The Solubility of Diagonal Cubic Diophantine Equations

This paper proves conditional existence results for non-trivialsolutions of the equation where the coefficients a_i and the unknowns X_i are taken to berational integers. No such results were previously known for n6. The proofs useelementary facts about the 3-descent procedure for ellipticcurves of the form E_A: X³ + Y³ = AZ³. Thus, when n=4, and the a_i are each prime, and are all congruentto 2 modulo 3, it is shown that (*) will have non-trivial solutions,providing that the Selmer conjecture holds for the curves E_A.One may replace the Selmer conjecture by an appropriate formof the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis, when n=5 and the a_i areagain taken to be primes, all congruent to 8 modulo 9. Finally,when n=5, one may require only that the a_i be square-free andcoprime to 3, providing one assumes both the Selmer conjectureand a special case of Schinzel's conjecture (on the representationof primes by cubic polynomials). 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification:11D25, 11G05, 14G05.     

A Multiplicative Property of Quantum Flag Minors II

Let U⁺ be the plus part of the quantized enveloping algebraof a simple Lie algebra of type A_n and let B^* be the dual canonicalbasis of U⁺. Let b, b' be in B^*, and suppose that one of thetwo elements is a q-commuting product of quantum flag minors.It is shown that b and b' are multiplicative if and only ifthey q-commute.     

The tower of K-theory of truncated polynomial algebras

Let A be a regular noetherian F_p-algebra. The relative K-groupsK_q(A[x]/(x^m),(x)) and the Nil-groups Nil_q(A[x]/(x^m)) were evaluatedby the author and Ib Madsen in terms of the big de Rham–Wittgroups W_rA^q of the ring A. In this paper, we evaluate the mapsof relative K-groups and Nil-groups induced by the canonicalprojection f: A[x]/(x^m) A[x]/(xⁿ). The result depends stronglyon the prime p. It generalizes earlier work by Stienstra onthe groups in degrees 2 and 3. Received February 28, 2007.     

A Note on Serre's Conjecture Modulo 6

It is shown that, given continuous, absolutely irreducible representationsof Gal(Q^ac/Q) with values in GL₂(F₂) and GL₂(F₃), and havingcyclotomic determinant, there is a weight 2 newform of somelevel whose mod 2 and mod 3 representations are equivalent tothose given. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification 11F80,11F33 (primary); 11G18 (secondary).     

A Mod Two Analogue of a Conjecture of Cooke

The mod two cohomology of the three connective covering of S³has the form F₂[X_2n] E(Sq¹X_2n) where x_2n is in degree 2n and n = 2. If F denotes the homotopytheoretic fibre of the map S³ B²S¹ of degree 2, then the mod2 cohomology of F is also of the same form for n = 1. Notice(cf. Section 7 of the present paper) that the existence of spaceswhose cohomology has this form for high values of n would immediatelyprovide Arf invariant elements in the stable stem. Hence, itis worthwhile to determine for what values of n the above algebracan be realized as the mod2 cohomology of some space. The purposeof this paper is to construct a further example of a space withsuch a cohomology algebra for n = 4 and to show that no othervalues of n are admissible. More precisely, we prove the following.     

SCALED ASYMPTOTICS FOR SOME q-SERIES

This work, investigates the asymptotics for Euler’s q-exponentialE_q(z), Ramanujan’s function A_q(z), Jackson’s q-Besselfunction J_v⁽²⁾ (z; q), the Stieltjes–Wigert orthogonalpolynomials S_n(x; q) and q-Laguerre polynomials L_n⁽⁾ (x; q)as q approaches 1.     

Regularity of Rees Algebras

Let B = k[x₁, ..., x_n] be a polynomial ring over a field k,and let A be a quotient ring of B by a homogeneous ideal J.Let m denote the maximal graded ideal of A. Then the Rees algebraR = A[m t] also has a presentation as a quotient ring of thepolynomial ring k[x₁, ..., x_n, y₁, ..., y_n] by a homogeneousideal J^*. For instance, if A = k[x₁, ..., x_n], then Rk[x₁,...,x_n,y₁,...,y_n]/(x_iy_j–x_jy_i|i, j=1,...,n). In this paper we want to compare the homological propertiesof the homogeneous ideals J and J^*.     

On the Magnitude of the Sum of Bases of the Natural Numbers

We construct two bases of the natural numbers B₁ and B₂, eachof order two, such that (B₁ + B₂ (n) <n^{+c/(log n)}. For alower estimate, it is proved that if B₂ and are two bases, eachof order two, then (B₁+B₂)(n) > n. Generalisations to sumsof bases of order h > 2 are also given.     

