Generalized characters of the symmetric group

Normalized irreducible characters of the symmetric group S(n) can be understood as zonal spherical functions of the Gelfand pair (S(n)×S(n),diagS(n)). They form an orthogonal basis in the space of the functions on the group S(n) invariant with respect to conjugations by S(n). In this paper we consider a different Gelfand pair connected with the symmetric group, that is an “unbalanced” Gelfand pair (S(n)×S(n−1),diagS(n−1)). Zonal spherical functions of this Gelfand pair form an orthogonal basis in a larger space of functions on S(n), namely in the space of functions invariant with respect to conjugations by S(n−1). We refer to these zonal spherical functions as normalized generalized characters of S(n). The main discovery of the present paper is that these generalized characters can be computed on the same level as the irreducible characters of the symmetric group. The paper gives a Murnaghan-Nakayama type rule, a Frobenius type formula, and an analogue of the determinantal formula for the generalized characters of S(n).     

Fractional extensions of some boundary value problems in oil strata

In the present paper, we solve three boundary value problems related to the temperature field in oil strata — the fractional extensions of the incomplete lumped formulation and lumped formulation in the linear case and the fractional generalization of the incomplete lumped formulation in the radial case. By using the Caputo differintegral operator and the Laplace transform, the solutions are obtained in integral forms where the integrand is expressed in terms of the convolution of some auxiliary functions of Wright function type. A generalization of the Laplace transform convolution theorem, known as Efros’ theorem is widely used.     

Symplectic Generating Functions and Moyal Products

We introduce an affine-invariant version of generating functions of symplectic transformations of affine symplectic spaces, together with a generalization for other symmetric symplectic spaces. The composition of these functions has a nice connection with the Moyal product.     

On error operators related to the arbitrary functions principle

The error on a real quantity Y due to the graduation of the measuring instrument may be asymptotically represented, when the graduation is regular and fines down, by a Dirichlet form on R whose square field operator does not depend on the probability law of Y as soon as this law possesses a continuous density. This feature is related to the “arbitrary functions principle” (Poincaré, Hopf). We give extensions of this property to Rd and to the Wiener space for some approximations of the Brownian motion. This gives new approximations of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck gradient. These results apply to the discretization of some stochastic differential equations encountered in mechanics.     

Designing a majorization scheme for the recourse function in two-stage stochastic linear programming

We discuss issues pertaining to the domination from above of the second-stage recourse function of a stochastic linear program and we present a scheme to majorize this function using a simpler sublinear function. This majorization is constructed using special geometrical attributes of the recourse function. The result is a proper, simplicial function with a simple characterization which is well-suited for calculations of its expectation as required in the computation of stochastic programs. Experiments indicate that the majorizing function is well-behaved and stable.     

Stochastic algorithms with armijo stepsizes for minimization of functions

Stochastic algorithms for optimization problems, where function evaluations are done by Monte Carlo simulations, are presented. At each iteratex _i, they draw a predetermined numbern(i) of sample points from an underlying probability space; based on these sample points, they compute a feasible-descent direction, an Armijo stepsize, and the next iteratex _i+1. For an appropriate optimality function , corresponding to an optimality condition, it is shown that, ifn(i) , then (x _i) 0, whereJ is a set of integers whose upper density is zero. First, convergence is shown for a general algorithm prototype: then, a steepest-descent algorithm for unconstrained problems and a feasible-direction algorithm for problems with inequality constraints are developed. A numerical example is supplied.     

Continuity properties of the normal cone to the level sets of a quasiconvex function

Two main properties of the subgradient mapping of convex functions are transposed for quasiconvex ones. The continuity of the functionxf(x)^–1f(x) on the domain where it is defined is deduced from some continuity properties of the normal coneN to the level sets of the quasiconvex functionf. We also prove that, under a pseudoconvexity-type condition, the normal coneN(x) to the set {x:f(x)f(x)} can be expressed as the convex hull of the limits of type {N(x _n)}, where {x _n} is a sequence converging tox and contained in a dense subsetD. In particular, whenf is pseudoconvex,D can be taken equal to the set of points wheref is differentiable.This research was completed while the second author was on a sabbatical leave at the University of Montreal and was supported by a NSERC grant. It has its origin in the doctoral thesis of the first author (Ref. 1), prepared under the direction of the second author.The authors are grateful to an anonymous referee and C. Zalinescu for their helpful remarks on a previous version of this paper.     

Convergence of dynamical zeta functions

I study poles and zeros of zeta functions in one-dimensional maps. Numerical and analytical arguments are given to show that the first pole of one such zeta function is given by the first zero ofanother zeta function: this describes convergence of the calculations of the first zero, which is generally the physically interesting quantity. Some remarks on how these results should generalize to zeta functions of dynamical systems with pruned symbolic dynamics and in higher dimensions follow.     

On a point of order

A method of using algebraic curves to obtain estimates of critical points accurate enough to identify them as simple algebraic numbers (if that is what they are) is discussed and illustrated with an application to the (q-state Potts model on the triangular lattice for cases of pure two-site interactions and pure three-site interactions. In the latter case the critical point is conjectured to be . In a similar conjecture for the critical percolation probability on thedirected square lattice,q _c ^1/2 (q _c +3)=2(q _c +p _c =1).     

On the connection between the one-dimensionalS=1/2 Heisenberg chain and Haldane-Shastry model

Extra integrals of motion and the Lax representation are found for interacting spin systems with the HamiltonianH = (J/2) _{j, k=1,j k} ^N P(j – k) _{j k} , where one of the periods of the WeierstrassP function is equal toN. The Heisenberg and Haldane-Shastry chains appear as limiting cases of these systems at some values of the second period. The simplest eigenvectors and eigenvalues ofH corresponding to the scattering of two spin waves are presented explicitly for these finite-dimensional systems and for their infinite-dimensional version.