A construction is described of a 153-dimensional representation of the triple cover of O'Nan's sporadic simple group, over the field of order 4. This is then extended to a 306-dimensional representation of 3·O'N[ratio ]2 over GF(2). A similar construction in characteristic 3 gives an unrelated representation of the O'Nan group in 154 dimensions over GF(3), which extends to O'N[ratio ]2 provided that the field is extended to GF(9).

The following theorem is proved: if $(M^{4n+1},g)$ is a complete Riemannian manifold and $\Sigma\subset M$ is an oriented hypersurface partitioning $M$ and with non-zero signature, then the spectrum of the Hodge–deRham Laplacian is $[0,\infty[$ . This result is obtained by a new Callias-type index. This new formula links half-bound harmonic forms (that is, nearly $L^2$ but not in $L^2$ ) with the signature of $\Sigma$ .

Projections are constructed in the rotation algebra that are orthogonal to their Fourier transform and which are fixed under the flip automorphism. Such projections are expected in a construction of an inductive limit structure for the irrational rotation algebra that is invariant under the Fourier transform (namely, as two circle algebras of the same dimension, which are swapped by the Fourier transform, plus a few points). The calculation is based on Rieffel's construction of the Schwartz space as an equivalence bimodule of rotation algebras as well as on the theory of theta functions.

Nash-Williams [6] formulated a condition that is necessary and sufficient for a countable family [Ascr ]=(Ai)i∈I of sets to have a transversal. In [7] he proved that his criterion applies also when we allow the set I to be arbitrary and require only that [xcap ]i∈JAi=[emptyv ] for any uncountable J⊆I. In this paper, we formulate another criterion of a similar nature, and prove that it is equivalent to the criterion of Nash-Williams for any family [ufr ]. We also present a self-contained proof that if [xcap ]i∈JAi=[emptyv ] for any uncountable J⊆I, then our condition is necessary and sufficient for the family [ufr ] to have a transversal.

The paper considers nonlinear, probability measure-valued dynamical systems that generalise those classical Lotka–Volterra equations in which, to use ecological terminology, the total size of a finite number of populations of interacting species is conserved. In this generalisation there is a ‘different species’ at each point of an arbitrary measurable space.

Such infinitely-many-species analogues of the classical Lotka–Volterra equations appear as hydrodynamic-type limits of stochastic systems of randomly coalescing masses related to those that have been used to model physical and chemical processes of agglomeration, coagulation and condensation.

One natural instance of this generalisation has closed-form solutions, including a family of solutions that exhibit soliton-like behaviour. The large time asymptotics of other classes of examples can be completely described using analogues of Lyapunov function techniques. Moreover, there are conserved quantities in the form of relative entropies that generalise those found by Volterra in the classical case. Finally, each solution has a series expansion as a time-varying, geometric mixture of a fixed sequence of probability measures. The existence of this expansion is related to the fact that the system is in martingale problem duality with a function-valued Markov process.

The classification of finite groups acting freely on a homology 3-sphere is still incomplete. However it is known that these groups have periodic cohomology and groups with periodic cohomology are classified by the Suzuki–Zassenhaus theorem. The paper considers, more generally, finite groups which may act on a homology 3-sphere possibly with fixed points and the natural generalization of the Suzuki–Zassenhaus theorem to this case is found. According to the Suzuki–Zassenhaus theorem a group with periodic cohomology is either solvable or has a unique composition factor which is not cyclic, isomorphic to PSL(2, q) for q an odd prime. The main point of the work is that this fact is still true in the more general situation.

The paper continues the investigation of the Hecke structure of spaces of half-integral weight cusp forms ${S_{k + 1/2}}(4N, \chi)$, where $k$ and $N$ are positive integers with $N$ odd, and $\chi$ is an even quadratic Dirichlet character modulo $4N$. In the Hecke decomposition of these spaces, contributions are determined arising from newforms which are quadratic twists of newforms at lower levels. Combining this result with its counterpart in a previous paper regarding non-twists gives this paper's main result: necessary and sufficient conditions under which a given newform has equivalent cusp forms in ${S_{k + 1/2}}(4N, \chi)$. The result reformulates, in classical terms, the representation-theoretic conditions given by Flicker and Waldspurger. The conditions involve easily-verified information about the primes dividing the level of the newform, and about the behavior of the newform under certain quadratic twists and Atkin–Lehner involutions. The theorem is applied to give explicit examples of twisted newforms having no equivalent half-integral weight cusp forms in any space ${S_{k + 1/2}}(4N, \chi)$ as above.

