Nonclassical spectral asymptotics and Dixmier traces: From circles to contact manifolds

We consider the spectral behavior and noncommutative geometry of commutators $[P,f]$, where $P$ is an operator of order $0$ with geometric origin and $f$ a multiplication operator by a function. When $f$ is H\"{o}lder continuous, the spectral asymptotics is governed by singularities. We study precise spectral asymptotics through the computation of Dixmier traces; such computations have only been considered in less singular settings. Even though a Weyl law fails for these operators, and no pseudo-differential calculus is available, variations of Connes' residue trace theorem and related integral formulas continue to hold. On the circle, a large class of non-measurable Hankel operators is obtained from H\"older continuous functions $f$, displaying a wide range of nonclassical spectral asymptotics beyond the Weyl law. The results extend from Riemannian manifolds to contact manifolds and noncommutative tori.Comment: 40 page

Discontinuities without discontinuity: The Weakly-enforced Slip Method

Tectonic faults are commonly modelled as Volterra or Somigliana dislocations in an elastic medium. Various solution methods exist for this problem. However, the methods used in practice are often limiting, motivated by reasons of computational efficiency rather than geophysical accuracy. A typical geophysical application involves inverse problems for which many different fault configurations need to be examined, each adding to the computational load. In practice, this precludes conventional finite-element methods, which suffer a large computational overhead on account of geometric changes. This paper presents a new non-conforming finite-element method based on weak imposition of the displacement discontinuity. The weak imposition of the discontinuity enables the application of approximation spaces that are independent of the dislocation geometry, thus enabling optimal reuse of computational components. Such reuse of computational components renders finite-element modeling a viable option for inverse problems in geophysical applications. A detailed analysis of the approximation properties of the new formulation is provided. The analysis is supported by numerical experiments in 2D and 3D.Comment: Submitted for publication in CMAM

Spin bit models from non-planar N=4 SYM

We study spin models underlying the non-planar dynamics of ${\cal N}=4$ SYM gauge theory. In particular, we derive the non-local spin chain Hamiltonian generating dilatations in the gauge theory at leading order in $g_{\rm YM}^2 N$ but exact in ${1\over N}$. States in the spin chain are characterized by a spin-configuration and a linking variable describing how sites in the chain are connected. Joining and splitting of string/traces are mimicked by a twist operator acting on the linking variable. The results are applied to a systematic study of non-planar anomalous dimensions and operator mixing in ${\cal N}=4$ SYM. Intriguingly, we identify a sequence of SYM operators for which corrections to the one-loop anomalous dimensions stop at the first ${1\over N}$ non-planar order.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures, some typos corrected in eqs. (2.6), (2.8), (2.11), (2.14

Concordance and Mutation

We provide a framework for studying the interplay between concordance and positive mutation and identify some of the basic structures relating the two. The fundamental result in understanding knot concordance is the structure theorem proved by Levine: for n>1 there is an isomorphism phi from the concordance group C_n of knotted (2n-1)-spheres in S^{2n+1} to an algebraically defined group G_{+-}; furthermore, G__{+-} is isomorphic to the infinite direct sum Z^infty direct sum Z_2^infty direct sum Z_4^infty. It was a startling consequence of the work of Casson and Gordon that in the classical case the kernel of phi on C_1 is infinitely generated. Beyond this, little has been discovered about the pair (C_1,phi). In this paper we present a new approach to studying C_1 by introducing a group, M, defined as the quotient of the set of knots by the equivalence relation generated by concordance and positive mutation, with group operation induced by connected sum. We prove there is a factorization of phi, C_1-->M-->G_-. Our main result is that both maps have infinitely generated kernels. Among geometric constructions on classical knots, the most subtle is positive mutation. Positive mutants are indistinguishable using classical abelian knot invariants as well as by such modern invariants as the Jones, Homfly or Kauffman polynomials. Distinguishing positive mutants up to concordance is a far more difficult problem; only one example has been known until now. The results in this paper provide, among other results, the first infinite families of knots that are distinct from their positive mutants, even up to concordance.Comment: Published in Geometry and Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/gt/GTVol5/paper26.abs.htm

On stability of discretizations of the Helmholtz equation (extended version)

We review the stability properties of several discretizations of the Helmholtz equation at large wavenumbers. For a model problem in a polygon, a complete $k$-explicit stability (including $k$-explicit stability of the continuous problem) and convergence theory for high order finite element methods is developed. In particular, quasi-optimality is shown for a fixed number of degrees of freedom per wavelength if the mesh size $h$ and the approximation order $p$ are selected such that $kh/p$ is sufficiently small and $p = O(\log k)$, and, additionally, appropriate mesh refinement is used near the vertices. We also review the stability properties of two classes of numerical schemes that use piecewise solutions of the homogeneous Helmholtz equation, namely, Least Squares methods and Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods. The latter includes the Ultra Weak Variational Formulation