Rational Period Functions on the Hecke Groups

We describe rational period functions on the Hecke groups and characterize the ones whose poles satisfy a certain symmetry. This generalizes part of the characterization of rational period functions on the modular group, which is one of the Hecke groups.     

Characterizing Translations on Groups by Cosets of Their Subgroups

On a group, constant functions and left translations by group elements map left cosets into left cosets for every subgroup. We determine classes of groups for which this property of preserving cosets characterizes constants and translations, e.g., finite non-abelian groups that are perfect, partitioned, primitive, or generated by elements of prime order p. For certain classes of groups we construct other coset-preserving functions, in particular, power endomorphisms and functions defined in terms of the subgroup lattice.     

Automorphic integrals with log-polynomial period functions and arithmetical identities

Building on the works of S. Bochner on equivalence of modular relation with functional equation associated to the Dirichlet series, K. Chandrasekharan and R. Narasimhan obtained new equivalences between the functional equation and some arithmetical identities. Sister Ann M. Heath considered the functional equation in the Hawkins and Knopp context and showed its equivalence to two arithmetical identities associated with entire modular cusp integrals involving rational period functions for the full modular group. In this paper we use techniques of Chandrasekharan and Narasimhan to prove results analogous to those of Sister Ann M. Heath. Specifically, we establish equivalence of two arithmetical identities with a functional equation associated with automorphic integrals involving log-polynomial-period functions on the discrete Hecke groups.     

Unique maximal rings of functions

For several classes of groups G, we characterize when the near-ring M₀(G) of 0-preserving selfmaps on G contains a unique maximal ring. Definitive results are obtained for finite Abelian, finite nilpotent, and finite permutation groups. As an application, we determine those finite groups G such that all rings in M₀(G) are commutative.     

Midconvex functions in locally compact groups

The theorems of Bernstein-Doetsch, and Ostrowski, concerning the continuity of midconvex functions are extended to open subsets of locally compact and root-approximable topological groups.

     

Stabilized plethysms for the classical Lie groups

The plethysms of the Weyl characters associated to a classical Lie group by the symmetric functions stabilize in large rank. In the case of a power sum plethysm, we prove that the coefficients of the decomposition of this stabilized form on the basis of Weyl characters are branching coefficients which can be determined by a simple algorithm. This generalizes in particular some classical results by Littlewood on the power sum plethysms of Schur functions. We also establish explicit formulas for the outer multiplicities appearing in the decomposition of the tensor square of any irreducible finite-dimensional module into its symmetric and antisymmetric parts. These multiplicities can notably be expressed in terms of the Littlewood-Richardson coefficients.     

Averaged Dehn functions for nilpotent groups

Gromov proposed an averaged version of the Dehn function and claimed that in many cases it should be subasymptotic to the Dehn function. Using results on random walks in nilpotent groups, we confirm this claim for most nilpotent groups. In particular, if a nilpotent group satisfies the isoperimetric inequality δ(l)<Cl^α for α>2, then it satisfies the averaged isoperimetric inequality . In the case of non-abelian free nilpotent groups, the bounds we give are asymptotically sharp.     

Asymptotic Expansions of Hermite Functions on Compact Lie Groups

Let G be a compact, connected Lie group endowed with a bi-invariant Riemannian metric. Let _t be the heat kernel on G; that is, _t is the fundamental solution to the heat equation on the group determined by the Laplace–Beltrami operator. Recent work of Gross (1993) and Hijab (1994) has led to the study of a new family of functions on G. These functions, obtained from _t and its derivatives, are the compact group analogs of the classical Hermite polynomials on . Previous work of this author has established that these Hermite functions approach the classical Hermite polynomials on in the limit of small t, where the Hermite functions are viewed as functions on via composition with the exponential map. The present work extends these results by showing that these Hermite functions can be expanded in an asymptotic series in powers of . For symmetrized derivatives, it is shown that the terms with fractional powers of t vanish. Additionally, the asymptotic series for Hermite functions associated to powers of the Laplacian are computed explicitly. Remarkably, these asymptotic series terminate, yielding a polynomial in t.     

