On operad structures of moduli spaces and string theory

We construct a real compactification of the moduli space of punctured rational algebraic curves and show how its geometry yields operads governing homotopy Lie algebras, gravity algebras and Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras. These algebras appeared recently in the context of string theory, and we give a simple deduction of these algebraic structures from the formal axioms of conformal field theory and string theory.To the memory of Ansgar SchnizerResearch supported by an NSF Postdoctoral Research FellowshipResearch supported in part by NSF grant DMS-9206929 and a Research and Study Leave from the University of North Carolina-Chapel HillResearch supported in part by NSF grant DMS-9108269.A03     

Computer calculation of Witten's 3-manifold invariant

Witten's 2+1 dimensional Chern-Simons theory is exactly solvable. We compute the partition function, a topological invariant of 3-manifolds, on generalized Seifert spaces. Thus we test the path integral using the theory of 3-manifolds. In particular, we compare the exact solution with the asymptotic formula predicted by perturbation theory. We conclude that this path integral works as advertised and gives an effective topological invariant.The first author is supported by NSF grant DMS-8805684, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, and a Presidential Young Investigators award. The second author is supported by NSF grant DMS-8902153     

Regularity of harmonic maps with prescribed singularities

In this paper, we studied the regularity problem for harmonic maps into hyperbolic spaces with prescribed singularities along codimension two submanifolds. This is motivated from one of Hawking's conjectures on the uniqueness of Kerr solutions among all axially symmetric asymptotically flat stationary solutions to the vacuum Einstein equation in general relativity.Research partially supported by a NSF grant DMS-8907849.Research partially supported by a NSF grant     

A Poisson Structure on Compact Symmetric Spaces

We present some basic results on a natural Poisson structure on any compact symmetric space. The symplectic leaves of this structure are related to the orbits of the corresponding real semisimple group on the complex flag manifold.Acknowledgements We thank Sam Evens for many useful discussions. The first author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0072520. The second author was partially supported by NSF(USA) grants DMS-0105195 and DMS-0072551 and by the HHY Physical Sciences Fund at the University of Hong Kong.     

A Particular Bit of Universality: Scaling Limits of Some Dependent Percolation Models

We study families of dependent site percolation models on the triangular lattice and hexagonal lattice that arise by applying certain cellular automata to independent percolation configurations. We analyze the scaling limit of such models and show that the distance between macroscopic portions of cluster boundaries of any two percolation models within one of our families goes to zero almost surely in the scaling limit. It follows that each of these cellular automaton generated dependent percolation models has the same scaling limit (in the sense of Aizenman-Burchard [3]) as independent site percolation on .The work was conducted while this author was at Department of Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA. Research partially supported by the U.S. NSF under grants DMS-98-02310 and DMS-01-02587.Research partially supported by the U.S. NSF under grants DMS-98-03267 and DMS-01-04278.Research partially supported by FAPERJ grant E-26/151.905/2000 and CNPq.     

Projective embeddings of complex supermanifolds

We generalize the Kodaira Embedding Theorem and Chow's Theorem to the context of families of complex supermanifolds. In particular, we show that every family of super Riemann surfaces is a family of projective superalgebraic varieties.Research supported in part by NSF grant DMS-8704401Research supported in part by NSF grant DMS-4253943Research also supported in part by NSF grant DMS-4253943     

Random walk in random environment: A counterexample?

We describe a family of random walks in random environments which have exponentially decaying correlations, nearest neighbor transition probabilities which are bounded away from 0, and yet are subdiffusive in any dimensiond<.This author partially supported by NSF grant DMS 83-1080This author partially supported by NSF grant DMS-85-05020 and the Army Research Office through the Mathematical Sciences Institute at Cornell University     

Grad ø perturbations of massless Gaussian fields

We investigate weak perturbations of the continuum massless Gaussian measure by a class of approximately local analytic functionals and use our general results to give a new proof that the pressure of the dilute dipole gas is analytic in the activity.Research partially supported by NSF Grant DMS-8802912Research partially supported by NSF Grant DMS-8601978 and DMS-8806731     

On the Averages of Characteristic Polynomials From Classical Groups

We provide an elementary and self-contained derivation of formulae for averages of products and ratios of characteristic polynomials of random matrices from classical groups using classical results due to Weyl and Littlewood. The first author was supported in part by the NSF grant FRG DMS-0354662. The second author was supported in part by the NSF postdoctoral fellowship and by the NSF grant DMS-0501245.     

On algebraic equations satisfied by hypergeometric correlators in WZW models. I

It is proven that integral expressions for conformal correlators insl(2) WZW model found in [SV] satisfy certain natural algebraic equations. This implies that the above integrals really take their values in spaces of conformal blocks.The second author was supported in part by the NSF grant DMS-9202280. The third author was supported in part by the NSF grant DMS-9203939     

Precise Constants in Bosonization Formulas on Riemann Surfaces. I

A computation of the constant appearing in the spin-1 bosonization formula is given. This constant relates Faltings’ delta invariant to the zeta-regularized determinant of the Laplace operator with respect to the Arakelov metric. Research supported in part by NSF grant DMS-0505512.     

