Papers

We investigate the expressive power of fixed-point logics (FP) and their extensions in defining generating sets for accessible subgroups of definable permutation groups. This operation, computable in polynomial time via the Schreier-Sims algorithm, plays a central role in the group-theoretic approach to Graph Isomorphism and Graph Canonisation. In particular, it underpins polynomial-time canonisation for bounded colour-class graphs–a class for which no natural logic capturing P is currently known. We first show that this operation cannot, in general, be expressed in any logic for P. This limitation arises from the fact that accessible subgroups need not admit symmetric generating sets of polynomial size. However, we prove that when the base group admits a definable ordered generating set, the accessible subgroup operation becomes definable in fixed-point logic with the group order operator (FP + ord). This is achieved by partially simulating the Schreier-Sims algorithm within FP + ord. As a corollary, we show that fixed-point logic with counting (FPC) can also define the operation when the base group is abelian. In particular, FPC can define the automorphism group of any graph with abelian colours–despite being unable to canonise such graphs.

We study the $K$-theory classes of higher Kazhdan projections of a discrete group under a spectral-gap assumption and recall how they are obtained, via the Baum–Connes assembly map, from equivariant Euler classes. After reviewing the case of virtually free groups, where the universal space for proper actions has a one-dimensional model, we prove the main new result: an explicit description of the $K$-theory class of the first higher Kazhdan projection for finitely generated infinite one-relator groups whose first Laplacian has a spectral gap. If moreover the one-relator group is hyperbolic, this also gives corresponding formulas for delocalised $\ell^2$-Betti numbers.

In this paper we study the behavior of topological entropy for partially hyperbolic diffeomorphisms on $\mathbb{T}^d$ isotopic to a linear Anosov automorphism with indecomposable weak-stable subspace. In particular, we prove that for a class of DA maps associated with such linear systems, whose central behavior is sufficiently dominated by the expansion rate of the linear model, the topological entropy coincides with that of the linear map. Furthermore, we obtain uniqueness of equilibrium states for a class of low-oscillation potentials and, as an application, the uniqueness of the measure of maximal entropy. We also provide sufficient conditions for which ergodic measures arise as the unique equilibrium state of some continuous potential. Finally, on $\mathbb{T}^3$ we construct a dynamically coherent diffeomorphism in the same isotopy class whose topological entropy is strictly larger than that of the linear part.

The history of extremum seeking is not merely the history of an algorithm; it is the history of an idea. Few ideas in control engineering have demonstrated the remarkable longevity of extremum seeking control (ESC). Invented more than one hundred years ago, ESC has continually reinvented itself while remaining faithful to its original objective: enabling systems to optimize their performance without relying on accurate mathematical models. This perspective article proposes that the evolution of ESC is best understood through three scientific revolutions. The first Engineering Revolution (1922-1999) established the engineering principles of model-free optimization; the second Mathematical Revolution (2000-2010) provided the rigorous mathematical foundations that transformed ESC into a mature discipline of nonlinear control; and the third ongoing Infinite-Dimensional and Cyber-Physical Revolution (2010-present) continues to expand its scope toward delays, partial differential equations, distributed optimization, event-triggered implementations, and increasingly complex cyber-physical systems. Beyond recounting this historical evolution, we offer a personal perspective on why ESC has remained relevant across successive technological eras. We argue that its enduring influence arises because the fundamental engineering challenge has never changed: "how can a dynamical system learn to improve its own performance when the optimum is unknown?" As optimization, learning, and feedback control become increasingly intertwined, ESC appears uniquely positioned to contribute to a new generation of intelligent autonomous systems, pointing toward what may become the field's fourth scientific revolution.

We consider isometric $\mathbb{Z}_{p}$-torus actions on closed, positively curved manifolds, obtaining a homotopy classification result. This allows us to strengthen on the improvement of the $3n/8$ half-maximal symmetry rank result of Fang-Rong and Ghazawneh given in Theorem B and Corollary C in the work of the author and Searle. Along the way, we generalize a sphere-embedding construction of Wilking from the binary case to arbitrary primes in Theorem C, which is a geometric construction of independent interest.