Betti numbers of finitely presented groups and very rapidly growing functions

Define the length of a finite presentation of a group G as the sum of lengths of all relators plus the number of generators. How large can the kth Betti number b_k(G)= rank H_k(G) be providing that G has length ≤N and b_k(G) is finite? We prove that for every k≥3 the maximum b_k(N) of the kth Betti numbers of all such groups is an extremely rapidly growing function of N. It grows faster that all functions previously encountered in mathematics (outside of logic) including non-computable functions (at least those that are known to us). More formally, b_k grows as the third busy beaver function that measures the maximal productivity of Turing machines with ≤N states that use the oracle for the halting problem of Turing machines using the oracle for the halting problem of usual Turing machines.We also describe the fastest possible growth of a sequence of finite Betti numbers of a finitely presented group. In particular, it cannot grow as fast as the third busy beaver function but can grow faster than the second busy beaver function that measures the maximal productivity of Turing machines using an oracle for the halting problem for usual Turing machines. We describe a natural problem about Betti numbers of finitely presented groups such that its answer is expressed by a function that grows as the fifth busy beaver function.Also, we outline a construction of a finitely presented group all of whose homology groups are either or trivial such that its Betti numbers form a random binary sequence.     

Generalized B-vex functions and generalized B-vex programming

A class of functions called pseudo B-vex and quasi B-vex functions is introduced by relaxing the definitions of B-vex, pseudoconvex, and quasiconvex functions. Similarly, the class of B-invex, pseudo B-invex, and quasi B-invex functions is defined as a generalization of B-vex, pseudo B-vex, and quasi B-vex functions. The sufficient optimality conditions and duality results are obtained for a nonlinear programming problem involving B-vex and B-invex functions.The first author is thankful to the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada for financial support through Grant A-5319. The second author is grateful to the Faculty of Management, University of Manitoba for the financial support provided for her visit. The authors are thankful to Prof. R. N. Kaul, Department of Mathematics, Delhi University for his constructive criticism of the paper.     

Dissipation of Convolution Powers in a Metric Group

In contrast to what is known about probability measures on locally compact groups, a metric group G can support a probability measure μ which is not carried on a compact subgroup but for which there exists a compact subset C⊆G such that the sequence μ ⁿ (C) fails to converge to zero as n tends to ∞. A noncompact metric group can also support a probability measure μ such that supp μ=G and the concentration functions of μ do not converge to zero. We derive a number of conditions which guarantee that the concentration functions in a metric group G converge to zero, and obtain a sufficient and necessary condition in order that a probability measure μ on G satisfy lim  _n→∞ μ ⁿ (C)=0 for every compact subset C⊆G. Supported by an NSERC Grant.     

Polynomial Dehn Functions and the Length of Asynchronously Automatic Structures

We extend the range of observed behaviour among length functionsof optimal asynchronously automatic structures. We do so bymeans of a construction that yields asynchronously automaticgroups with finite aspherical presentations where the Dehn functionof the group is polynomial of arbitrary degree. Many of thesegroups can be embedded in the automorphism group of a free group.Moreover, the fact that the groups have aspherical presentationsmakes them useful tools in the search to determine the spectrumof exponents for second order Dehn functions. We contributeto this search by giving the first exact calculations of groupswith quadratic and superquadratic exponents. 2000 Mathematical Subject Classification: 20F06, 20F65, 20F69.     

The effect of graphic calculators on Negev Arab pupils’ learning of the concept of families of functions

This paper examines the influence of graphic calculators on ninth-grade Arab pupils in the Negev district of Israel who are learning the concept ‘families of functions’. It compares two groups of pupils, one of which studied the topic ‘families of functions’ using graphic calculators whilst the second group studied the same topic in the usual way. For the purpose of this research, a questionnaire based on the material studied in class was devised. While the principal results did not reveal any significant difference between the two groups in drawing the functions, they did show that graphic calculators helped those pupils who used them to execute tasks of mathematical inference, such as finding the characteristic properties of families of functions, finding examples of functions that exhibit given properties, and determining the algebraic pattern of families of functions that exhibit given properties.     