Normal Transversality and Uniform Bounds

Let A be a commutative ring. A graded A-algebra U = _n0 U_n isa standard A-algebra if U₀ = A and U = A[U₁] is generated asan A-algebra by the elements of U₁. A graded U-module F = _n0F_nis a standard U-module if F is generated as a U-module by theelements of F₀, that is, F_n = U_nF₀ for all n 0. In particular,F_n = U₁F_n–1 for all n 1. Given I, J, two ideals of A,we consider the following standard algebras: the Rees algebraof I, R(I) = _n0Iⁿtⁿ = A[It] A[t], and the multi-Rees algebraof I and J, R(I, J) = _n0(_p+q=nI^pJ^qu^pv^q) = A[Iu, Jv] A[u, v].Consider the associated graded ring of I, G(I) = R(I) A/I =_n0Iⁿ/Iⁿ⁺¹, and the multi-associated graded ring of I and J,G(I, J) = R(I, J) A/(I+J) = _n0(_p+q=nI^pJ^q/(I+J)I^pJ^q). We canalways consider the tensor product of two standard A-algebrasU = _p0U_p and V = _q0V_q as a standard A-algebra with the naturalgrading U V = _n0(_p+q=nU_p V_q). If M is an A-module, we havethe standard modules: the Rees module of I with respect to M,R(I; M) = _n0IⁿMtⁿ = M[It] M[t] (a standard R(I)-module), andthe multi-Rees module of I and J with respect to M, R(I, J;M) = _n0(_p+q=nI^pJ^qMu^pv^q) = M[Iu, Jv] M[u, v] (a standard R(I,J)-module). Consider the associated graded module of M withrespect to I, G(I; M) = R(I; M) A/I = _n0IⁿM/Iⁿ⁺¹M (a standardG(I)-module), and the multi-associated graded module of M withrespect to I and J, G(I, J; M) = R(I, J; M) A/(I+J) = _n0(_p+q=nI^pJ^qM/(I+J)I^pJ^qM)(a standard G(I, J)-module). If U, V are two standard A-algebras,F is a standard U-module and G is a standard V-module, thenF G = _n0(_p+q=nF_p G_q) is a standard U V-module. Denote by :R(I) R(J; M) R(I, J; M) and :R(I, J; M) R(I+J;M) the natural surjective graded morphisms of standard RI) R(J)-modules. Let :R(I) R(J; M) R(I+J; M) be . Denote by :G(I) G(J; M) G(I, J; M) and :G(I, J; M) G(I+J; M) the tensor productof and by A/(I+J); these are two natural surjective gradedmorphisms of standard G(I) G(J)-modules. Let :G(I) G(J; M) G(I+J; M) be . The first purpose of this paper is to prove the following theorem.     

Common Multiples of Complete Graphs

A graph H is said to divide a graph G if there exists a setS of subgraphs of G, all isomorphic to H, such that the edgeset of G is partitioned by the edge sets of the subgraphs inS. Thus, a graph G is a common multiple of two graphs if eachof the two graphs divides G. This paper considers common multiples of a complete graph oforder m and a complete graph of order n. The complete graphof order n is denoted K_n. In particular, for all positive integersn, the set of integers q for which there exists a common multipleof K₃ and K_n having precisely q edges is determined. It is shown that there exists a common multiple of K₃ and K_nhaving q edges if and only if q 0 (mod 3), q 0 (mod n2) and (1) q 3 n2 when n 5 (mod 6); (2) q (n + 1) n2 when n is even; (3) q {36, 42, 48} when n = 4. The proof of this result uses a variety of techniques includingthe use of Johnson graphs, Skolem and Langford sequences, andequitable partial Steiner triple systems. 2000 MathematicalSubject Classification: 05C70, 05B30, 05B07.     

Smoothness Properties of the Unit Ball in a JB*-Triple

An element a of norm one in a JB^*-triple A is said to be smoothif there exists a unique element x in the unit ball A₁^* of thedual A^* of A at which a attains its norm, and is said to beFréchet-smooth if, in addition, any sequence (x_n) ofelements in A₁^* for which (x_n(a)) converges to one necessarilyconverges in norm to x. The sequence (a²ⁿ⁺¹) of odd powers ofa converges in the weak^*-topology to a tripotent u(a) in theJBW^*-envelope A^** of A. It is shown that a is smooth if andonly if u(a) is a minimal tripotent in A^** and a is Fréchet-smoothif and only if, in addition, u(a) lies in A.     

