Rational Tate classes

In despair, as Deligne (2000) put it, of proving the Hodge and Tate conjectures, we can try to find substitutes. For abelian varieties in characteristic zero, Deligne (1982) constructed a theory of Hodge classes having many of the properties that the algebraic classes would have if the Hodge conjecture were known. In this article I investigate whether there exists a theory of "rational Tate classes" on varieties over finite fields having the properties that the algebraic classes would have if the Hodge and Tate conjectures were known. v3. Submitted version

The Tate conjecture over finite fields (AIM talk)

These are my notes for a talk at the The Tate Conjecture workshop at the American Institute of Mathematics in Palo Alto, CA, July 23--July 27, 2007, somewhat revised and expanded. The intent of the talk was to review what is known and to suggest directions for research. v2: Revised expanded (24 pages).Comment: A pdf file with better fonts, style file, etc. is available at http://www.jmilne.org/math/ v2: Revised expanded (24 pages

Points on Shimura varieties over finite fields: the conjecture of Langlands and Rapoport

We state an improved version of the conjecture of Langlands and Rapoport, and we prove the conjecture for a large class of Shimura varieties. In particular, we obtain the first proof of the (original) conjecture for Shimura varieties of PEL-type

On Perverse Equivalences and Rationality

We show that perverse equivalences between module categories of finite-dimensional algebras preserve rationality. As an application, we give a connection between some famous conjectures from the modular representation theory of finite groups, namely Brou\'e's Abelian Defect Group conjecture and Donovan's Finiteness conjectures

Rational conformal field theory with matrix level and strings on a torus

Study of the matrix-level affine algebra $U_{m,K}$ is motivated by conformal field theory and the fractional quantum Hall effect. Gannon completed the classification of $U_{m,K}$ modular-invariant partition functions. Here we connect the algebra $U_{2,K}$ to strings on 2-tori describable by rational conformal field theories. As Gukov and Vafa proved, rationality selects the complex-multiplication tori. We point out that the rational conformal field theories describing strings on complex-multiplication tori have characters and partition functions identical to those of the matrix-level algebra $U_{m,K}$. This connection makes obvious that the rational theories are dense in the moduli space of strings on $T^m$, and may prove useful in other ways.Comment: 13 page

Rationality and Chow-Kuenneth decompositions for some moduli stacks of curves

In this paper, we show the existence of a Chow--Kuenneth decomposition for the moduli stack of stable curves of genus g with r marked points, for low values of g,r. We also look at the moduli space R of double covers of genus 3 curves, branched along 4 distinct points. We obtain a birational model of the moduli space R as a group quotient of a product of two Grassmanian varieties. This provides a Chow-Kuenneth decomposition over an open subset of R. The question of rationality of R is also discussed.Comment: Some errors are corrected and new remarks are include

The integral Hodge conjecture for two-dimensional Calabi-Yau categories

We formulate a version of the integral Hodge conjecture for categories, prove the conjecture for two-dimensional Calabi-Yau categories which are suitably deformation equivalent to the derived category of a K3 or abelian surface, and use this to deduce cases of the usual integral Hodge conjecture for varieties. Along the way, we prove a version of the variational integral Hodge conjecture for families of two-dimensional Calabi-Yau categories, as well as a general smoothness result for relative moduli spaces of objects in such families. Our machinery also has applications to the structure of intermediate Jacobians, such as a criterion in terms of derived categories for when they split as a sum of Jacobians of curves.Comment: 45 pages, minor update

Noether's problem and descent

We study Noether's problem from the perspective of torsors under linear algebraic groups and descent.Comment: 14 page

Fibonacci Sequences And Real Quadratic p-Rational Fields

We study the p-rationality of real quadratic fields in terms of generalized Fibonacci numbers and their periods modulo positive integers

Poisson algebras via model theory and differential-algebraic geometry

Brown and Gordon asked whether the Poisson Dixmier-Moeglin equivalence holds for any complex affine Poisson algebra; that is, whether the sets of Poisson rational ideals, Poisson primitive ideals, and Poisson locally closed ideals coincide. In this article a complete answer is given to this question using techniques from differential-algebraic geometry and model theory. In particular, it is shown that while the sets of Poisson rational and Poisson primitive ideals do coincide, in every Krull dimension at least four there are complex affine Poisson algebras with Poisson rational ideals that are not Poisson locally closed. These counterexamples also give rise to counterexamples to the classical (noncommutative) Dixmier-Moeglin equivalence in finite $\operatorname{GK}$ dimension. A weaker version of the Poisson Dixmier-Moeglin equivalence is proven for all complex affine Poisson algebras, from which it follows that the full equivalence holds in Krull dimension three or less. Finally, it is shown that everything, except possibly that rationality implies primitivity, can be done over an arbitrary base field of characteristic zero.Comment: 28 pages; v2: minor changes; accepted for publication in Journal of the European Mathematical Societ