Regular del Pezzo surfaces with irregularity

We construct the first examples of regular del Pezzo surfaces for which the irregularity (i.e. the dimension of the first cohomology group of the structure sheaf) is nonzero. We also find a restriction on the integer pairs that are possible as the anti-canonical degree and irregularity of such a surface.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure (on page 2

Del Pezzo surfaces with irregularity and intersection numbers on quotients in geometric invariant theory

This thesis comprises two parts covering distinct topics in algebraic geometry. In Part I, we construct the first examples of regular del Pezzo surfaces for which the first cohomology group of the structure sheaf is nonzero. Such surfaces, which only exist over imperfect fields, arise as generic fibres of fibrations of singular del Pezzo surfaces in positive characteristic whose total spaces are smooth, and their study is motivated by the minimal model program. We also find a restriction on the integer pairs that are possible as the irregularity (that is, the dimension of the first cohomology group of the structure sheaf) and anti-canonical degree of regular del Pezzo surfaces with positive irregularity. In Part II, we consider a connected reductive group acting linearly on a projective variety over an arbitrary field. We prove a formula that compares intersection numbers on the geometric invariant theory quotient of the variety by the reductive group with intersection numbers on the geometric invariant theory quotient of the variety by a maximal torus, in the case where all semi-stable points are properly stable. These latter intersection numbers involve the top equivariant Chern class of the maximal torus representation given by the quotient of the adjoint representation on the Lie algebra of the reductive group by that of the maximal torus. We provide a purely algebraic proof of the formula when the root system decomposes into irreducible root systems of type A. We are able to remove this restriction on root systems by applying a related result of Shaun Martin from symplectic geometry

Level Sets of the Takagi Function: Local Level Sets

The Takagi function \tau : [0, 1] \to [0, 1] is a continuous non-differentiable function constructed by Takagi in 1903. The level sets L(y) = {x : \tau(x) = y} of the Takagi function \tau(x) are studied by introducing a notion of local level set into which level sets are partitioned. Local level sets are simple to analyze, reducing questions to understanding the relation of level sets to local level sets, which is more complicated. It is known that for a "generic" full Lebesgue measure set of ordinates y, the level sets are finite sets. Here it is shown for a "generic" full Lebesgue measure set of abscissas x, the level set L(\tau(x)) is uncountable. An interesting singular monotone function is constructed, associated to local level sets, and is used to show the expected number of local level sets at a random level y is exactly 3/2.Comment: 32 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Latest version has updated equation numbering. The final publication will soon be available at springerlink.co