Permanence properties of FF-injectivity

We prove that $F$-injectivity localizes, descends under faithfully flat homomorphisms, and ascends under flat homomorphisms with Cohen-Macaulay and geometrically $F$-injective fibers, all for arbitrary Noetherian rings of prime characteristic. As a consequence, we show that the $F$-injective locus is open on most rings arising in arithmetic and geometry. Furthermore, we prove that over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic, generic projection hypersurfaces associated to normal projective varieties are weakly normal, and generic projection hypersurfaces associated to suitably embedded smooth projective varieties of low dimension are even $F$-pure, and hence $F$-injective. The former result proves a conjecture of Bombieri and Andreotti-Holm, and the latter result is the positive characteristic analogue of a theorem of Doherty.Comment: 38 pages; comments welcome! v2: added Theorem 6.6, fixed Lemma A.2, more transparent proof of Lemma 4.5, other small additions and change

High Angular Resolution Stellar Imaging with Occultations from the Cassini Spacecraft II: Kronocyclic Tomography

We present an advance in the use of Cassini observations of stellar occultations by the rings of Saturn for stellar studies. Stewart et al. (2013) demonstrated the potential use of such observations for measuring stellar angular diameters. Here, we use these same observations, and tomographic imaging reconstruction techniques, to produce two dimensional images of complex stellar systems. We detail the determination of the basic observational reference frame. A technique for recovering model-independent brightness profiles for data from each occulting edge is discussed, along with the tomographic combination of these profiles to build an image of the source star. Finally we demonstrate the technique with recovered images of the {\alpha} Centauri binary system and the circumstellar environment of the evolved late-type giant star, Mira.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Accepted by MNRA

On nonsupersymmetric \BC^4/\BZ_N, tachyons, terminal singularities and flips

We investigate nonsupersymmetric \BC^4/\BZ_N orbifold singularities using their description in terms of the string worldsheet conformal field theory and its close relation with the toric geometry description of these singularities and their possible resolutions. Analytic and numerical study strongly suggest the absence of nonsupersymmetric Type II terminal singularities (i.e. with no marginal or relevant blowup modes) so that there are always moduli or closed string tachyons that give rise to resolutions of these singularities, although supersymmetric and Type 0 terminal singularities do exist. Using gauged linear sigma models, we analyze the phase structure of these singularities, which often involves 4-dimensional flip transitions, occurring between resolution endpoints of distinct topology. We then discuss 4-dim analogs of unstable conifold-like singularities that exhibit flips, in particular their Type II GSO projection and the phase structure. We also briefly discuss aspects of M2-branes stacked at such singularities and nonsupersymmetric AdS_4\times S^7/\BZ_N backgrounds.Comment: Latex, 43pgs incl. appendices, 2 eps figs, v2. minor clarifications added, to appear in JHE

Degenerations of toric varieties over valuation rings

We develop a theory of multi-stage degenerations of toric varieties over finite rank valuation rings, extending the Mumford--Gubler theory in rank one. Such degenerations are constructed from fan-like structures over totally ordered abelian groups of finite rank. Our main theorem describes the geometry of successive special fibers in the degeneration in terms of the polyhedral geometry of a system of recession complexes associated to the fan.Comment: 13 pages. v3: Added Example 4.1.8 and new references. To appear in Bulletin of the London Mathematical Societ