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J. Daniel Christensen

Publications and source records attributed to J. Daniel Christensen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2015

Ghost numbers of group algebras II

We study several closely related invariants of the group algebra $kG$ of a finite group. The basic invariant is the ghost number, which measures the failure of the generating hypothesis and involves finding non-trivial composites of maps each of which induces the zero map in Tate cohomology ("ghosts"). The related invariants are the simple ghost number, which considers maps which are stably trivial when composed with any map from a suspension of a simple module, and the strong ghost number, which considers maps which are ghosts after restriction to every subgroup of $G$. We produce the first computations of the ghost number for non-$p$-groups, e.g., for the dihedral groups at all primes, as well as many new bounds. We prove that there are close relationships between the three invariants, and make computations of the new invariants for many families of groups.

math.RT↗
arXiv2014

Ghost numbers of Group Algebras

Motivated by Freyd's famous unsolved problem in stable homotopy theory, the generating hypothesis for the stable module category of a finite group is the statement that if a map in the thick subcategory generated by the trivial representation induces the zero map in Tate cohomology, then it is stably trivial. It is known that the generating hypothesis fails for most groups. Generalizing work done for $p$-groups, we define the ghost number of a group algebra, which is a natural number that measures the degree to which the generating hypothesis fails. We describe a close relationship between ghost numbers and Auslander-Reiten triangles, with many results stated for a general projective class in a general triangulated category. We then compute ghost numbers and bounds on ghost numbers for many families of $p$-groups, including abelian $p$-groups, the quaternion group and dihedral $2$-groups, and also give a general lower bound in terms of the radical length, the first general lower bound that we are aware of. We conclude with a classification of group algebras of $p$-groups with small ghost number and examples of gaps in the possible ghost numbers of such group algebras.

math.RT↗
arXiv2013

Quillen model structures for relative homological algebra

An important example of a model category is the category of unbounded chain complexes of R-modules, which has as its homotopy category the derived category of the ring R. This example shows that traditional homological algebra is encompassed by Quillen's homotopical algebra. The goal of this paper is to show that more general forms of homological algebra also fit into Quillen's framework. Specifically, a projective class on a complete and cocomplete abelian category A is exactly the information needed to do homological algebra in A. The main result is that, under weak hypotheses, the category of chain complexes of objects of A has a model category structure that reflects the homological algebra of the projective class in the sense that it encodes the Ext groups and more general derived functors. Examples include the "pure derived category" of a ring R, and derived categories capturing relative situations, including the projective class for Hochschild homology and cohomology. We characterize the model structures that are cofibrantly generated, and show that this fails for many interesting examples. Finally, we explain how the category of simplicial objects in a possibly non-abelian category can be equipped with a model category structure reflecting a given projective class, and give examples that include equivariant homotopy theory and bounded below derived categories.

math.KT↗
arXiv2013

Ideals in Triangulated Categories: Phantoms, Ghosts and Skeleta

We begin by showing that in a triangulated category, specifying a projective class is equivalent to specifying an ideal I of morphisms with certain properties, and that if I has these properties, then so does each of its powers. We show how a projective class leads to an Adams spectral sequence and give some results on the convergence and collapsing of this spectral sequence. We use this to study various ideals. In the stable homotopy category we examine phantom maps, skeletal phantom maps, superphantom maps, and ghosts. (A ghost is a map which induces the zero map of homotopy groups.) We show that ghosts lead to a stable analogue of the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category of a space, and we calculate this stable analogue for low-dimensional real projective spaces. We also give a relation between ghosts and the Hopf and Kervaire invariant problems. In the case of A-infinity modules over an A-infinity ring spectrum, the ghost spectral sequence is a universal coefficient spectral sequence. From the phantom projective class we derive a generalized Milnor sequence for filtered diagrams of finite spectra, and from this it follows that the group of phantom maps from X to Y can always be described as a lim^1 group. The last two sections focus on algebraic examples. In the derived category of an abelian category we study the ideal of maps inducing the zero map of homology groups and find a natural setting for a result of Kelly on the vanishing of composites of such maps. We also explain how pure exact sequences relate to phantom maps in the derived category of a ring and give an example showing that phantoms can compose non-trivially.