An application of the O’Nan-Scott theorem to the group generated by the round functions of an AES-like cipher

In a previous paper, we had proved that the permutation group generated by the round functions of an AES-like cipher is primitive. Here we apply the O’Nan Scott classification of primitive groups to prove that this group is the alternating group.      

On Dehn Functions of Infinite Presentations of Groups

We introduce two new types of Dehn functions of group presentations which seem more suitable (than the standard Dehn function) for infinite group presentations and prove the fundamental equivalence between the solvability of the word problem for a group presentation defined by a decidable set of defining words and the property of being computable for one of the newly introduced functions (this equivalence fails for the standard Dehn function). Elaborating on this equivalence and making use of this function, we obtain a characterization of finitely generated groups for which the word problem can be solved in nondeterministic polynomial time. We also give upper bounds for these functions, as well as for the standard Dehn function, for two well-known periodic groups. In particular, we prove that the (standard) Dehn function of a 2-group Γ of intermediate growth, defined by a system of defining relators due to Lysenok, is bounded from above by C₁x² log₂ x, where C₁ > 1 is a constant. We also show that the (standard) Dehn function of a free m-generator Burnside group B(m, n) of exponent n ≥ 2⁴⁸, where n is either odd or divisible by 2⁹, defined by a minimal system of defining relators, is bounded from above by the subquadratic function x^19/12. Received: September 2007, Revision: March 2008, Accepted: March 2008     

Dirichlet problem for pluriholomorphic functions of two complex variables

In this paper the Dirichlet problem for pluriholomorphic functions of two complex variables is investigated. The key point is the relation between pluriholomorphic functions and pluriharmonic functions. The link is constituted by the Fueter-regular functions of one quaternionic variable. Previous results about the boundary values of pluriharmonic functions and new results on L² traces of regular functions are applied to obtain a characterization of the traces of pluriholomorphic functions.     

Content evaluation and class symmetric functions

In this article we study the evaluation of symmetric functions on the alphabet of contents of a partition. Applying this notion of content evaluation to the computation of central characters of the symmetric group, we are led to the definition of a new basis of the algebra Λ of symmetric functions over that we call the basis of class symmetric functions.By definition this basis provides an algebra isomorphism between Λ and the Farahat-Higman algebra FH governing for all n the products of conjugacy classes in the center of the group algebra of the symmetric group . We thus obtain a calculus of all connexion coefficients of inside Λ. As expected, taking the homogeneous components of maximal degree in class symmetric functions, we recover the symmetric functions introduced by Macdonald to describe top connexion coefficients.We also discuss the relation of class symmetric functions to the asymptotic of central characters and of the enumeration of standard skew young tableaux. Finally we sketch the extension of these results to Hecke algebras.     

Gelfand transforms of polyradial Schwartz functions on the Heisenberg group

We prove that the Gelfand transform is a topological isomorphism between the space of polyradial Schwartz functions on the Heisenberg group and the space of Schwartz functions on the Heisenberg brush. We obtain analogous results for radial Schwartz functions on Heisenberg type groups.     

On the extremality of maximal dual feasible functions

Dual feasible functions have been used to compute bounds and valid inequalities for combinatorial optimization problems. Here, we analyze the properties of some of the best functions proposed so far. Additionally, we provide new results for composed functions. These results will allow improving the computation of bounds and valid inequalities.     

Group theoretic properties of Rijndael-like ciphers

We provide conditions for which the round functions of an ?-bit Rijndael-like block cipher generate the alternating group on the set {0,1}^?. These conditions show that the class of Rijndael-like ciphers whose round functions generate the alternating group on their message space is large, and includes both the actual Rijndael and the block cipher used by the compression function of the Whirlpool hash function. The result indicates that there is no trapdoor design for a Rijndael-like cipher based on the imprimitivity of the group action of its proper round functions which is difficult to detect.