We give a complete characterization of the zero set of the Zak transform of the second-order B-spline $Q_2$. As a consequence, we obtain a new proof of the Lemvig–Nielsen obstructions to the Gabor frame property of $Q_2$, and, along the hyperbola $ab=1/q$, we show these obstructions are sharp: every point they do not exclude belongs to the frame set. This gives the first complete characterization of $\mathcal F(Q_2)$ along an entire curve in this family, resolving a question left open by Lemvig and Nielsen.

This paper introduces a structural taxonomy for constrained non-convex optimization based on the signature of Lagrange multipliers at KKT stationary points. Leveraging a unified game-theoretic interpretation of eight classical algorithm families–including block coordinate descent, ADMM, generalized Benders decomposition, successive convex approximation, interior-point methods, mirror descent, Frank-Wolfe, and Riemannian gradient descent–we show that the normalized multiplier vector carries an algorithm-independent structural fingerprint. Four scale-free shape features of this vector partition the dual space into five operational regimes: Unconstrained, Resource-Limited, Saturation, Strongly-Coupled, and Hybrid. We establish four structural theorems characterizing the partition: invariance under natural KKT symmetries, local stability under data perturbation with explicit Lipschitz margins from Robinson's strong regularity, codimension-one regime transitions, and the topological identification of the Hybrid regime as the Lebesgue-null boundary of the core regimes. A linear-time classifier is proposed with provable guarantees on correctness, iteration stabilization, sample complexity, and online tracking under data drift. Numerical experiments on 104 mixed-integer nonlinear programs and a downlink beamforming instance validate the theoretical predictions. The framework provides a foundational tool for regime-aware algorithm design and robustness analysis in non-convex optimization.

Time-harmonic Maxwell scattering by a perfectly conducting obstacle is governed by the electric field integral equation (EFIE), whose natural energy space is $\boldsymbol H^{-1/2}(\mathrm{div}_\Gamma,\Gamma)$. For countably parametrized surface deformations, both the operator and its energy space depend on the geometry. We establish operator-valued shape holomorphy of the EFIE operator on a fixed reference space and derive dimension-independent sparse approximation rates. The main analytical difficulty is a fractional mapping property absent from existing $L^2$-based operator-valued shape-holomorphy theory for weakly singular kernels: the Maxwell graph norm requires uniform holomorphy of the complex-deformed scalar single layer as an operator from $H^{-1/2}$ to $H^{1/2}$. We prove this one-order smoothing by realizing the Laplace principal part as the trace of a uniformly sectorial complex-coefficient divergence-form problem on a fixed real ambient domain. Combined with a surface contravariant Piola transformation, which identifies the geometry-dependent Maxwell trace spaces and cancels the surface Jacobians in the pulled-back EFIE exactly, this yields $(\mathbf b,p,\varepsilon)$-holomorphy of the EFIE operator family for $\ell^p$-summable shape deformations, $0<p<1$. Under pointwise exclusion of interior electric resonances, parameter-uniform invertibility is derived rather than assumed, and the surface current and far field inherit the same parametric regularity. Their Legendre coefficients are $\ell^p$-summable, yielding dimension-independent best $N$-term approximation rates. The operator-level results also transfer to Galerkin boundary element operators on a single reference mesh, with constants independent of the discretization dimension, and provide reusable surrogates for multiple incident fields and bounded linear observables.

Which vertex-transitive graphs of prime order have quantum symmetry? The question of Banica, Bichon and Chenevier is open in the dense regime of Paley graphs, where coherent-algebra methods give no information. To each such graph we attach a two-basepoint Terwilliger algebra of its cyclotomic scheme and study the module it generates from the basepoints: fullness forces the quantum permutation algebra to be commutative, and the module admits no intermediate state, containing either exactly two point masses or all $p$ of them. One point mass, captured at any depth, therefore suffices, and Chassaniol's orbital criterion is the depth-one case. Three consequences follow. A sharp counting argument replaces the Banica–Bichon–Chenevier threshold $p>6^{\varphi(k)}$ by the quadratic bound $p>(k-1)(k-2)+2$, where $k$ is the type. Four certificates, each a short list of additions modulo $p$, settle $C_{31}(2,4,8,15)$ and $C_{41}(4,10,16,18)$, the two graphs left open by Chassaniol, and complete the classification for type at most $10$ without machine assistance. An exact computation extends the dichotomy “quantum symmetry if and only if complete or empty” to all prime orders $p\le250$, settling the Paley graphs $P_{p}$ with $p\le241$, the first beyond $P_{17}$. What remains is the capture of a single explicit vector: the midpoint $2^{-1}$ of the two basepoints.