Let $A > 0$ be an integer. The equation $x^5 - y^5 = Az^5$ was first studied by Dirichlet and Lebesgue. Lebesgue conjectured in 1843 that if $A$ has no prime divisors of the form $10k+1$, the equation has no solutions except the visible ones. Partial results were obtained by Lebesgue and by Terjanian in 1987. The purpose of the paper is to prove Lebesgue's conjecture. The main tool used is the method known as the elliptic Chabauty method.

Scharlemann and Thompson introduced an invariant $\rho(K,\gamma)\in \mathbb{Q}/2\mathbb{Z}$ for the pair of a knot $K$ in the 3-sphere and an unknotting tunnel $\gamma$ for $K$. The paper studies the relationship between the invariant $\rho(K,\gamma)$ of a (1,1)-knot and the distance of its (1,1)-splitting introduced by the author.

We give a necessary and sufficient condition on an elliptic symbol σ of order m to ensure that the unique closed extension in Lp(ℝn) for 1 < p < ∞, of the pseudo-differential operator Tσ, initially defined on the Schwartz space, is a Fredholm operator from Lp(ℝn) into Lp(ℝn) with domain Hm, p, where Hm, p is the Lp Sobolev space of order m.

Let $U^+$ be the plus part of the quantized enveloping algebra of a simple Lie algebra of type $A_n$ and let $\mathcal{B}^*$ be the dual canonical basis of $U^+$. Let $b$, $b'$ be in $\mathcal{B}^*$, and suppose that one of the two elements is a $q$-commuting product of quantum flag minors. It is shown that $b$ and $b'$ are multiplicative if and only if they $q$-commute.

A real algebraic, plane, projective curve $A$ of degree $m$ is given by a homogeneous polynomial of degree $m$ in three variables, with real coefficients, defined up to multiplication by a non-zero scalar. If $F$ is such a polynomial defining $A$ , we denote by ${\bb C} A$ and ${\bb R} A$ , respectively, the sets of solutions of the equation $F = 0$ in ${\bb C} P^2$ , respectively ${\bb R} P^2$ . We suppose that the curve $A$ is non-singular, that is, $F$ has no critical points in ${\bb C}^3\backslash 0$ . Then ${\bb C} A$ is a Riemannian surface of genus $g = (m-1)(m-2)/2$ , and ${\bb R} A$ is a collection of $L \le g+1$ circles embedded in ${\bb R} P^2$ . If $L = g+1$ , we say that $A$ is an $M$ -curve. A circle embedded in ${\bb R} P^2$ is called oval, or pseudo-line, depending on whether it realizes the class 0 or 1 of $H_1({\bb R} P^2)$ . If $m$ is even, the $L$ components of ${\bb R} A$ are ovals; if $m$ is odd, ${\bb R} A$ contains exactly one pseudo-line, which will be denoted by ${\cal J}$ . Note that an oval separates ${\bb R} P^2$ into two pieces, a Möbius band and a disc. The latter is called the interior of the oval. An oval of ${\bb R} A$ is said to be empty if its interior contains no other oval of ${\bb R} A$ . Two ovals form an injective pair if one of them lies in the interior of the other one.

The paper proves the existence and multiplicity of periodic solutions of the equation

formula here

where g[ratio ]R→R is of class C1, h[ratio ]R→R is continuous and 2π-periodic, and s is a parameter.

