Beating the Generator-Enumeration Bound for pp-Group Isomorphism

We consider the group isomorphism problem: given two finite groups G and H specified by their multiplication tables, decide if G cong H. For several decades, the n^(log_p n + O(1)) generator-enumeration bound (where p is the smallest prime dividing the order of the group) has been the best worst-case result for general groups. In this work, we show the first improvement over the generator-enumeration bound for p-groups, which are believed to be the hard case of the group isomorphism problem. We start by giving a Turing reduction from group isomorphism to n^((1 / 2) log_p n + O(1)) instances of p-group composition-series isomorphism. By showing a Karp reduction from p-group composition-series isomorphism to testing isomorphism of graphs of degree at most p + O(1) and applying algorithms for testing isomorphism of graphs of bounded degree, we obtain an n^(O(p)) time algorithm for p-group composition-series isomorphism. Combining these two results yields an algorithm for p-group isomorphism that takes at most n^((1 / 2) log_p n + O(p)) time. This algorithm is faster than generator-enumeration when p is small and slower when p is large. Choosing the faster algorithm based on p and n yields an upper bound of n^((1 / 2 + o(1)) log n) for p-group isomorphism.Comment: 15 pages. This is an updated and improved version of the results for p-groups in arXiv:1205.0642 and TR11-052 in ECC

Real Separated Algebraic Curves, Quadrature Domains, Ahlfors Type Functions and Operator Theory

The aim of this paper is to inter-relate several algebraic and analytic objects, such as real-type algebraic curves, quadrature domains, functions on them and rational matrix functions with special properties, and some objects from Operator Theory, such as vector Toeplitz operators and subnormal operators. Our tools come from operator theory, but some of our results have purely algebraic formulation. We make use of Xia's theory of subnormal operators and of the previous results by the author in this direction. We also correct (in Section 5) some inaccuracies in two papers by the author in Revista Matematica Iberoamericana (1998).Comment: 43 pages, 2 figures; zip archiv