Let $(A,\rho)$ be a tracial ${\rm C}^*$-probability space with the rapid decay property relative to a filtration $L$. We show that the associated Sobolev algebra $H_L^{\infty}(A,\rho)$ is closed under the smooth functional calculus of $A$. Some consequences include norm estimates, the ideal separation property, and the fact that the inclusion $H_L^{\infty}(A,\rho)\subset A$ induces an isomorphism in $K$-theory.

For an endomorphism $\phi$ of a closed Riemannian manifold $M$, we study the pushforward action $\phi_\ast$ on the Wasserstein space $\mathcal{P}(M)$ at a measure $\mu_0$ preserved by $\phi$. We show that if $\phi$ is a $C^2$ covering map and $\mu_0$ has positive $C^1$ density, then $\phi_\ast$ is Gâteaux differentiable at $\mu_0$ along tangent directions, with derivative given by the transfer operator of $\phi$ acting on vector fields, followed by orthogonal projection onto the tangent space. The derivative is the adjoint of the Koopman operator restricted to the tangent space, and its fixed space consists of the directions in which $\mu_0$ can be deformed while preserving invariance to first order. For appropriate pairs of endomorphisms of $\mathbb{T}^d$, we compute the intersection of their fixed spaces, show that it contains an infinite family of linearly independent continuous vector fields, and construct, for every $n$, an embedded $n$-dimensional family of measures that are nearly invariant under both endomorphisms. First-order rigidity therefore fails in every dimension. In particular, rigidity phenomena such as higher-dimensional analogues of the Furstenberg conjecture, if true, are genuinely nonlinear.

Let $G$ be a compact connected Lie group and $K$ its connected Lie subgroup. Using the $K$-theoretic version of equivariant formality developed in [F2] which involves analysis of vector bundles over $G/K$, we find two characterizations of equivariant formality of the isotropy action of $K$ on $G/K$. The first one equates equivariant formality with a "smoothness" condition of the restriction map of the representation ring of $G$ to that of $K$. The second characterization asserts that equivariant formality amounts to the equivariant $K$-theoretic index pairing of two certain special $K$-theory classes being nontrivial in some sense. By applying these characterizations, we are able to give a representation theoretic criterion for equivariant formality of the isotropy action by a circle subgroup, as well as an invariant theory criterion for the case where $K$ is a torus of dimension one less than the rank of $G$, culminating in a complete classification of equivariant formality where $G$ is further assumed to be simple.

In power markets where the physics of the transmission grid is closely represented in market clearing models, certain cross-zonal power exchanges can take place only if other exchanges occur concurrently. This leads to challenges in cross-zonal balancing capacity markets, where the activation of reserves in real time remains uncertain. Ensuring reserve deliverability in all activation scenarios is naturally modeled as a stochastic programming (SP) problem, whose size grows exponentially with the number of locations in the network. This formulation scales poorly in real-world applications. We first show that activation scenarios can be expressed in an order-book-agnostic way, reducing the challenge to a network modeling problem and improving computational performance. We then introduce a general inner approximation principle that we use to derive two scalable inner approximations and one column generation algorithm for tackling one of the approximations. The first inner approximation is well known to practitioners, and relates to a basic result for describing boxes in a polytope, while the second model, its associated column generation algorithm and finite-dimensional reformulation are based on semi-infinite linear programming and robust linear optimization. We compare the inner approximations to the exact SP formulation, which we also solve via a Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition for comparison purposes. Numerical results show that these inner approximations are much more scalable than the stochastic programming formulation, while reaping most of the benefits of cross-zonal exchanges. The approaches are of particular interest for future pan-European cross-zonal balancing capacity markets, and can also accommodate co-optimization of energy and balancing capacity products.