Let $\Omega X$ be the space of Moore loops on a finite, $q$-connected, $n$-dimensional CW complex $X$, and let $R\subset\Q$ be a subring containing 1/2. Let $\rho\left(R\right)$ be the least non-invertible prime in $R$. For a graded $R$-module $M$ of finite type, let $FM = M / {\rm Torsion}\,M$. We show that the inclusion $P \subset FH_{*}\left(\Omega X;R\right)$ of the sub-Lie algebra of primitive elements induces an isomorphism of Hopf algebras $$UP \overset{\cong}{\longrightarrow} FH_{*}\left(\Omega X;R\right)},$$ provided that $\rho\left(R\right) \geqslant n/q$. Furthermore, the Hurewicz homomorphism induces an embedding of $F(\pi_{*}\left(\Omega X\right)\otimes R)$ in $P$, with $P/F(\pi_{*}\left(\Omega X\right)\otimes R)$ torsion. As a corollary, if $X$ is elliptic, then $FH_{*}\left(\Omega X;R\right)$ is a finitely generated $R$-algebra.

It is shown that the natural action of the absolute Galois group on the ideals defining principal congruence subgroups of certain nonarithmetic Fuchsian triangle groups is compatible with its action on the algebraic curves that these congruence groups uniformize.

Two classes of vector-valued BMOA spaces are defined, in the complex ball and on the complex sphere, respectively. In the case of the complex sphere, vector measures are involved, since the argument in the scalar setting is not appropriate. Several properties (the Lp-equivalent norm theorem, exponential decay, the Baernstein theorem, and so on) of BMOA in the complex ball are extended to the Banach space setting. The two classes of BMOA spaces are proved to be isomorphic; in particular, the corresponding John–Nirenberg exponential decay is shown. Finally, the vector-valued H1-BMOA duality theorem is proved.

As a generalization of the dynamics of a single polynomial, Hinkkanen and Martin studied the dynamics of polynomial semigroups of finite type. Among the issues addressed were possible generalizations of the filled-in Julia set of a single polynomial and the basin of attraction for infinity. In the paper, these concepts are further refined, and the connections between the dynamics of a single function and the dynamics of semigroups are strengthened.

The ideas of Friedman and Qin are extended to find the wall-crossing formulae for the Donaldson invariants of algebraic surfaces with pg = 0, q > 0 and anticanonical divisor −K effective, for any wall ζ with lζ = ¼(ζ2 − p1) being 0 or 1.

Let $N$ be a point of an orbit closure $\overline{{\mathcal O}}_M$ in a module variety such that its orbit ${\mathcal O}_N$ has codimension 2 in $\overline{{\mathcal O}}_M$. We show that under some additional conditions the pointed variety $(\overline{{\mathcal O}}_M,N)$ is smoothly equivalent to a cone over a rational normal curve.

The purpose of this note is to generalise, and give a more illuminating proof, of a theorem of [13] (Theorem 1.1 below). Before stating it, we provide some introductory information. Consider the following two sequences of pictures: in each we see a 1-parameter family Xℝ,t of real algebraic hypersurfaces, which undergoes a bifurcation when the parameter t is equal to 0. Note that in Figure 1, both (i) (a) and (i) (b), and in (ii) (b), the surface Xℝ,t has a purely 1-dimensional part, which we have indicated with a dotted line, and that in (i) (b) we have drawn a curve vertically along the middle of the surface to make clearer the way it passes through itself. The reader will observe that in (a) the surface Xℝ,t is homotopically a 2-sphere when t>0 and a 0-sphere when t<0, while in (b) Xℝ,t is a homotopy 1-sphere both for t<0 and t>0.

Such sequences are typical in singularity theory; each is in fact the family of algebraic closures of images of a versal deformation of a codimension 1 singularity of mapping.

Now suppose that the complexification X[Copf ],t is a homotopy n-sphere. In [13] the second author pointed out that it follows that Xℝ,t is a homotopy sphere for t≠0 (allowing the empty set as a −1-sphere). Indeed, in the local situation, or globally in the weighted homogeneous case, there are well-defined integers k+ and k− between −1 and n such that Xℝ,t≃Sk+ for t>0 and Xℝ,t≃Sk− for t<0.

We describe Xℝ,t for t∈ℝ−0 as ‘good’ if the homotopy dimension of Xℝ,t is equal to n. In this case the inclusion Xℝ,t[rarrhk ]Xt is a homotopy equivalence [13, 1.1].