Tue, 14 May 2024

14:00 - 15:00
L4

The Erdös–Rényi random graph conditioned on being a cluster graph

Marc Noy
(Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya)
Abstract

A cluster graph is a disjoint union of complete graphs. We consider the random $G(n,p)$ graph on $n$ vertices with connection probability $p$, conditioned on the rare event of being a cluster graph. There are three main motivations for our study.

  1. For $p = 1/2$, each random cluster graph occurs with the same probability, resulting in the uniform distribution over set partitions. Interpreting such a partition as a graph adds additional structural information.
  2. To study how the law of a well-studied object like $G(n,p)$ changes when conditioned on a rare event; an evidence of this fact is that the conditioned random graph overcomes a phase transition at $p=1/2$ (not present in the dense $G(n,p)$ model).
  3. The original motivation was an application to community detection. Taking a random cluster graph as a model for a prior distribution of a partition into communities leads to significantly better community-detection performance.

This is joint work with Martijn Gösgens, Lukas Lüchtrath, Elena Magnanini and Élie de Panafieu.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

14:00 - 15:00
L4

The rainbow saturation number

Natalie Behague
(University of Warwick)
Abstract

The saturation number of a graph is a famous and well-studied counterpoint to the Turán number, and the rainbow saturation number is a generalisation of the saturation number to the setting of coloured graphs. Specifically, for a given graph $F$, an edge-coloured graph is $F$-rainbow saturated if it does not contain a rainbow copy of $F$, but the addition of any non-edge in any colour creates a rainbow copy of $F$. The rainbow saturation number of $F$ is the minimum number of edges in an $F$-rainbow saturated graph on $n$ vertices. Girão, Lewis, and Popielarz conjectured that, like the saturation number, for all $F$ the rainbow saturation number is linear in $n$. I will present our attractive and elementary proof of this conjecture, and finish with a discussion of related results and open questions.

A database of basic numerical invariants of Hilbert modular surfaces
Assaf, E Babei, A Breen, B Costa, E Duque-Rosero, J Horawa, A Kieffer, J Kulkarni, A Molnar, G Schiavone, S Voight, J Contemporary Mathematics

We're back with some helpful Fridays@2pm events in Week 2 and Week 3 of term! Both are in L1.

Join Prof. Dan Ciubotaru from 14:00-14:45 on Friday of Week 2 for Prelims / Part A revision. 

Or come along to Prof. Dmitry Belyaev's session from 14:00-14:45 on Friday of Week 3 for Parts B and C / OMMS revision.

As always, tea/coffee and biscuits will be served afterwards.

Tue, 28 May 2024
13:00
L2

Disordered quantum critical fixed points from holography

Andrew Lucas
(Boulder )
Abstract

In this talk I will describe the systematic construction of strongly interacting RG fixed points with a finite disorder strength.  Such random-field disorder is quite common in condensed matter experiment, necessitating an understanding of the effects of this disorder on the properties of such fixed points. In the past, such disordered fixed points were accessed using e.g. epsilon expansions in perturbative quantum field theory, using the replica method to treat disorder.  I will show that holography gives an alternative picture for RG flows towards disordered fixed points.  In holography, spatially inhomogeneous disorder corresponds to inhomogeneous boundary conditions for an asymptotically-AdS spacetime, and the RG flow of the disorder strength is captured by the solution to the Einstein-matter equations. Using this construction, we have found analytically-controlled RG fixed points with a finite disorder strength.  Our construction accounts for, and explains, subtle non-perturbative geometric effects that had previously been missed.  Our predictions are consistent with conformal perturbation theory when studying disordered holographic CFTs, but the method generalizes and gives new models of disordered metallic quantum criticality.

Welcome back to term, with Week 1 on the horizon and classes/lectures shortly to begin.

This can be a challenging term for some, with exams, presentations and vivas - so check out the details of our wonderful student welfare and support services, who have a range of workshops and groups on offer.

There are also some wonderful opportunities for further study, at home and abroad - see the 'Grad Study Adverts' section.

Opportunity for a PhD student to start between August this year and early next year at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The topic will be in discrete probability theory. Job listing here.

The listing includes a suggestion for a more specific direction (universality in random trees and graphs), but the supervisor is happy to find another suitable topic together with the candidate. 

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