Good Locally Testable Codes
An explicit construction of locally testable codes of constant rate, constant distance and constant number of queries is given. Hence answering affirmatively the $c^3$-problem.
cs.IT↗
arXiv subjects
Alexander Lubotzky
Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Lubotzky.
Testability in group theory
This paper is a journal counterpart to our FOCS 2021 paper, in which we initiate the study of property testing problems concerning a finite system of relations $E$ between permutations, generalizing the study of stability in permutations. To every such system $E$, a group $Γ=Γ_E$ is associated and the testability of $E$ depends only on $Γ$ (just like in Galois theory, where the solvability of a polynomial is determined by the solvability of the associated group). This leads to the notion of testable groups, and, more generally, Benjamini-Schramm rigid groups. The paper presents an ensemble of tools to check if a given group $Γ$ is testable/BS-rigid or not.
math.GR↗
Sylow-conjugate number fields
By a classical result of Neukirch and Uchida, a number field K is determined by the structure of its absolute Galois group Gal(K). We show that K is not determined by the structure of the Sylow subgroups of Gal(K), answering a question raised by Florian Pop.
math.NT↗
Locally Testable Codes with constant rate, distance, and locality
A locally testable code (LTC) is an error-correcting code that has a property-tester. The tester reads $q$ bits that are randomly chosen, and rejects words with probability proportional to their distance from the code. The parameter $q$ is called the locality of the tester. LTCs were initially studied as important components of PCPs, and since then the topic has evolved on its own. High rate LTCs could be useful in practice: before attempting to decode a received word, one can save time by first quickly testing if it is close to the code. An outstanding open question has been whether there exist "$c^3$-LTCs", namely LTCs with *c*onstant rate, *c*onstant distance, and *c*onstant locality. In this work we construct such codes based on a new two-dimensional complex which we call a left-right Cayley complex. This is essentially a graph which, in addition to vertices and edges, also has squares. Our codes can be viewed as a two-dimensional version of (the one-dimensional) expander codes, where the codewords are functions on the squares rather than on the edges.
cs.IT↗
Testability of relations between permutations
We initiate the study of property testing problems concerning relations between permutations. In such problems, the input is a tuple $(σ_1,\dotsc,σ_d)$ of permutations on $\{1,\dotsc,n\}$, and one wishes to determine whether this tuple satisfies a certain system of relations $E$, or is far from every tuple that satisfies $E$. If this computational problem can be solved by querying only a small number of entries of the given permutations, we say that $E$ is testable. For example, when $d=2$ and $E$ consists of the single relation $\mathsf{XY=YX}$, this corresponds to testing whether $σ_1σ_2=σ_2σ_1$, where $σ_1σ_2$ and $σ_2σ_1$ denote composition of permutations. We define a collection of graphs, naturally associated with the system $E$, that encodes all the information relevant to the testability of $E$. We then prove two theorems that provide criteria for testability and non-testability in terms of expansion properties of these graphs. By virtue of a deep connection with group theory, both theorems are applicable to wide classes of systems of relations. In addition, we formulate the well-studied group-theoretic notion of stability in permutations as a special case of the testability notion above, interpret all previous works on stability as testability results, survey previous results on stability from a computational perspective, and describe many directions for future research on stability and testability.
cs.DS↗
On representations of $\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb{Q}}/\mathbb{Q})$, $\widehat{GT}$ and $\mathrm{Aut}(\hat{F}_2)$
By work of Belyi, the absolute Galois group $G_{\mathbb{Q}}=\mathrm{Gal}(\overline{\mathbb{Q}}/\mathbb{Q})$ of the field $\mathbb{Q}$ of rational numbers can be embedded into $A=\mathrm{Aut}(\widehat{F_2})$, the automorphism group of the free profinite group $\widehat{F_2}$ on two generators. The image of $G_{\mathbb{Q}}$ lies inside $\widehat{GT}$, the Grothendieck-Teichmüller group. While it is known that every abelian representation of $G_{\mathbb{Q}}$ can be extended to $\widehat{GT}$, Lochak and Schneps put forward the challenge of constructing irreducible non-abelian representations of $\widehat{GT}$. We do this virtually, namely by showing that a rich class of arithmetically defined representations of $G_{\mathbb{Q}}$ can be extended to finite index subgroups of $\widehat{GT}$. This is achieved, in fact, by extending these representations all the way to finite index subgroups of $A=\mathrm{Aut}(\widehat{F_2})$. We do this by developing a profinite version of the work of Grunewald and Lubotzky, which provided a rich collection of representations for the discrete group $\mathrm{Aut}(F_d)$.
