Quadratic functions on torsion groups

We investigate classification results for general quadratic functions on torsion abelian groups. Unlike the previously studied situations, general quadratic functions are allowed to be inhomogeneous or degenerate. We study the discriminant construction which assigns, to an integral lattice with a distinguished characteristic form, a quadratic function on a torsion group. When the associated symmetric bilinear pairing is fixed, we construct an affine embedding of a quotient of the set of characteristic forms into the set of all quadratic functions and determine explicitly its cokernel. We determine a suitable class of torsion groups so that quadratic functions defined on them are classified by the stable class of their lift. This refines results due to A.H. Durfee, V. Nikulin, C.T.C. Wall and E. Looijenga -- J. Wahl. Finally, we show that on this class of torsion groups, two quadratic functions are isomorphic if and only if they have equal associated Gauss sums and there is an isomorphism between the associated symmetric bilinear pairings which preserves the "homogeneity defects". This generalizes a classical result due to V. Nikulin. Our results are elementary in nature and motivated by low-dimensional topology.Comment: 15 pages; a few minor modifications (improved writing, lengthened abstract

Homotopy-theoretically enriched categories of noncommutative motives

Waldhausen's $K$-theory of the sphere spectrum (closely related to the algebraic $K$-theory of the integers) is a naturally augmented $S^0$-algebra, and so has a Koszul dual. Classic work of Deligne and Goncharov implies an identification of the rationalization of this (covariant) dual with the Hopf algebra of functions on the motivic group for their category of mixed Tate motives over $\Z$. This paper argues that the rationalizations of categories of non-commutative motives defined recently by Blumberg, Gepner, and Tabuada consequently have natural enrichments, with morphism objects in the derived category of mixed Tate motives over $\Z$. We suggest that homotopic descent theory lifts this structure to define a category of motives defined not over $\Z$ but over the sphere ring-spectrum $S^0$.Comment: An attempt at a more readable version. Some reshuffling, a few new references, small notational changes. Thanks to many for comments about foolish blunders and obscuritie

Ring completion of rig categories

We offer a solution to the long-standing problem of group completing within the context of rig categories (also known as bimonoidal categories). Given a rig category R we construct a natural additive group completion R' that retains the multiplicative structure, hence has become a ring category. If we start with a commutative rig category R (also known as a symmetric bimonoidal category), the additive group completion R' will be a commutative ring category. In an accompanying paper we show how this can be used to prove the conjecture from [BDR] that the algebraic K-theory of the connective topological K-theory spectrum ku is equivalent to the algebraic K-theory of the rig category V of complex vector spaces.Comment: There was a mathematical error in arXiv:0706.0531v2: the map T in the purported proof of Lemma 3.7(2) is not well defined. Version 4 has been edited for notational consistenc

Loop Spaces and Connections

We examine the geometry of loop spaces in derived algebraic geometry and extend in several directions the well known connection between rotation of loops and the de Rham differential. Our main result, a categorification of the geometric description of cyclic homology, relates S^1-equivariant quasicoherent sheaves on the loop space of a smooth scheme or geometric stack X in characteristic zero with sheaves on X with flat connection, or equivalently D_X-modules. By deducing the Hodge filtration on de Rham modules from the formality of cochains on the circle, we are able to recover D_X-modules precisely rather than a periodic version. More generally, we consider the rotated Hopf fibration Omega S^3 --> Omega S^2 --> S^1, and relate Omega S^2-equivariant sheaves on the loop space with sheaves on X with arbitrary connection, with curvature given by their Omega S^3-equivariance.Comment: Revised versio

Invariance properties of random vectors and stochastic processes based on the zonoid concept

Two integrable random vectors $\xi$ and $\xi^*$ in $\mathbb {R}^d$ are said to be zonoid equivalent if, for each $u\in \mathbb {R}^d$, the scalar products $\langle\xi,u\rangle$ and $\langle\xi^*,u\rangle$ have the same first absolute moments. The paper analyses stochastic processes whose finite-dimensional distributions are zonoid equivalent with respect to time shift (zonoid stationarity) and permutation of its components (swap invariance). While the first concept is weaker than the stationarity, the second one is a weakening of the exchangeability property. It is shown that nonetheless the ergodic theorem holds for swap-invariant sequences and the limits are characterised.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.3150/13-BEJ519 the Bernoulli (http://isi.cbs.nl/bernoulli/) by the International Statistical Institute/Bernoulli Society (http://isi.cbs.nl/BS/bshome.htm

Universal Constructions for (Co)Relations: categories, monoidal categories, and props

Calculi of string diagrams are increasingly used to present the syntax and algebraic structure of various families of circuits, including signal flow graphs, electrical circuits and quantum processes. In many such approaches, the semantic interpretation for diagrams is given in terms of relations or corelations (generalised equivalence relations) of some kind. In this paper we show how semantic categories of both relations and corelations can be characterised as colimits of simpler categories. This modular perspective is important as it simplifies the task of giving a complete axiomatisation for semantic equivalence of string diagrams. Moreover, our general result unifies various theorems that are independently found in literature and are relevant for program semantics, quantum computation and control theory.Comment: 22 pages + 3 page appendix, extended version of arXiv:1703.0824

The equivalence of two graph polynomials and a symmetric function

The U-polynomial, the polychromate and the symmetric function generalization of the Tutte polynomial due to Stanley are known to be equivalent in the sense that the coefficients of any one of them can be obtained as a function of the coefficients of any other. The definition of each of these functions suggests a natural way in which to strengthen them which also captures Tutte's universal V-function as a specialization. We show that the equivalence remains true for the strong functions thus answering a question raised by Dominic Welsh