Unlike the classical Heston model, Fourier pricing under the rough Heston model requires solving a fractional Riccati equation at every quadrature point. Since the required resolution varies with model parameters and quadrature point, a single uniform time discretization can be inefficient. We develop single- and multilevel Gauss-Laguerre quadrature methods that balance the time discretization and Fourier quadrature errors. Both methods scale the laguerre weight to the estimated Fourier integrand decay. The single-level method allocates a prescribed tolerance between the two errors. The multilevel method splits the integrand into a level-zero term and level differences, selecting quadrature points separately at each level. Suppose that the Fourier integrand discretization error is $O(\Delta t^p)$, that evaluating the characteristic function once costs $O(\Delta t^{-\beta})$, and that the algebraic Gauss-Laguerre quadrature error is $O(N^{-s_{SL}/2})$, where $s_{{SL}}$ is the smoothness index. Under this estimate and assumptions on the regularity and decay of level differences, we prove that the proposed single-level method requires $O(\epsilon^{-(\beta/p+2/s_{{SL}})})$ computational work to achieve accuracy $\epsilon$, whereas the proposed multilevel method requires $O(\epsilon^{-\beta/p})$ computational work. We also study root-exponential Gauss-Laguerre error models for practical multilevel quadrature allocation. Numerical experiments support the observed fractional Riccati and Fourier integrand convergence rates and root-exponential quadrature behavior, and show substantial reductions in quadrature cost from the proposed scaling. The multilevel method provides clear computational savings over the single-level method. We further benchmark the multilevel fractional Riccati method against the BL2 Markovian approximation and report lower total CPU time in the tested configurations.

Using ChatGPT 5.6, we find a counterexample to the stable forking conjecture. This answers a long-standing open question of Hart, Kim and Pillay (1996).

We construct a real self-adjoint semigroup on an $\ell^2$-space which is individually eventually strongly positive with respect to a strictly positive vector, but whose operators fail to be positive at arbitrarily large times. Moreover, the generator of this semigroup has compact resolvent. Consequently, individual and uniform eventual positivity are not equivalent for self-adjoint semigroups on $L^2$-spaces, even under the additional assumption that the generator has compact resolvent. The construction consists of a positive self-adjoint rank-one perturbation of a diagonal operator and a sequence of small spectral shifts on antisymmetric two-point modes.

In this paper, we establish exponential separations between Extended Frege systems for a range of intuitionistic substructural and linear logics. More precisely, for any logic $L$ below the intuitionistic logic obtained by extending $\mathbf{ILL}$ with structural rules, and any logic $M$ not contained in $L$, we construct a family of $\mathsf{FL_e}$-provable formulas that have short proofs in $M$-Frege but require proofs of exponential size in $L$-Extended Frege. The same result holds in the $!$-free settings, using $\mathbf{IMALL}$ and $\mathbf{FL_e}$ in place of $\mathbf{ILL}$. The key ingredient in proving these separations is a variant of the feasible disjunction property for $L$-Frege, which may be of independent interest.

This paper proves that every nonrecursive many-one degree contains either exactly one or infinitely many finite-one degrees. This gives a negative answer to Open Question 2 of Richter, Stephan, and Zhang~\cite[p.~17]{RSZ}. Earlier work established that, for almost every $A\subseteq\N$ with respect to the standard product measure on $2^\N$, the degree $[A]_{\m}$ contains an infinite antichain of finite-one degrees~\cite{Cintioli}. Thus the question had already received an almost-sure negative answer; the present theorem settles it for every nonrecursive many-one degree.

For pairs $(G,H)$, where $G$ is a locally compact group and $H$ is a closed subgroup of $G$, we introduce analogous versions of the full group $\mathrm{C}^*$-algebra and the Fourier–Stieltjes algebra for uniformly bounded representations. We use these objects to characterise relative property (T) in this more general setting in terms of Kazhdan projections and invariant means. We also show that, for semidirect products of the form $G=H\ltimes N$, where $N$ is a nilpotent group, relative property (T) for the pair $(G,N)$ is equivalent to its uniformly bounded version. We first prove this result when $N$ is abelian, and then proceed by studying the behaviour of relative property (T) under quotients by central subgroups, thereby extending a theorem of Serre to the uniformly bounded setting.