Holonomy and Skyrme's Model

In this paper we consider two generalizations of the Skyrme model. One is a variational problem for maps from a compact 3-manifold to a compact Lie group. The other is a variational problem for flat connections. We describe the path components of the configuration spaces of smooth fields for each of the variational problems. We prove that the invariants separating the path components are well-defined for (not necessarily smooth) fields with finite Skyrme energy. We prove that for every possible value of these invariants there exists a minimizer of the Skyrme functional. Throughout the paper we emphasize the importance of holonomy in the Skyrme model. Some of the results may be useful in other contexts. In particular, we define the holonomy of a distributionally flat L²_loc connection; the local developing maps for such connections need not be continuous.The first author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0204651.The second author was partially supported by NSF grants DMS-9970638, and DMS-0200670     

A Remark on Asymptotic Completeness for the Critical Nonlinear Klein-Gordon Equation

We give a short proof of asymptotic completeness and global existence for the cubic Nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation in one dimension. Our approach to dealing with the long range behavior of the asymptotic solution is by reducing it, in hyperbolic coordinates to the study of an ODE. Similar arguments extend to higher dimensions and other long range type nonlinear problems. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000): 35L15, 74J30, 76B15 ★ Part of this work was done while H.L. was a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, supported by the NSF grant DMS-0111298 to the Institute. H.L. was also partially supported by the NSF Grant DMS-0200226. † Also a member of the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton. Supported in part by NSF grant DMS-0100490.     

Supersymmetry and localization

We study conditions under which an odd symmetry of the integrand leads to localization of the corresponding integral over a (super)manifold. We also show that in many cases these conditions guarantee exactness of the stationary phase approximation of such integrals. Research is partially supported by NSF grant No. DMS-9500704.     

Two-Dimensional Critical Percolation: The Full Scaling Limit

We use SLE ₆ paths to construct a process of continuum nonsimple loops in the plane and prove that this process coincides with the full continuum scaling limit of 2D critical site percolation on the triangular lattice – that is, the scaling limit of the set of all interfaces between different clusters. Some properties of the loop process, including conformal invariance, are also proved.Research partially supported by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship under contract MEIF-CT-2003-500740 and by a Veni grant of the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).Research partially supported by the U.S. NSF under grant DMS-01-04278.     

The spectrum of the kinematic dynamo operator for an ideally conducting fluid

The spectrum of the kinematic dynamo operator for an ideally conducting fluid and the spectrum of the corresponding group acting in the space of continuous divergence free vector fields on a compact Riemannian manifold are described. We prove that the spectrum of the kinematic dynamo operator is exactly one vertical strip whose boundaries can be determined in terms of the Lyapunov-Oseledets exponents with respect to all ergodic measures for the Eulerian flow. Also, we prove that the spectrum of the corresponding group is obtained from the spectrum of its generator by exponentiation. In particular, the growth bound for the group coincides with the spectral bound for the generator.supported by the NSF grant DMS-9303767supported by the NSF grant DMS-9400518 and by the Summer Research Fellowship of the University of Missourisupported by the NSF grant DMS-9201357     

Non-self-dual Yang-Mills connections with quadrupole symmetry

We prove the existence of non-self-dual Yang-Mills connections onSU(2) bundles over the four-sphere, specifically on all bundles with second Chern number not equal±1. We study connections equivariant under anSU(2) symmetry group to reduce the effective dimensionality from four to one, and then use variational techniques. The existence of non-self-dualSU(2) YM connections on the trivial bundle (second Chern number equals zero) has already been established by Sibner, Sibner, and Uhlenbeck via different methods.Research partially supported by NSF Grant DMS-8806731Most of this research was done while the author was a Bantrell Fellow at the California Institute of Technology, and was partially supported by NSF Grant DMS-8801918     

Spin Gromov-Witten Invariants

We define and study r-spin Gromov-Witten invariants and r-spin quantum cohomology of a projective variety V, where r≥2 is an integer. The main element of the construction is the space of r-spin maps, the stable maps into a variety V from n-pointed algebraic curves of genus g with the additional data of an r-spin structure on the curve. We prove that is a Deligne-Mumford stack and use it to define the r-spin Gromov-Witten classes of V. We show that these classes yield a cohomological field theory (CohFT) which is isomorphic to the tensor product of the CohFT associated to the usual Gromov-Witten invariants of V and the r-spin CohFT. Restricting to genus zero, we obtain the notion of an r-spin quantum cohomology of V, whose Frobenius structure is isomorphic to the tensor product of the Frobenius manifolds corresponding to the quantum cohomology of V and the r^th Gelfand-Dickey hierarchy (or, equivalently, the A_r−1 singularity). We also prove a generalization of the descent property which, in particular, explains the appearance of the ψ classes in the definition of gravitational descendants.Research of the first author was partially supported by NSA grant number MDA904-99-1-0039Research of the second author was partially supported by NSF grant number DMS-9803427Research of the third author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0104397     

Some Geometric Calculations on Wasserstein Space

We compute the Riemannian connection and curvature for the Wasserstein space of a smooth compact Riemannian manifold. This research was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0604829.