On the homology of the space of knots

Consider the space of `long knots' in R^n, K_{n,1}. This is the space of knots as studied by V. Vassiliev. Based on previous work of the authors, it follows that the rational homology of K_{3,1} is free Gerstenhaber-Poisson algebra. A partial description of a basis is given here. In addition, the mod-p homology of this space is a `free, restricted Gerstenhaber-Poisson algebra'. Recursive application of this theorem allows us to deduce that there is p-torsion of all orders in the integral homology of K_{3,1}. This leads to some natural questions about the homotopy type of the space of long knots in R^n for n>3, as well as consequences for the space of smooth embeddings of S^1 in S^3.Comment: 36 pages, 6 figures. v3: small revisions before publicatio

From Galois to Hopf Galois: theory and practice

Hopf Galois theory expands the classical Galois theory by considering the Galois property in terms of the action of the group algebra k[G] on K/k and then replacing it by the action of a Hopf algebra. We review the case of separable extensions where the Hopf Galois property admits a group-theoretical formulation suitable for counting and classifying, and also to perform explicit computations and explicit descriptions of all the ingredients involved in a Hopf Galois structure. At the end we give just a glimpse of how this theory is used in the context of Galois module theory for wildly ramified extensions

Nilpotent and abelian Hopf-Galois structures on field extensions

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Let L/K be a finite Galois extension of fields with group Γ . When Γ is nilpotent, we show that the problem of enumerating all nilpotent Hopf–Galois structures on L/K can be reduced to the corresponding problem for the Sylow subgroups of Γ . We use this to enumerate all nilpotent (resp. abelian) Hopf–Galois structures on a cyclic extension of arbitrary finite degree. When Γ is abelian, we give conditions under which every abelian Hopf–Galois structure on L/K has type Γ . We also give a criterion on n such that every Hopf–Galois structure on a cyclic extension of degree n has cyclic type

Mapping 6D N = 1 supergravities to F-theory

We develop a systematic framework for realizing general anomaly-free chiral 6D supergravity theories in F-theory. We focus on 6D (1, 0) models with one tensor multiplet whose gauge group is a product of simple factors (modulo a finite abelian group) with matter in arbitrary representations. Such theories can be decomposed into blocks associated with the simple factors in the gauge group; each block depends only on the group factor and the matter charged under it. All 6D chiral supergravity models can be constructed by gluing such blocks together in accordance with constraints from anomalies. Associating a geometric structure to each block gives a dictionary for translating a supergravity model into a set of topological data for an F-theory construction. We construct the dictionary of F-theory divisors explicitly for some simple gauge group factors and associated matter representations. Using these building blocks we analyze a variety of models. We identify some 6D supergravity models which do not map to integral F-theory divisors, possibly indicating quantum inconsistency of these 6D theories.Comment: 37 pages, no figures; v2: references added, minor typos corrected; v3: minor corrections to DOF counting in section

Double covers and extensions

In this paper we consider double covers of the projective space in relation with the problem of extensions of varieties, specifically of extensions of canonical curves to $K3$ surfaces and Fano 3-folds. In particular we consider $K3$ surfaces which are double covers of the plane branched over a general sextic: we prove that the general curve in the linear system pull back of plane curves of degree $k\geq 7$ lies on a unique $K3$ surface. If $k\leq 6$ the general such curve is instead extendable to a higher dimensional variety. In the cases $k=4,5,6$, this gives the existence of singular index $k$ Fano varieties of dimensions 8, 5, 3, and genera 17, 26, 37 respectively. For $k = 6$ we recover the Fano variety $\mathbf{P}(3, 1, 1, 1)$, one of only two Fano threefolds with canonical Gorenstein singularities with the maximal genus 37, found by Prokhorov. We show that the latter variety is no further extendable. For $k=4$ and $5$ these Fano varieties have been identified by Totaro. We also study the extensions of smooth degree 2 sections of $K3$ surfaces of genus 3. In all these cases, we compute the co-rank of the Gauss--Wahl maps of the curves under consideration. Finally we observe that linear systems on double covers of the projective plane provide superabundant logarithmic Severi varieties.Comment: v2: added the Fano's found by Totaro; some references adde