We construct, for every $d\ge 5$, a nonnegative radial potential $V\in L^\infty_{\mathrm{loc}}(\mathbb{R}^d\setminus\{0\})\cap L^1(\mathbb{R}^d)$ for which $V(-\Delta\dotplus V)^{-1}$ is not bounded on $L^2(\mathbb{R}^d)$.

We study the noncommutative generalization of measure-theoretic dominance and equivalence of states on $C^*$-algebras to explore quasi-invariance under group actions. For a dominated state, we derive an unbounded "Radon-Nikodym" derivative affiliated with the commutant algebra of the dominating state's GNS representation. Interestingly, this dominance is generally non-transitive because the product of the corresponding closed operators can be non-closable. When looking at group actions by $*$-automorphisms, the orbit of a fixed quasi-invariant state consists entirely of mutually equivalent states. However, the orbit closure may contain singular states, meaning the set of quasi-invariant states is closed under convex combinations but not topologically closed. The paper also provides a unitary implementation of the group action on the GNS Hilbert space-generalizing covariant representations and compares this approach with the Pedersen-Takesaki construction, where the Radon-Nikodym derivative sits in the centraliser instead of the commutant.

We study the convergence of multiple ergodic averages involving several commuting multiplicative actions. We prove that for finitely generated systems, the averages $$\frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=1}^N S_{1,n}F_1\cdot\ldots\cdot S_{\ell,n}F_\ell$$ converge in norm, settling a conjecture of Frantzikinakis. Our methods rely on a novel generalization of Kátai's orthogonality criterion that allows us to obtain box seminorm control, the machinery of magic extensions originating in the work of Host, and a delicate induction on the complexity of the initial averages that ultimately reduces our problem to well-known mean convergence results.

As transit agencies consider bus fleet electrification, understanding the efficiency and cost of replacing diesel buses (DBs) with battery electric buses (BEBs) is critical. To evaluate this, this study applies a mixed-fleet optimization model, integrating scheduling, charging, and fleet composition decisions, across five agencies: Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus (BBB), the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), and Manhattan's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus service. By calculating electric fleet share, the BEB/DB replacement ratio, transit-link density, and vehicle activity-time allocation, the study finds that while optimized fleets remain majority-electric, vehicle substitution is rarely one-to-one. Average replacement ratios range from 1.101 for CTA to 1.245 for KAT, with higher transit-link density networks like CTA and MTA requiring fewer replacement buses per diesel bus displaced than lower-density networks like MARTA and KAT. While these relationships are descriptive rather than causal, non-revenue vehicle activity may help explain the differences. By shifting the focus from simple electric fleet share to diesel replacement efficiency, this multi-agency comparison demonstrates that transit agencies should use the replacement ratio to accurately forecast additional fleet capacity requirements and avoid the costly assumption of strict one-to-one vehicle substitution.

Let $X_1,X_2,\ldots$ be i.i.d. finitely supported random variables in a torsion-free abelian group, and write $S_k=X_1+\cdots+X_k$, and $H(S_k)$ is the Shannon entropy $S_k$, for all $k \ge 1$. We prove that, for every fixed $n\geq1$, \[ H(S_{n+1})-H(S_n) \geq \frac12\log\frac{n+1}{n} -o_{H(X_1)\to\infty}(1), \] uniformly over the ambient group and the input law. This proves a conjecture of Tao [29] in 2010.

Kalai's cube–simplex conjecture asserts that for all positive integers $\ell,k$, there is an integer $f(\ell,k)$ such that every polytope of dimension at least $f(\ell,k)$ has either a simplex $\ell$-face or a cube $k$-face; let $f_s(\ell,k)$ denote the threshold restricted to simple polytopes. Finiteness of $f(\ell,k)$ is known only for $\ell,k \leq 2$. In addition, Kalai proved that $f_s(2,k) \leq 2k^2$. Here we prove that $f_s(\ell,k)$ is finite for all $\ell \geq 2$ and $k \geq 3$, the first such result beyond $\ell = 2$, with $f_s(2,k) \leq 2k^2-1$ and $f_s(\ell,k) \leq \tfrac{1}{2}k^2\ell\,2^k$ for $\ell \geq 3$. In the opposite direction, we obtain the lower bounds $f(\ell,k) \geq (5\lfloor \ell/2 \rfloor + (\ell \bmod 2) - 1)(k-1)+1$ and $f_s(\ell,k) \geq \max\{4,\,2(\ell-1)\}(k-1)+1$. A companion question asks for the minimum possible size of a 3-face within a higher-dimensional polytope. Meisinger, Kleinschmidt and Kalai proved that every rational $d$-polytope with $d \geq 9$ has a $3$-face with fewer than $78$ vertices or fewer than $78$ facets. Here we improve their bound: every convex polytope of dimension at least $15$ has a $3$-face with at most $13$ facets. One step of our proof requires an explicit exact rational certificate or identity on flag numbers. This certificate is computed using linear programming.

