Algebra / Number Theory / Combinatorics Seminar

For a finite field F_q, a subset of F_q^N is a Kakeya set if it contains a line in every direction (i.e., a coset of every one-dimensional linear subspace).  The finite field Kakeya problem is to determine the minimal size K(N,q) of a Kakeya set in F_q^N.  This problem was posed by Wolff in 1999 as […]

Though mirror symmetry requires much technical background, it gained traction in the mathematical community when physicists Candelas-de la Ossa-Green-Parkes discovered enumerative invariants counting the number of rational degree d curves inside of certain space called a ``quintic threefold." This answered longstanding problems in enumerative geometry from antiquity. In particular, the number of rational degree d=1 […]

There is a rich connection between homogeneous dynamics and number theory.  Often in such applications it is desirable for dynamical results to be effective (i.e. the rates of convergence for dynamical phenomena are known).  In the first part of this talk, I will provide the necessary background and relevant history to state an effective equidistribution […]

How many sublattices of Zn have index at most X?  If we choose such a lattice L at random, what is the probability that Zn/L is cyclic?  What is the probability that its […]

I will give a brief introduction to well-rounded lattices and to their utility in wireless communications and post-quantum security. We will see how the lattice theta series naturally arises in […]