polynomials and the Green-Griffiths conjecture

Gergely Berczi
(Oxford)
Abstract

The Green-Griffiths conjecture from 1979 says that every projective algebraic variety $X$ of general type contains a certain proper algebraic subvariety $Y$ such that all nonconstant entire holomorphic curves in $X$ must lie inside $Y$. In this talk we explain that for projective hypersurfaces of degree $d>dim(X)^6$ this is the consequence of a positivity conjecture in global singularity theory.

Mon, 08 Mar 2010
15:45
L3

On spaces of homomorphisms and spaces of representations

Fred Cohen
(Rochester)
Abstract

The subject of this talk is the structure of the space of homomorphisms from a free abelian group to a Lie group G as well as quotients spaces given by the associated space of representations.

These spaces of representations admit the structure of a simplicial space at the heart of the work here.

Features of geometric realizations will be developed.

What is the fundamental group or the first homology group of the associated space in case G is a finite, discrete group ?

This deceptively elementary question as well as more global information given in this talk is based on joint work with A. Adem, E. Torres, and J. Gomez.

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