arXiv subjects

Alexa Renner

Publications and source records attributed to Alexa Renner.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Braids on the Stranded Cellular Automata Model

The Stranded Cellular Automata (SCA) model is a grid of cells such that each cell can contain 0, 1, or 2 strands, together with two cellular automata that control when and how strands turn and cross. It was developed to study patterns occurring in fiber arts. We define a notion of what it means for a braid, in the sense of an element of a braid group, to be represented by an SCA pattern, and provide several algorithms to determine when a braid has an SCA representation with certain additional properties.

math.GR↗

arXiv2026

Decidability of the Orbit Problem Over $\mathbb{Q}(X)$

The orbit problem is the problem of whether, given $x, y\in \mathbb{Q}^n$ and an $n\times n$ matrix $A$, there exists an $i\in\mathbb{N}$ such that $A^ix = y$. In 1980, Kannan and Lipton proved that the orbit problem is decidable. We show that a generalization of the orbit problem, where the field is $\mathbb{Q}(X)$ for $X$ a countable set of transcendentals, is also decidable. We define the orbit power problem for an arbitrary group $G$ to be the problem of when, given $x, y\in G$, there exists an $n\in\mathbb{Z}$ such that $x^n = y$. We then use the main result to show that the power orbit problem is decidable for an assortment of groups, including the braid groups and $\operatorname{Aut}(F_2)$.

math.GR↗

arXiv2026

Gliders on the Stranded Cellular Automata Model

The Stranded Cellular Automata (SCA) model consists of a grid of cells which can each contain between zero and two strands apiece and two turning rules that control when strands turn and when they cross. While patterns on this model have been studied previously, such research has not needed an algebraic description of the model. We provide a formal algebraic definition of patterns on the model, define gliders on the model in a way which is semi-compatible with definitions of gliders in other cellular automata models, and classify all 1- and 2-stranded gliders on this model. In addition, we prove an equivalence of two classes of gliders and design an algorithm to generate all such elements of that class.

math.DS↗

arXiv2025

Criteria for Classifying Prime Graphs of PSL(2, q)-Solvable Groups

For a finite group $G$, the prime graph $\Gamma(G)$ (also known as Gruenberg-Kegel graph) is defined to be the graph where the vertices are the primes that divide $|G|$ such that two vertices $p$ and $q$ share an edge if and only if there is an element of order $pq$ in $G$. The prime graphs of solvable groups have been classified. The prime graphs of groups whose noncyclic composition factors are isomorphic to a single nonabelian simple group $T$ where $|T|$ is divisible by three or four distinct primes have been classified except for the cases where $T = \operatorname{PSL}(2,q)$ for $q\neq 2^5$ and $|\operatorname{PSL}(2,q)|$ is divisible by exactly four primes. In this paper, we provide criteria for general classification results for certain classes of $T$, and then use them to classify the prime graphs of some $T$-solvable groups for $T$ a suitably small $\operatorname{PSL}(2, q)$-group. We also provide general results on the prime graphs of $T$-solvable groups where $T$ is a member of the possibly infinite family of groups $\operatorname{PSL}(2, 2^f)$ such that $f\geq 5, f$ is prime, and $|\operatorname{PSL}(2, 2^f)|$ is divisible by exactly four primes. This is the first paper to prove general results about the prime graphs of $T$-solvable groups where $T$ belongs to a large (probably infinite) family of groups.

math.GR↗

arXiv2025

Central Path Art

The central path revolutionized the study of optimization in the 1980s and 1990s due to its favorable convergence properties, and as such, it has been investigated analytically, algorithmically, and computationally. Past pursuits have primarily focused on linking iterative approximation algorithms to the central path in the design of efficient algorithms to solve large, and sometimes novel, optimization problems. This algorithmic intent has meant that the central path has rarely been celebrated as an aesthetic entity in low dimensions, with the only meager exceptions being illustrative examples in textbooks. We undertake this low dimensional investigation and illustrate the artistic use of the central path to create aesthetic tilings and flower-like constructs in two and three dimensions, an endeavor that combines mathematical rigor and artistic sensibilities. The result is a fanciful and enticing collection of patterns that, beyond computer generated images, supports math-aesthetic designs for novelties and museum-quality pieces of art.

math.OC↗

arXiv2024

Classification of the Prime Graphs of $\operatorname{Sz}(8)$-, $\operatorname{Sz}(32)$-, and $\operatorname{PSL}(2, 2^5)$-Solvable Groups

For a finite group $G$, the vertices of the prime graph $\Gamma(G)$ are the primes that divide $|G|$, and two vertices $p$ and $q$ are connected by an edge if there is an element of order $pq$ in $G$. Prime graphs of solvable groups have been classified, and prime graphs of groups whose noncyclic composition factors are isomorphic to a single nonabelian simple group $T$ have been classified in the case where $T$ has order divisible by exactly three or four distinct primes, except for the cases $T = \operatorname{Sz}(8)$, $T = \operatorname{Sz}(32)$, and $T = \operatorname{PSL}(2,q)$, which in some sense are the hardest cases. In this paper, we complete the classification for $T = \operatorname{Sz}(32)$, $T = \operatorname{Sz}(8)$, and $T = \operatorname{PSL}(2,2^5)$, with the latter two being the first cases ever studied where $|\text{Out}(T)|$ has prime factors which do not divide $|T|$. The groups studied in this paper are also the first ones requiring knowledge of their Brauer character tables to complete the classification task.

math.GR↗