Identities of symmetric and skew-symmetric matrices in characteristicp

It is well known how the Kostant-Rowen Theorem extends the validity of the famous Amitsur-Levitzki identity to skew-symmetric matrices. Here we give a general method, based on a graph theoretic approach, for deriving extensions of known permanental-type identities to skew-symmetric and symmetric matrices over a commutative ring of prime characteristic. Our main result has a typical Kostant-Rowen flavour: IfM≥p[n+1/2] then $C_M (X,Y) = \sum\limits_{\alpha ,\beta \in Sym(M)} {x_{\alpha (1)} y_{\beta (1)} x_{\alpha (2)} y_{\beta (2)} } ...x_{\alpha (M)} y_{\beta (M)} = 0$ is an identity onM _n ^? (Ω), the set ofnxn skew-symmetric matrices over a commutative ring Ω withp1_Ω=0 (provided that $P > \sqrt {[n + 1/2)} $ ). Otherwise, the stronger conditionM≥pn implies thatC _M(X,Y)=0 is an identity on the full matrix ringM _n(Ω).     

A note on packing paths in planar graphs

Seymour (1981) proved that the cut criterion is necessary and sufficient for the solvability of the edge-disjoint paths problem when the union of the supply graph and the demand graph is planar and Eulerian. When only planarity is required, Middendorf and Pfeiffer (1993) proved the problem to be NP-complete. For this case, Korach and Penn (1992) proved that the cut criterion is sufficient for the existence of a near-complete packing of paths. Here we generalize this result by showing how a natural strengthening of the cut criterion yields better packings of paths.Analogously to Seymour's approach, we actually prove a theorem on packing cuts in an arbitrary graph and then the planar edge-disjoint paths case is obtained by planar dualization. The main result is derived from a theorem of Seb (1990) on the structure of ±1 weightings of a bipartite graph with no negative circuits.Research partially supported by the Hungarian National Foundation for Scientific Research Grants OTKA 2118 and 4271.     

Theoretical implications involved in the DDRP method

The aim of this paper is to prove that safe success in finding reaction paths (RPs) can only be expected from global path-determining methods. Some extensions of the mathematical arguments leading to the introduction of the DDRP (dynamically defined reaction path) method have been sketched. Four cases involving relaxation of analyticity, variability of the gradient field, minimum energy (reaction) paths (MEPs) and golf pocket holes on the potential energy surface (PES), and the rather strange consequences of the main theorem of the DDRP method giving a rigorous mathematical basis to chemical intuition in reaction kinetics have been discussed. The discussions show that the DDRP method - when changing the conditions and parameters - may, in essence, involve all other global methods. It has been shown that the DDRP method works in a stable way even for non-analytic though smooth energy functions; moreover, the gradient field can be replaced by other vector fields resulting in better convergence to the reaction path. As a by-product, the question of the existence of MEPs can safely be handled and golf pocket holes are constructed on the PES in order to prove that local methods have chance to search faithfully the RPs in complicated systems only if the energy function can be restored from its arbitrarily small pieces.This work was presented in parts at the 8th International Congress of Quantum Chemistry, Prague, Czech Republic, June 19–23,1994; Addendum to the Book of Abstracts of the 8ICQC: P/I-129.     

Discrete groups of slow subgroup growth

It is known that the subgroup growth of finitely generated linear groups is either polynomial or at least $n^{\frac{{\log n}}{{\log \log n}}} $ . In this paper we prove the existence of a finitely generated group whose subgroup growth is of type $n^{\frac{{\log n}}{{(\log \log n)^2 }}} $ . This is the slowest non-polynomial subgroup growth obtained so far for finitely generated groups. The subgroup growth typen ^logn is also realized. The proofs involve analysis of the subgroup structure of finite alternating groups and finite simple groups in general. For example, we show there is an absolute constantc such that, ifT is any finite simple group, thenT has at mostn ^{c logn} subgroups of indexn.