On the Discrepancy for Cartesian Products

Let B₂ denote the family of all circular discs in the plane.It is proved that the discrepancy for the family {B₁ x B₂ :B₁, B₂ B₂} in R⁴ is O(n^1/4+) for an arbitrarily small constant > 0, that is, it is essentially the same as that for thefamily B₂ itself. The result is established for the combinatorialdiscrepancy, and consequently it holds for the discrepancy withrespect to the Lebesgue measure as well. This answers a questionof Beck and Chen. More generally, we prove an upper bound forthe discrepancy for a family {^k_i=1A_i:A_iA_i, i = 1, 2, ..., k},where each A_i is a family in R^d_i, each of whose sets is describedby a bounded number of polynomial inequalities of bounded degree.The resulting discrepancy bound is determined by the ‘worst’of the families A_i, and it depends on the existence of certaindecompositions into constant-complexity cells for arrangementsof surfaces bounding the sets of A_i. The proof uses Beck's partialcoloring method and decomposition techniques developed for therange-searching problem in computational geometry.     

A Lie Theoretic Approach to Thompson's Theorems on Singular Values-Diagonal Elements and Some Related Results

Thompson's famous theorems on singular values–diagonalelements of the orbit of an nxn matrix A under the action (1)U(n) U(n) where A is complex, (2) SO(n) SO(n), where A isreal, (3) O(n) O(n) where A is real are fully examined. Coupledwith Kostant's result, the real semi-simple Lie algebra so_n,n yields (2) and hence (3) and the sufficient part (the hardpart) of (1). In other words, the curious subtracted term(s)are well explained. Although the diagonal elements correspondingto (1) do not form a convex set in Cⁿ, the projection of thediagonal elements into Rⁿ (or iRⁿ) is convex and the characterizationof the projection is related to weak majorization. An elementaryproof is given for this hidden convexity result. Equivalentstatements in terms of the Hadamard product are also given.The real simple Lie algebra su_{n, n} shows that such a convexityresult fits into the framework of Kostant's result. Convexityproperties and torus relations are studied. Thompson's resultson the convex hull of matrices (complex or real) with prescribedsingular values, as well as Hermitian matrices (real symmetricmatrices) with prescribed eigenvalues, are generalized in thecontext of Lie theory. Also considered are the real simple Liealgebras so_{p, q} and so_{p, q}, p < q, which yield the rectangularcases. It is proved that the real part and the imaginary partof the diagonal elements of complex symmetric matrices withprescribed singular values are identical to a convex set inRⁿ and the characterization is related to weak majorization.The convex hull of complex symmetric matrices and the convexhull of complex skew symmetric matrices with prescribed singularvalues are given. Some questions are asked.     

A multigrid-type method for thin plate spline interpolation on a circle

We consider the problem of thin plate spline interpolation ton equally spaced points on a circle, where the number of datapoints is sufficiently large for work of O(n³ to be unacceptable.We develop an iterative multigrid-type method, each iterationcomprising ngrid stages, and n being an integer multiple of2^ngrid–1. We let the first grid, V₁ be the full set ofdata points, V say, and each subsequent (coarser) grid, V_k,k=2, 3,...,ngrid, contain exactly half of the data points ofthe preceding (finer) grid, these data points being equallyspaced. At each stage of the iteration, we correct our current approximationto the thin plate spline interpolant by an estimate of the interpolantto the current residuals on V_k, where the correction is constructedfrom Lagrange functions of interpolation on small local subsetsof p data points in V_k. When the coarsest grid is reached, however,then the interpolation problem is solved exactly on its q=n/2^ngrid–1points. The iterative process continues until the maximum residualdoes not exceed a specified tolerance. Each iteration has the effect of premultiplying the vector ofresiduals by an n x n matrix R, and thus convergence will dependupon the spectral radius, (R), of this matrix. We investigatethe dependence of the spectral radius on the values of n, p,and q. In all the cases we have considered, we find (R) <<1, and thus rapid convergence is assured.     

Modular Subgroup Arithmetic and a Theorem of Philip Hall

A surprising relationship is established in this paper, betweenthe behaviour modulo a prime p of the number S_n G of index nsubgroups in a group G, and that of the corresponding subgroupnumbers for a normal subgroup in G normal subgroup in p-powerorder. The proof relies, among other things, on a twisted versiondue to Philip Hall of Frobenius' theorem concerning the equationx^m=1 in finite groups. One of the applications of this result,presented here, concerns the explicit determination modulo pof S_n G in the case when G is the fundamental group of a treeof groups all of whose vertex groups are cyclic of p-power order.Furthermore, a criterion is established (by a different technique)for the function S_n G to be periodic modulo p. 2000 MathematicsSubject Classification 20E06, 20F99 (primary); 05A15, 05E99(secondary).     

