Milnor numbers of projective hypersurfaces and the chromatic polynomial of graphs

The chromatic polynomial of a graph G counts the number of proper colorings of G. We give an affirmative answer to the conjecture of Read and Rota-Heron-Welsh that the absolute values of the coefficients of the chromatic polynomial form a log-concave sequence. We define a sequence of numerical invariants of projective hypersurfaces analogous to the Milnor number of local analytic hypersurfaces. Then we give a characterization of correspondences between projective spaces up to a positive integer multiple which includes the conjecture on the chromatic polynomial as a special case. As a byproduct of our approach, we obtain an analogue of Kouchnirenko's theorem relating the Milnor number with the Newton polytope.Comment: Improved readability. Final version, to appear in J. Amer. Math. So

On Comon's and Strassen's conjectures

Comon's conjecture on the equality of the rank and the symmetric rank of a symmetric tensor, and Strassen's conjecture on the additivity of the rank of tensors are two of the most challenging and guiding problems in the area of tensor decomposition. We survey the main known results on these conjectures, and, under suitable bounds on the rank, we prove them, building on classical techniques used in the case of symmetric tensors, for mixed tensors. Finally, we improve the bound for Comon's conjecture given by flattenings by producing new equations for secant varieties of Veronese and Segre varieties.Comment: 12 page

Generalized conditional symmetries of evolution equations

We analyze the relationship of generalized conditional symmetries of evolution equations to the formal compatibility and passivity of systems of differential equations as well as to systems of vector fields in involution. Earlier results on the connection between generalized conditional invariance and generalized reduction of evolution equations are revisited. This leads to a no-go theorem on determining equations for operators of generalized conditional symmetry. It is also shown that up to certain equivalences there exists a one-to-one correspondence between generalized conditional symmetries of an evolution equation and parametric families of its solutions.Comment: 23 pages, extended versio