The Mathematics Department holds regular seminars on a variety of topics. Please see below for further details.
Seminars
Seminar | Meeting Details | Title & Abstract |
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Pre-print Algebra Seminar | The Quillen-Suslin theorem Part I This is the first part of the talk on the Quillen-Suslin theorem, formerly known as Serre's Conjecture. The assertion is that a finitely generated projective module over a polynomial ring over a field is always free. In 1976, Quillen and Suslin independently provided a complete proof of this theorem. Quillen was awarded a fields medal in part because of his proof this conjecture. In this talk we'll discuss a simplification of Suslin's proof given by Vaserstein. In the first part, we'll develop the required machinery, starting with the concepts such as stably free modules and unimodular column extension property (UCEP). Based on these, we'll see what stably free modules of a commutative ring having UCEP look like. Also, we'll see the proof of Horrock's theorem and will draw some observations required to prove the main theorem. Speaker: Muktai Desai |
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Data Seminar | Flatland Vision When is it possible to project two sets of labeled points lying in a pair of projective planes to the same points on a projective line? Here one answer: such projections exist if and only if the two 2D point sets are themselves images of a common point set in 3D projective space. Furthermore, when the two sets of points are in general position, it is possible to give a complete description of the loci of pairs of projection centers. I will describe the roles of classical invariant theory, Cremona transformations, and geometric computer vision in this description. Speaker: Tim Duff |
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Algebra Seminar | Intersection Theory and some Theorems of Rees Let \(R\) be a Noetherian local ring of dimension \(d\). We define an intersection product on schemes \(Y\) which are birational and projective over \(Spec(R)\) which allows us to interpret multiplicity in \(R\) as an intersection product, generalizing a theorem of Ramanujam and others. We use this to give new geometric formulations and proofs of some classical theorems about multiplicity. In particular, we give a new geometric proof of a celebrated theorem of Rees about degree functions. This is joint work with Jonathan Montaño. Speaker: Dale Cutkosky, University of Missouri |
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Data Seminar | Recovering vectors from saturated frame coefficients A frame (x_j) for a Hilbert space H allows for a linear and stable reconstruction of any vector x in H from the linear measurements (<x,x_j>). However, there are many situations where some information of the frame coefficients is lost. In applications such as signal processing and electrical engineering one often uses sensors with a limited effective range and any measurement above that range is registered as the maximum. Depending on the context, recovering a vector from such measurements is called either declipping or saturation recovery. We will discuss a frame theoretic approach to this problem in a similar way to what Balan, Casazza, and Edidin did for phase retrieval. The talk is based on joint work with W. Alharbi, D. Ghoreishi, B. Johnson, and N. Randrianarivony. Speaker: Daniel Freeman (SLU) |
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Data Seminar | Convex programming relaxations for high-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation In this talk, we explore adaptations of semidefinite programming relaxations for solving PDE problems. Our approach transforms a high-dimensional PDE problem into a convex optimization problem, setting it apart from traditional non-convex methods that rely on nonlinear re-parameterizations of the solution. In the context of statistical mechanics, we demonstrate how a mean-field type solution for an interacting particle Fokker-Planck equation can be provably recovered without resorting to non-convex optimization. Speaker: Yuehaw Khoo (UChicago) |
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Differential Equations Seminar | Nonuniqueness for continuous solutions to 1D conservation laws In this talk, we will show that a geometrical condition on \(2 \times 2\) systems of conservation laws leads to nonuniqueness in the class of 1D continuous functions. This demonstrates that the Liu Entropy Condition alone—which ensures the uniqueness of small BV solutions—is insufficient to guarantee uniqueness in the continuous setting, even within the mono-dimensional frame. We provide examples of systems where this pathology holds, even if they verify stability and uniqueness for small BV solutions. Our proof is based on the convex integration process. Notably, this result represents the first application of convex integration to construct non-unique continuous solutions in one spatial dimension. This is a joint work with Alexis Vasseur and Cheng Yu. Speaker: Ming Chen (University of Pittsburgh) |
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Differential Equations Seminar | On the precise cusped behavior of extreme solutions to Whitham-type equations We prove exact leading-order asymptotic behaviour at the origin for nontrivial solutions of two families of nonlocal equations. The equations investigated include those satisfied by the cusped highest steady waves for both the uni- and bidirectional Whitham equations. The problem is therefore analogous to that of capturing the 120∘ interior angle at the crests of classical Stokes’ waves of greatest height. In particular, our results partially settle conjectures for such extreme waves posed in the series of recent papers by Ehrnström, Johnson, and Claassen (2019), Ehrnström and Wahlén (2019), and Truong, Wahlén, and Wheeler (2022). Our methods may be generalised to solutions of other nonlocal equations, and can moreover be used to determine asymptotic behaviour of their derivatives to any order. Speaker: Kristoffer Varholm (University of Pittsburgh) |
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Pre-print Algebra Seminar | The Asymptotic Samuel Function of a Filtration (Part 2) We continue the discussion on projective equivalence of filtrations. We further look at the discrete valued filtrations and show that they have particularly nice properties . We generalize some of the theory of Rees valuations of ideals to these filtrations. Speaker: Mifron Fernandes |
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Data Seminar | Degree Bounds for Rational Invariants Degree bounds have a long history in invariant theory. The Noether bound on the degrees of algebra generators for a ring of invariants is over a century old, and there is a vast literature sharpening and generalizing it. In the last two decades, there has also been an active program on degree bounds for invariants which are able to distinguish orbits as well as algebra generators can (known as separating invariants). In this talk I make the case that generators for the field of rational invariants represent an exciting avenue for research on degree bounds as well. I present new lower and upper bounds. It will transpire that even the case of G=Z/pZ, uninteresting from the point of view of generating and separating invariants, has a story to tell for rational invariants. The methods involve the classical Minkowski “geometry of numbers”. I argue that this domain of inquiry is both interesting in itself and well-motivated by applications. This talk is based on joint work with Thays Garcia, Rawin Hidalgo, Consuelo Rodriguez, Alexander Kirillov Jr., Sylvan Crane, Karla Guzman, Alexis Menenses, Maxine Song-Hurewitz, Afonso Bandeira, Joe Kileel, Jonathan Niles-Weed, Amelia Perry, and Alexander Wein. Speaker: Benjamin Blum-Smith (Johns Hopkins) |
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Analysis Seminar | Multiplier Weak-Type Inequalities for the Maximal Operator We discuss a kind of weak-type inequality for the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator that was first studied by Muckenhoupt and Wheeden. This formulation treats the weight for the image space as a multiplier, rather than a measure, leading to fundamentally different behavior; in particular, as shown by Muckenhoupt and Wheeden, the class of weights characterizing such inequalities is strictly larger than $A_p$. In this talk, I will present recent work on the full characterization of the weights for which these inequalities hold for the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator. Connections to weak-type estimates for the Bergman projection on bounded simply connected planar domains will also be discussed. Speaker: Brandon Sweeting (Washington University in St Louis) |