Geodetic groups: foundational problems in algebra and computer science. The project aims to resolve important and longstanding open problems in Geometric Group Theory and Theoretical Computer Science. Since the 1980s researchers have conjectured that the geometric property of being geodetic is equivalent to several purely algebraic, algorithmic, and language-theoretic characterisations.
The project team's expertise in geodesic properties of groups, the interaction between formal languages and g ....Geodetic groups: foundational problems in algebra and computer science. The project aims to resolve important and longstanding open problems in Geometric Group Theory and Theoretical Computer Science. Since the 1980s researchers have conjectured that the geometric property of being geodetic is equivalent to several purely algebraic, algorithmic, and language-theoretic characterisations.
The project team's expertise in geodesic properties of groups, the interaction between formal languages and groups, and the theory of rewriting systems, together with recent breakthroughs by the team ensures that significant results can be expected.
Benefits include training research students and postdoctoral researchers in cutting-edge techniques, and advancing fundamental knowledge in mathematics and computer science.Read moreRead less
Graded semisimple deformations. Recent advances in representation theory have revealed beautiful new structures in the classical representation theory of the symmetric groups and Hecke algebras. These discoveries have provided us with new algebras, the cyclotomic KLR algebras, that encode deep properties of fundamental objects in algebraic combinatorics and geometric representation theory. The cyclotomic quiver Hecke algebras are central to several open problems in mathematics but they are still ....Graded semisimple deformations. Recent advances in representation theory have revealed beautiful new structures in the classical representation theory of the symmetric groups and Hecke algebras. These discoveries have provided us with new algebras, the cyclotomic KLR algebras, that encode deep properties of fundamental objects in algebraic combinatorics and geometric representation theory. The cyclotomic quiver Hecke algebras are central to several open problems in mathematics but they are still poorly understood, with even basic properties like their dimensions being unknown. This project will establish a new framework for studying these algebras that will remove the current obstacles in this field and alllow us to prove substantial new results that advance the theory.Read moreRead less
Modular character sheaves. This project aims to complete the fundamental mathematical theory of modular group representations, the algebraic description of symmetry over finite number systems. Group representation theory can be applied to any linear problem involving symmetry. However, the modular case, where the characteristic of the underlying field is a prime number, is less understood than real or complex scalars, and this lack of understanding blocks potential applications. This project wil ....Modular character sheaves. This project aims to complete the fundamental mathematical theory of modular group representations, the algebraic description of symmetry over finite number systems. Group representation theory can be applied to any linear problem involving symmetry. However, the modular case, where the characteristic of the underlying field is a prime number, is less understood than real or complex scalars, and this lack of understanding blocks potential applications. This project will use geometric methods to answer questions about modular representations of the finite groups of Lie type, the most important class of finite groups. This project could make modular representation theory essential for computations, enabling faster solutions to problems of linear algebra and allowing future applications in such areas as data transmission technology.Read moreRead less
An efficient approach to the computation of bacterial evolutionary distance. This project aims to apply advanced mathematical tools to improve our understanding of bacterial evolution. Bacteria account for as much total Earth biomass as all plant species put together, and have an unparalleled ability to evolve quickly and adapt to changing environments. Unfortunately, the existing mathematical models used to model bacterial evolution are generally computationally intractable. This project will r ....An efficient approach to the computation of bacterial evolutionary distance. This project aims to apply advanced mathematical tools to improve our understanding of bacterial evolution. Bacteria account for as much total Earth biomass as all plant species put together, and have an unparalleled ability to evolve quickly and adapt to changing environments. Unfortunately, the existing mathematical models used to model bacterial evolution are generally computationally intractable. This project will rectify this situation by using representation theory to transform combinatorial group theory into linear algebra, allowing for the application of advanced methods of numeric approximation. This will provide a better understanding of how bacteria evolve and improve our ability to manage their impact.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102369
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Higher representation theory. Representation theory lies at the very centre of mathematics, with applications in all areas of mathematics and mathematical physics; at some level it is about observing the symmetries of a system and exploiting them, and this has been invaluable. This project will explore the forefront of the modern, higher version of this research field.
Algebraic algorithms for investigating the space of bacterial genomes. Understanding evolutionary processes and the way organisms are related is a fundamental objective of the biological sciences. This project brings the power of group theory and computation to bear on these problems, developing new ways of understanding them and new tools to address them.
Symmetries of finite digraphs. Highly symmetrical graphs are well-studied and, in many respects, the theory for dealing with them is well-established. By comparison, our understanding of symmetrical digraphs is much poorer. There are some rather basic questions about these about which we know shamefully little. The aim of this project is to remedy this shortage of knowledge by extending many important results and theories about symmetrical graphs to digraphs.
Flag varieties and configuration spaces in algebra. School students learn that curves may be described by means of equations, which may therefore be solved geometrically; this is an example of the interaction of algebra and geometry. In this project geometric ideas such as simplicial geometry and cohomological representation theory will be developed, which address deep questions in modern algebra.
Constructive Representation Theory. A group is a mathematical structure that captures the notion of symmetry. This project will enable us to perform a deep analysis of all the ways in which the group can act on an object such as a molecule, by constructing all of its representations as a matrix group.
Algebraic Schubert geometry and unitary reflection groups. This project aims to generalise the recent work of Elias and Williamson to the complex case. Fundamental to the study of symmetry are the ubiquitous Coxeter groups, which have an associated set of critically important ‘Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials’. For some Coxeter groups, these may be interpreted in terms of classical geometry, leading to deep positivity properties for their coefficients. Elias and Williamson have recently shown that th ....Algebraic Schubert geometry and unitary reflection groups. This project aims to generalise the recent work of Elias and Williamson to the complex case. Fundamental to the study of symmetry are the ubiquitous Coxeter groups, which have an associated set of critically important ‘Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials’. For some Coxeter groups, these may be interpreted in terms of classical geometry, leading to deep positivity properties for their coefficients. Elias and Williamson have recently shown that this geometry may be simulated algebraically for any Coxeter group, so positivity for Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials holds for all Coxeter groups. This result has explosive consequences in many areas of geometry and algebra. This project is designed to extend these results to complex unitary reflection groups, with potentially dramatic consequences in number theory, representation theory and topology.Read moreRead less