math.NT↗
On the Asymptotic Number of Generators of High Rank Arithmetic Lattices
$ $Abert, Gelander and Nikolov [AGN17] conjectured that the number of generators $d(Γ)$ of a lattice $Γ$ in a high rank simple Lie group $H$ grows sub-linearly with $v = μ(H / Γ)$, the co-volume of $Γ$ in $H$. We prove this for non-uniform lattices in a very strong form, showing that for $2-$generic such $H$'s, $d(Γ) = O_H(\log v / \log \log v)$, which is essentially optimal. While we can not prove a new upper bound for uniform lattices, we will show that for such lattices one can not expect to achieve a better bound than $d(Γ) = O(\log v)$.
math.GR↗
Constructing highly regular expanders from hyperbolic Coxeter groups
A graph $X$ is defined inductively to be $(a_0,\dots,a_{n-1})$-regular if $X$ is $a_0$-regular and for every vertex $v$ of $X$, the sphere of radius $1$ around $v$ is an $(a_1,\dots,a_{n-1})$-regular graph. Such a graph $X$ is said to be highly regular (HR) of level $n$ if $a_{n-1}\neq 0$. Chapman, Linial and Peled studied HR-graphs of level 2 and provided several methods to construct families of graphs which are expanders "globally and locally". They ask whether such HR-graphs of level 3 exist. In this paper we show how the theory of Coxeter groups, and abstract regular polytopes and their generalisations, can lead to such graphs. Given a Coxeter system $(W,S)$ and a subset $M$ of $S$, we construct highly regular quotients of the 1-skeleton of the associated Wythoffian polytope $\mathcal{P}_{W,M}$, which form an infinite family of expander graphs when $(W,S)$ is indefinite and $\mathcal{P}_{W,M}$ has finite vertex links. The regularity of the graphs in this family can be deduced from the Coxeter diagram of $(W,S)$. The expansion stems from applying superapproximation to the congruence subgroups of the linear group $W$. This machinery gives a rich collection of families of HR-graphs, with various interesting properties, and in particular answers affirmatively the question asked by Chapman, Linial and Peled.
math.GR↗
The Congruence Subgroup Problem for finitely generated Nilpotent Groups
The congruence subgroup problem for a finitely generated group $Γ$ and $G\leq Aut(Γ)$ asks whether the map $\hat{G}\to Aut(\hatΓ)$ is injective, or more generally, what is its kernel $C\left(G,Γ\right)$? Here $\hat{X}$ denotes the profinite completion of $X$. In the case $G=Aut(Γ)$ we denote $C\left(Γ\right)=C\left(Aut(Γ),Γ\right)$. Let $Γ$ be a finitely generated group, $\barΓ=Γ/[Γ,Γ]$, and $Γ^{*}=\barΓ/tor(\barΓ)\cong\mathbb{Z}^{(d)}$. Denote $Aut^{*}(Γ)=\textrm{Im}(Aut(Γ)\to Aut(Γ^{*}))\leq GL_{d}(\mathbb{Z})$. In this paper we show that when $Γ$ is nilpotent, there is a canonical isomorphism $C\left(Γ\right)\simeq C(Aut^{*}(Γ),Γ^{*})$. In other words, $C\left(Γ\right)$ is completely determined by the solution to the classical congruence subgroup problem for the arithmetic group $Aut^{*}(Γ)$. In particular, in the case where $Γ=Ψ_{n,c}$ is a finitely generated free nilpotent group of class $c$ on $n$ elements, we get that $C(Ψ_{n,c})=C(\mathbb{Z}^{(n)})=\{e\}$ whenever $n\geq3$, and $C(Ψ_{2,c})=C(\mathbb{Z}^{(2)})=\hat{F}_ω$ = the free profinite group on countable number of generators.
math.GR↗
Infinitely presented stable groups and invariant random subgroups of metabelian groups
We prove that all invariant random subgroups of the lamplighter group $L$ are co-sofic. It follows that $L$ is permutation stable, providing an example of an infinitely presented such a group. Our proof applies more generally to all permutational wreath products of finitely generated abelian groups. We rely on the pointwise ergodic theorem for amenable groups.
math.GR↗
Uncountably many permutation stable groups
In a 1937 paper B.H. Neumann constructed an uncountable family of $2$-generated groups. We prove that all of his groups are permutation stable by analyzing the structure of their invariant random subgroups.
