Symmetric spaces and Lie triple systems in numerical analysis of differential equations

A remarkable number of different numerical algorithms can be understood and analyzed using the concepts of symmetric spaces and Lie triple systems, which are well known in differential geometry from the study of spaces of constant curvature and their tangents. This theory can be used to unify a range of different topics, such as polar-type matrix decompositions, splitting methods for computation of the matrix exponential, composition of selfadjoint numerical integrators and dynamical systems with symmetries and reversing symmetries. The thread of this paper is the following: involutive automorphisms on groups induce a factorization at a group level, and a splitting at the algebra level. In this paper we will give an introduction to the mathematical theory behind these constructions, and review recent results. Furthermore, we present a new Yoshida-like technique, for self-adjoint numerical schemes, that allows to increase the order of preservation of symmetries by two units. Since all the time-steps are positive, the technique is particularly suited to stiff problems, where a negative time-step can cause instabilities

Generating the Johnson filtration

For k >= 1, let Torelli_g^1(k) be the k-th term in the Johnson filtration of the mapping class group of a genus g surface with one boundary component. We prove that for all k, there exists some G_k >= 0 such that Torelli_g^1(k) is generated by elements which are supported on subsurfaces whose genus is at most G_k. We also prove similar theorems for the Johnson filtration of Aut(F_n) and for certain mod-p analogues of the Johnson filtrations of both the mapping class group and of Aut(F_n). The main tools used in the proofs are the related theories of FI-modules (due to the first author together with Ellenberg and Farb) and central stability (due to the second author), both of which concern the representation theory of the symmetric groups over Z.Comment: 32 pages; v2: paper reorganized. Final version, to appear in Geometry and Topolog

Homogeneous projective bundles over abelian varieties

We consider those projective bundles (or Brauer-Severi varieties) over an abelian variety that are homogeneous, i.e., invariant under translation. We describe the structure of these bundles in terms of projective representations of commutative algebraic groups; the irreducible bundles correspond to Heisenberg groups and their standard representations. Our results extend those of Mukai on semi-homogeneous vector bundles, and yield a geometric view of the Brauer group of abelian varieties.Comment: Final version, accepted for publication in Algebra and Number Theory Journal; 37 pages. This is a slightly shortened version of v3: Section 6 has been suppressed as well as the proofs of Propositions 4.1 and 4.2; Section 4 has been relegated to the very en

Commensurated subgroups of arithmetic groups, totally disconnected groups and adelic rigidity

Investigations into and around a 30-year old conjecture of Gregory Margulis and Robert Zimmer on the commensurated subgroups of S-arithmetic groups.Comment: 50 page

Group actions on central simple algebras: a geometric approach

We study actions of linear algebraic groups on central simple algebras using algebro-geometric techniques. Suppose an algebraic group G acts on a central simple algebra A of degree n. We are interested in questions of the following type: (a) Do the G-fixed elements form a central simple subalgebra of A of degree n? (b) Does A have a G-invariant maximal subfield? (c) Does A have a splitting field with a G-action, extending the G-action on the center of A? Somewhat surprisingly, we find that under mild assumptions on A and the actions, one can answer these questions by using techniques from birational invariant theory (i.e., the study of group actions on algebraic varieties, up to equivariant birational isomorphisms). In fact, group actions on central simple algebras turn out to be related to some of the central problems in birational invariant theory, such as the existence of sections, stabilizers in general position, affine models, etc. In this paper we explain these connections and explore them to give partial answers to questions (a)-(c).Comment: 33 pages. Final version, to appear in Journal of Algebra. Includes a short new section on Brauer-Severi varietie