Pseudosimilar vertices are vertices in distinct automorphism orbits whose deletions produce isomorphic graphs. Classical work has studied the existence, group-theoretic origin, and construction of large sets of such vertices. We ask a different recursive question: how long can one repeatedly delete a vertex that is pseudosimilar at the moment of deletion? We define the pseudosimilarity depth of a graph and construct connected graphs in which this process continues through all but a sublinear number of vertices. A two-clock construction gives a square-root deficit uniformly in the order, while a Chinese-remainder construction with many cyclic clocks yields an infinite family of asymmetric graphs with only a polylogarithmic number of vertices left outside the active chain. The mechanism realizes pseudosimilarity by breaking a long hidden automorphism orbit and enlarging the break one vertex at a time. Thus pseudosimilarity can persist through an asymptotically full sequence of vertex deletions, even though every graph encountered in the main construction is asymmetric.

For positive integers $n$ and $m$, we study the actions of the groups of tame automorphisms of the $n$-dimensional affine spaces over finite fields on ordered subsets of $m$ points. Our primary interest lies in constructing tame automorphisms that take one ordered sequence to another and in proving upper and lower bounds on the maximal complexity of such automorphisms. Our preferred measure of complexity of an automorphism is the maximum of the degrees of the polynomials that define it and its inverse. Using methods and results from various branches of mathematics, including the theory of symmetric groups, affine geometry over finite fields, polynomial interpolation, combinatorics of projective spaces over fields, and polynomial automorphisms, we obtain a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative results.

We will answer a problem of Dotsenko that asks for a tight upper bound on the rank of subgroups given a maximum length for its generators. Then, we will use the same tools to answer a longstanding problem of Grigorchuk in the 10th edition of the Kourovka notebook. We accomplish this using Stallings foldings and simple graph theory.

A classical theorem of Maillet asserts that every nonconstant rational function over $\mathbb{Q}$ maps Liouville numbers to Liouville numbers. In 1984, Mahler asked whether a transcendental entire function can have the same property. We prove a strong smooth counterpart: writing $\mathscr{L}$ for the set of Liouville numbers, there exist orientation-preserving $C^\infty$ diffeomorphisms $f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$, arbitrarily close to the identity and transcendental over $\mathbb{R}(x)$, such that for every real number field $K\subset\mathbb{R}$, every $n\geq 1$, and every $m\geq 0$, \[ D^m(f^{\circ n})(K)\subseteq K, \qquad D^m(f^{\circ n})(\mathscr{L})\subseteq\mathscr{L}. \] In fact, the non-analyticity locus may be prescribed as any nonempty compact perfect nowhere-dense set disjoint from the real algebraic and Liouville numbers. The proof combines Maillet's theorem with an arithmetic refinement of Körner's smooth polynomial sewing method and a rational-germ construction.

Motivated by deformations of spin structures and their geometric implications, we study a deformed exterior derivative, which is a third-order nilpotent operator. This higher-order differential structure induces an anholonomic rescaling of the local frame and leads to a bifurcation of the associated cohomological structure, with two distinct notions of closedness and exactness. We prove that the Poincaré Lemma fails in both sectors, so that closed deformed forms need not be exact even locally. We then apply the resulting framework to a four-dimensional effective field theory and show that a constant saturation of the deformation parameter can generate a hierarchy between the electroweak and fundamental Planck scales through a purely geometric mechanism, without introducing extra spatial dimensions.