Parallelogram morphisms and circular codes

In 2014, it was conjectured that any polyomino can be factorized uniquely as a product of prime polyominoes. In this paper, we present simple tools from words combinatorics and graph topology that seem very useful in solving the conjecture. The main one is called parallelogram network, which is a particular subgraph of G(Z2) induced by a parallelogram morphism, i.e. a morphism describing the contour of a polyomino tiling the plane as a parallelogram would. In particular, we show that parallelogram networks are homeomorphic to G(Z2). This leads us to show that the image of the letters of parallelogram morphisms is a circular code provided each element is primitive, therefore solving positively a 2013 conjecture

Metrics for generalized persistence modules

We consider the question of defining interleaving metrics on generalized persistence modules over arbitrary preordered sets. Our constructions are functorial, which implies a form of stability for these metrics. We describe a large class of examples, inverse-image persistence modules, which occur whenever a topological space is mapped to a metric space. Several standard theories of persistence and their stability can be described in this framework. This includes the classical case of sublevelset persistent homology. We introduce a distinction between `soft' and `hard' stability theorems. While our treatment is direct and elementary, the approach can be explained abstractly in terms of monoidal functors.Comment: Final version; no changes from previous version. Published online Oct 2014 in Foundations of Computational Mathematics. Print version to appea

Hash Functions from Expander Graphs and Supersingular Elliptic Curves

We describe a method for creating a hash function from supersingular elliptic curves and expander graphs. In the graph, the vertices are represented by supersingular elliptic curves and the edges are represented by isogenies between the curves. We will construct the hash function from l-isogenies where l = 3 and l =/= p, for a prime number p. We also provide algorithms to implement the hash function

On an involution of Christoffel words and Sturmian morphisms

There is a natural involution on Christoffel words, originally studied by the second author in [A. de Luca, Combinatorics of standard Sturmian words, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 1261 (1997) 249–267]. We show that it has several equivalent definitions: one of them uses the slope of the word, and changes the numerator and the denominator respectively in their inverses modulo the length; another one uses the cyclic graph allowing the construction of the word, by interpreting it in two ways (one as a permutation and its ascents and descents, coded by the two letters of the word, the other in the setting of the Fine and Wilf periodicity theorem); a third one uses central words and generation through iterated palindromic closure, by reversing the directive word. We show further that this involution extends to Sturmian morphisms, in the sense that it preserves conjugacy classes of these morphisms, which are in bijection with Christoffel words. The involution on morphisms is the restriction of some conjugation of the automorphisms of the free group. Finally, we show that, through the geometrical interpretation of substitutions of Arnoux and Ito, our involution is the same thing as duality of endomorphisms (modulo some conjugation)

The Geometry of T-Varieties

This is a survey of the language of polyhedral divisors describing T-varieties. This language is explained in parallel to the well established theory of toric varieties. In addition to basic constructions, subjects touched on include singularities, separatedness and properness, divisors and intersection theory, cohomology, Cox rings, polarizations, and equivariant deformations, among others.Comment: 42 pages, 17 figures. v2: minor changes following the referee's suggestion

Two infinite families of polyominoes that tile the plane by translation in two distinct ways

It has been proved that, among the polyominoes that tile the plane by translation, the so-called squares tile the plane in at most two distinct ways. In this paper, we focus on double squares, that is, the polyominoes that tile the plane in exactly two distinct ways. Our approach is based on solving equations on words, which allows us to exhibit properties about their shape. Moreover, we describe two infinite families of double squares. The first one is directly linked to Christoffel words and may be interpreted as segments of thick straight lines. The second one stems from the Fibonacci sequence and reveals some fractal features

This Week's Finds in Mathematical Physics (1-50)

These are the first 50 issues of This Week's Finds of Mathematical Physics, from January 19, 1993 to March 12, 1995. These issues focus on quantum gravity, topological quantum field theory, knot theory, and applications of $n$-categories to these subjects. However, there are also digressions into Lie algebras, elliptic curves, linear logic and other subjects. They were typeset in 2020 by Tim Hosgood. If you see typos or other problems please report them. (I already know the cover page looks weird).Comment: 242 page