On the denominators of rational points on elliptic curves

Let x(P) = A_P/B²_P denote the x-coordinate of the rational pointP on an elliptic curve in Weierstrass form. We consider whenB_P can be a perfect power or a prime. Using Faltings' theorem,we show that for a fixed f > 1, there are only finitely manyrational points P with B_P equal to an fth power. Where descentvia an isogeny is possible, we show that there are only finitelymany rational points P with B_P equal to a prime, that thesepoints are bounded in number in an explicit fashion, and thatthey are effectively computable. Finally, we prove a strongerversion of this result for curves in homogeneous form.     

Correction: the Embedding of Radical Rings in Simple Radical Rings

As G. M. Bergman has pointed out, in the proof of the lemmaon p. 187, we cannot conclude that $$\stackrel{\&macr;}{S}$$is universal in the sense stated. However, the proof can becompleted as follows: Any element of $$\stackrel{\&macr;}{S}$$can be obtained as the first component of the solution u ofa system (A–I)u+a = 0, (1) where A S_n, a ⁿS and A–I has an inverse over L. SinceS is generated by R and k{s}, A can (by the last part of Lemma3.2 of [1]) be taken to be linear in these arguments, say A= A₀ + sA1, where A₀ R_n, A₀ R_n, A₁ K_n. Multiplying by (I–sA₁)^–1,we reduce this equation to the form (S_vB_v–I)u+a=0, (2) with the same solution u as before, where B_v R_n, s_v k{s}¹and a ⁿS. Now consider the retraction S k{s} (3) obtained by mapping R 0. If we denote its effect by x x^*,then (2) goes over into an equation –I.v + a^* 0, (4) which clearly has a unique solution v in k{s}; therefore theretraction (3) can be extended to a homomorphism $$\stackrel{\&macr;}{S}$$ k{s}, again denoted by x x^*, provided we can show that u₁^*does not depend on the equation (1) used to define it. Thisamounts to showing that if an equation (1), or equivalently(2), has the solution u₁ = 0, then after retraction we get v₁= 0 in (4), i.e. a₁^* = 0. We shall use induction on n; if u₁= 0 in (2), then by leaving out the first row and column ofthe matrix on the left of (2), we have an equation for u₂,...,u_n and by the induction hypothesis, their values after retractionare uniquely determined. Now from (2) we have where B = (b_ij^v). Applying ^* and observing that b_ij^vR, we seethat a₁ ^* = 0, as we wished to show. The proof still appliesfor n = 1, so we have a well-defined mapping $$\stackrel{\&macr;}{S}$$ k{s}, which is a homomorphism. Now the proof of the lemma canbe completed as before.     

Arithmetic properties of Apery numbers

Let (A_n)_n1 be the sequence of Apéry numbers with a generalterm given by . In thispaper, we prove that both the inequalities (A_n) > c₀ loglog log n and P(A_n) > c₀ (log n log log n)^1/2 hold fora set of positive integers n of asymptotic density 1. Here,(m) is the number of distinct prime factors of m, P(m) is thelargest prime factor of m and c₀ > 0 is an absolute constant.The method applies to more general sequences satisfying botha linear recurrence of order 2 with polynomial coefficientsand certain Lucas-type congruences.     

Hemisystems on the Hermitian Surface

The natural geometric setting of quadrics commuting with a Hermitiansurface of PG(3,q²), q odd, is adopted and a hemisystem on theHermitian surface H(3,q²) admitting the group P^–(4,q)is constructed, yielding a partial quadrangle PQ((q–1)/2,q²,(q–1)²/2) and a strongly regular graph srg((q³+1)(q+1)/2,(q²+1)(q–1)/2,(q–3)/2,(q–1)²/2).For q>3, no partial quadrangle or strongly regular graphwith these parameters was previously known, whereas when q=3,this is the Gewirtz graph. Thas conjectured that there are nohemisystems on H(3,q²) for q>3, so these are counterexamplesto his conjecture. Furthermore, a hemisystem on H(3,25) admitting3.A₇.2 is constructed. Finally, special sets (after Shult) andovoids on H(3,q²) are investigated.     

Multistep approximation of linear sectorial evolution equations

This paper concerns the linear multistep approximation of alinear sectorial evolution equation u_t = Au on a complex Banachspace X. Given a strictly A()-stable q-step method of orderp whose stability region includes a sectorial region containingthe spectrum of the operator A, the corresponding evolutionsemigroup for the method is Cⁿ(hA), n 0, defined on X^q, whereC(z) L (C^q) denotes the one-step map associated with the method.It is shown that for appropriately chosen V, Y: C C^q, basedon the principal right and left eigenvectors of C(z), Cⁿ(hA)approximates the semigroup V(hA)e^nhAY^H(hA) with optimal orderp.