math.GR↗
From Ramanujan Graphs to Ramanujan Complexes
Ramanujan graphs are graphs whose spectrum is bounded optimally. Such graphs have found numerous applications in combinatorics and computer science. In recent years, a high dimensional theory has emerged. In this paper these developments are surveyed. After explaining their connection to the Ramanujan conjecture we will present some old and new results with an emphasis on random walks on these discrete objects and on the Euclidean spheres. The latter lead to "golden gates" which are of importance in quantum computation.
math.NT↗
Group stability and Property (T)
In recent years, there has been a considerable amount of interest in the stability of a finitely-generated group $Γ$ with respect to a sequence of groups $\left\{G_{n}\right\}_{n=1}^{\infty}$, equipped with bi-invariant metrics $\left\{d_{n}\right\}_{n=1}^{\infty}$. We consider the case $G_{n}=\operatorname{U}\left(n\right)$ (resp. $G_{n}=\operatorname{Sym}\left(n\right)$), equipped with the normalized Hilbert-Schmidt metric $d_{n}^{\operatorname{HS}}$ (resp. the normalized Hamming metric $d_{n}^{\operatorname{Hamming}}$). Our main result is that if $Γ$ is infinite, hyperlinear (resp. sofic) and has Property $\operatorname{(T)}$, then it is not stable with respect to $\left(\operatorname{U}\left(n\right),d_{n}^{\operatorname{HS}}\right)$ (resp. $\left(\operatorname{Sym}\left(n\right),d_{n}^{\operatorname{Hamming}}\right)$). This answers a question of Hadwin and Shulman regarding the stability of $\operatorname{SL}_{3}\left(\mathbb{Z}\right)$. We also deduce that the mapping class group $\operatorname{MCG}\left(g\right)$, $g\geq 3$, and $\operatorname{Aut}\left(\mathbb{F}_n\right)$, $n\geq 3$, are not stable with respect to $\left(\operatorname{Sym}\left(n\right),d_{n}^{\operatorname{Hamming}}\right)$. Our main result exhibits a difference between stability with respect to the normalized Hilbert-Schmidt metric on $\operatorname{U}\left(n\right)$ and the (unnormalized) $p$-Schatten metrics, since many groups with Property $\operatorname{(T)}$ are stable with respect to the latter metrics, as shown by De Chiffre-Glebsky-Lubotzky-Thom and Lubotzky-Oppenheim. We suggest a more flexible notion of stability that may repair this deficiency of stability with respect to $\left(\operatorname{U}\left(n\right),d_{n}^{\operatorname{HS}}\right)$ and $\left(\operatorname{Sym}\left(n\right),d_{n}^{\operatorname{Hamming}}\right)$.
math.GR↗
Non p-norm approximated Groups
It was shown in a previous work of the first named author with De Chiffre, Glebsky and Thom that there exists a finitely presented group which cannot be approximated by almost-homomorphisms to the unitary groups $U(n)$ equipped with the Frobenius norms (a.k.a as $L^2$ norm, or the Schatten-2-norm). In his ICM18 lecture, Andreas Thom asks if this result can be extended to general Schatten-p-norms. We show that this is indeed the case for $1<p< \infty$.
math.GR↗
What Is... A Thin Group?
This paper describes in basic terms what a "Thin Group" is, as well as its uses in various subjects.
math.NT↗
Linear representations of random groups
We show that for a fixed k, Gromov random groups with any positive density have no non-trivial degree-k representations over any field, a.a.s. This is especially interesting in light of the results of Agol, Ollivier and Wise that when the density is less than 1/6 such groups have a faithful linear representation over the rationals, a.a.s.
math.GR↗
Expansion in simple groups
Two short seminal papers of Margulis used Kazhdan's property $(T)$ to give, on the one hand, explicit constructions of expander graphs, and to prove, on the other hand, the uniqueness of some invariant means on compact simple Lie groups. These papers opened a rich line of research on expansion and spectral gap phenomena in finite and compact simple groups. In this paper we survey the history of this area and point out a number of problems which are still open.
math.GR↗
Generalized triangle groups, expanders, and a problem of Agol and Wise
Answering a question asked by Agol and Wise, we show that a desired stronger form of Wise's malnormal special quotient theorem does not hold. The counterexamples are generalizations of triangle groups, built using the Ramanujan graphs constructed by Lubotzky--Phillips--Sarnak.
math.GR↗