Characteristic varieties and Betti numbers of free abelian covers

The regular \Z^r-covers of a finite cell complex X are parameterized by the Grassmannian of r-planes in H^1(X,\Q). Moving about this variety, and recording when the Betti numbers b_1,..., b_i of the corresponding covers are finite carves out certain subsets \Omega^i_r(X) of the Grassmannian. We present here a method, essentially going back to Dwyer and Fried, for computing these sets in terms of the jump loci for homology with coefficients in rank 1 local systems on X. Using the exponential tangent cones to these jump loci, we show that each \Omega-invariant is contained in the complement of a union of Schubert varieties associated to an arrangement of linear subspaces in H^1(X,\Q). The theory can be made very explicit in the case when the characteristic varieties of X are unions of translated tori. But even in this setting, the \Omega-invariants are not necessarily open, not even when X is a smooth complex projective variety. As an application, we discuss the geometric finiteness properties of some classes of groups.Comment: 40 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in International Mathematics Research Notice

Stochastic networks with multiple stable points

This paper analyzes stochastic networks consisting of a set of finite capacity sites where different classes of individuals move according to some routing policy. The associated Markov jump processes are analyzed under a thermodynamic limit regime, that is, when the networks have some symmetry properties and when the number of nodes goes to infinity. An intriguing stability property is proved: under some conditions on the parameters, it is shown that, in the limit, several stable equilibrium points coexist for the empirical distribution. The key ingredient of the proof of this property is a dimension reduction achieved by the introduction of two energy functions and a convenient mapping of their local minima and saddle points. Networks with a unique equilibrium point are also presented.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/009117907000000105 the Annals of Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aop/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Fundamental groups, Alexander invariants, and cohomology jumping loci

We survey the cohomology jumping loci and the Alexander-type invariants associated to a space, or to its fundamental group. Though most of the material is expository, we provide new examples and applications, which in turn raise several questions and conjectures. The jump loci of a space X come in two basic flavors: the characteristic varieties, or, the support loci for homology with coefficients in rank 1 local systems, and the resonance varieties, or, the support loci for the homology of the cochain complexes arising from multiplication by degree 1 classes in the cohomology ring of X. The geometry of these varieties is intimately related to the formality, (quasi-) projectivity, and homological finiteness properties of \pi_1(X). We illustrate this approach with various applications to the study of hyperplane arrangements, Milnor fibrations, 3-manifolds, and right-angled Artin groups.Comment: 45 pages; accepted for publication in Contemporary Mathematic

Open system dynamics and quantum jumps: Divisibility vs. dissipativity

Several key properties of quantum evolutions are characterized by divisibility of the corresponding dynamical maps. In particular, a Markovian evolution respects CP-divisibility, whereas breaking of P-divisibility provides a clear sign of non-Markovian effects. We analyze a class of evolutions which interpolates between CP- and P-divisible classes and is characterized by dissipativity -- a long known but so far not widely used formal concept to classify open system dynamics. By making a connection to stochastic jump unravellings of master equations, we demonstrate that there exists inherent freedom in how to divide the terms of the underlying master equation into the deterministic and jump parts for the stochastic description. This leads to a number of different unravelings, each one with a measurement scheme interpretation and highlighting different properties of the considered open system dynamics. Starting from formal mathematical concepts, our results allow us to get fundamental insights in open system dynamics and to ease their numerical simulations.Comment: 5+7 pages, 1+1 figures, 1 tabl

Notes on the "Ramified" Seiberg-Witten Equations and Invariants

In these notes, we carefully analyze the properties of the "ramified" Seiberg-Witten equations associated with supersymmetric configurations of the Seiberg-Witten abelian gauge theory with surface operators on an oriented closed four-manifold X. We find that in order to have sensible solutions to these equations, only surface operators with certain parameters and embeddings in X, are admissible. In addition, the corresponding "ramified" Seiberg-Witten invariants on X with positive scalar curvature and b^+_2 > 1, vanish, while if X has b^+_2 = 1, there can be wall-crossings whence the invariants will jump. In general, for each of the finite number of basic classes that corresponds to a moduli space of solutions with zero virtual dimension, the perturbed "ramified" Seiberg-Witten invariants on Kahler manifolds will depend - among other parameters associated with the surface operator - on the monopole number "l" and the holonomy parameter "alpha". Nonetheless, the (perturbed) "ramified" and ordinary invariants are found to coincide, albeit up to a sign, in some examples.Comment: 21 pages. Published versio

Fine properties of metric space-valued mappings of bounded variation in metric measure spaces

Here we consider two notions of mappings of bounded variation (BV) from the metric measure space into the metric space; one based on relaxations of Newton-Sobolev functions, and the other based on a notion of AM-upper gradients. We show that when the target metric space is a Banach space, these two notions coincide with comparable energies, but for more general target metric spaces, the two notions can give different function-classes. We then consider the fine properties of BV mappings (based on the AM-upper gradient property), and show that when the target space is a proper metric space, then for a BV mapping into the target space, co-dimension $1$-almost every point in the jump set of a BV mapping into the proper space has at least two, and at most $k_0$, number of jump values associated with it, and that the preimage of balls around these jump values have lower density at least $\gamma$ at that point. Here $k_0$ and $\gamma$ depend solely on the structural constants associated with the metric measure space, and jump points are points at which the map is not approximately continuous