On the Spectral Gap of a Quantum Graph

We consider the problem of finding universal bounds of “isoperimetric” or “isodiametric” type on the spectral gap of the Laplacian on a metric graph with natural boundary conditions at the vertices, in terms of various analytical and combinatorial properties of the graph: its total length, diameter, number of vertices and number of edges. We investigate which combinations of parameters are necessary to obtain non-trivial upper and lower bounds and obtain a number of sharp estimates in terms of these parameters. We also show that, in contrast to the Laplacian matrix on a combinatorial graph, no bound depending only on the diameter is possible. As a special case of our results on metric graphs, we deduce estimates for the normalised Laplacian matrix on combinatorial graphs which, surprisingly, are sometimes sharper than the ones obtained by purely combinatorial methods in the graph theoretical literature.     

Student Perceptions of a Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics Camp Experience

“As the world becomes increasingly technological, the value of (the ideas and skills of its population) will be determined in no small measure by the effectiveness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States” and “STEM education will determine whether the United States will remain a leader among nations and whether we will be able to solve immense challenges in such areas as energy, health, environmental protection, and national security” (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2010, p. vii). Research on the effectiveness of STEM‐focused school and other learning experiences (e.g., short‐term camps) on student attitudes and performance outcomes is sparse. In this study, we documented the influence of an intensive STEM summer program on high school students’ attitudes toward STEM concepts and interests in STEM careers. Attending the summer program was associated with gains on students’ attitudes toward some aspects of STEM as well as specific career interests. Notably, students reported statistically significant views of important aspects of STEM and their attitudes toward science and mathematics were more positive than their attitudes about engineering and technology.     

Perfect state transfer in Laplacian quantum walk

For a graph G and a related symmetric matrix M, the continuous-time quantum walk on G relative to M is defined as the unitary matrix \(U(t) = \exp (-itM)\), where t varies over the reals. Perfect state transfer occurs between vertices u and v at time \(\tau \) if the (u, v)-entry of \(U(\tau )\) has unit magnitude. This paper studies quantum walks relative to graph Laplacians. Some main observations include the following closure properties for perfect state transfer. If an n-vertex graph has perfect state transfer at time \(\tau \) relative to the Laplacian, then so does its complement if \(n\tau \in 2\pi {\mathbb {Z}}\). As a corollary, the join of \(\overline{K}_{2}\) with any m-vertex graph has perfect state transfer relative to the Laplacian if and only if \(m \equiv 2\pmod {4}\). This was previously known for the join of \(\overline{K}_{2}\) with a clique (Bose et al. in Int J Quant Inf 7:713–723, 2009). If a graph G has perfect state transfer at time \(\tau \) relative to the normalized Laplacian, then so does the weak product \(G \times H\) if for any normalized Laplacian eigenvalues \(\lambda \) of G and \(\mu \) of H, we have \(\mu (\lambda -1)\tau \in 2\pi {\mathbb {Z}}\). As a corollary, a weak product of \(P_{3}\) with an even clique or an odd cube has perfect state transfer relative to the normalized Laplacian. It was known earlier that a weak product of a circulant with odd integer eigenvalues and an even cube or a Cartesian power of \(P_{3}\) has perfect state transfer relative to the adjacency matrix. As for negative results, no path with four vertices or more has antipodal perfect state transfer relative to the normalized Laplacian. This almost matches the state of affairs under the adjacency matrix (Godsil in Discret Math 312(1):129–147, 2011).     

Topological Sorting of Finitely Near Sets

This paper introduces a natural approach in the evaluation of the nearness of sets in topological spaces. The objective is to classify levels of nearness of sets relative to each given set. The main result is a proximity measure of nearness for disjoint sets in an extremally disconnected topological space. Another result is that if A, B are nonempty semi-open sets such that \(A\ \delta \ B\), then \((\text{int }A)\ \delta \ (\text{int }B)\).     

Explicit Density Approximations for Local Volatility Models Using Heat Kernel Expansions

Heat kernel perturbation theory is a tool for constructing explicit approximation formulas for the solutions of linear parabolic equations. We review the crux of this perturbative formalism and then apply it to differential equations which govern the transition densities of several local volatility processes. In particular, we compute all the heat kernel coefficients for the CEV and quadratic local volatility models; in the later case, we are able to use these to construct an exact explicit formula for the processes’ transition density. We then derive low order approximation formulas for the cubic local volatility model, an affine-affine short rate model, and a generalized mean reverting CEV model. We finally demonstrate that the approximation formulas are accurate in certain model parameter regimes via comparison to Monte Carlo simulations.     

Nonarithmetic uniformization of some real moduli spaces

Some real moduli spaces can be presented as real hyperbolic space modulo a non-arithmetic group. The whole moduli space is made from some incommensurable arithmetic pieces, in the spirit of the construction of Gromov and Piatetski-Shapiro.     

On the concepts of intertwining operator and tensor product module in vertex operator algebra theory

We produce counterexamples to show that in the definition of the notion of intertwining operator for modules for a vertex operator algebra, the commutator formula cannot in general be used as a replacement axiom for the Jacobi identity. We further give a sufficient condition for the commutator formula to imply the Jacobi identity in this definition. Using these results we illuminate the crucial role of the condition called the “compatibility condition” in the construction of the tensor product module in vertex operator algebra theory, as carried out in work of Huang and Lepowsky. In particular, we prove by means of suitable counterexamples that the compatibility condition was indeed needed in this theory.     

Indecomposable continua and the Julia sets of polynomials, II

We find necessary and sufficient conditions for the connected Julia set of a polynomial of degree d?2 to be an indecomposable continuum. One necessary and sufficient condition is that the impression of some prime end (external ray) of the unbounded complementary domain of the Julia set J has nonempty interior in J. Another is that every prime end has as its impression the entire Julia set. The latter answers a question posed in 1993 by the second two authors.We show by example that, contrary to the case for a polynomial Julia set, the image of an indecomposable subcontinuum of the Julia set of a rational function need not be indecomposable.