math.AT↗
arXiv2011

Ghosts in modular representation theory

A ghost over a finite p-group G is a map between modular representations of G which is invisible in Tate cohomology. Motivated by the failure of the generating hypothesis---the statement that ghosts between finite-dimensional G-representations factor through a projective---we define the ghost number of kG to be the smallest integer l such that the composition of any l ghosts between finite-dimensional G-representations factors through a projective. In this paper we study ghosts and the ghost numbers of p-groups. We begin by showing that a weaker version of the generating hypothesis, where the target of the ghost is fixed to be the trivial representation k, holds for all p-groups. We then compute the ghost numbers of all cyclic p-groups and all abelian 2-groups with C_2 as a summand. We obtain bounds on the ghost numbers for abelian p-groups and for all 2-groups which have a cyclic subgroup of index 2. Using these bounds we determine the finite abelian groups which have ghost number at most 2. Our methods involve techniques from group theory, representation theory, triangulated category theory, and constructions motivated from homotopy theory.

math.RT↗
arXiv2011

Freyd's generating hypothesis for groups with periodic cohomology

Let $G$ be a finite group and let $k$ be a field whose characteristic $p$ divides the order of $G$. Freyd's generating hypothesis for the stable module category of $G$ is the statement that a map between finite-dimensional $kG$-modules in the thick subcategory generated by $k$ factors through a projective if the induced map on Tate cohomology is trivial. We show that if $G$ has periodic cohomology then the generating hypothesis holds if and only if the Sylow $p$-subgroup of $G$ is $C_2$ or $C_3$. We also give some other conditions that are equivalent to the GH for groups with periodic cohomology.

math.RT↗
arXiv2009

Sub-leading asymptotic behaviour of area correlations in the Barrett-Crane model

The Barrett-Crane spin foam model for quantum gravity provides an excellent setting for testing analytical and numerical tools used to probe spinfoam models. Here, we complete the report on the numerical analysis of the single 4-simplex area correlations begun in Phys. Lett. B670 (2009) 403-406, discussing the next-to-leading order corrections ("one-loop" corrections) with particular attention to their measure dependence, and the difference between the Gaussian and Bessel ansatze for the boundary state.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2009

Eigentheory of Cayley-Dickson algebras

We show how eigentheory clarifies many algebraic properties of Cayley-Dickson algebras. These notes are intended as background material for those who are studying this eigentheory more closely.

math.RA↗
arXiv2008

A Dual Non-abelian Yang-Mills Amplitude in Four Dimensions

We derive an explicit formula for the vertex amplitude of dual SU(2) Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions on the lattice, and provide an efficient algorithm (of order j to the fourth power) for its computation. This opens the way for both numerical and analytic development of dual methods, previously limited to the case of three dimensions.

hep-lat↗
arXiv2007

Numerical evidence of regularized correlations in spin foam gravity

We report on the numerical analysis of the area correlations in spin foam gravity on a single 4-simplex considered by Rovelli in PRL 97 (2006) 151301. We compare the asymptotics and confirm the inverse squared distance leading behaviour at large scales. This supports the recent advances on testing the semiclassical limit of the theory. Furthermore, we show that the microscopic discreteness of the theory dynamically suppresses and regularizes the correlations at the Planck scale.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2007

Dual Computations of Non-abelian Yang-Mills on the Lattice

In the past several decades there have been a number of proposals for computing with dual forms of non-abelian Yang-Mills theories on the lattice. Motivated by the gauge-invariant, geometric picture offered by dual models and successful applications of duality in the U(1) case, we revisit the question of whether it is practical to perform numerical computation using non-abelian dual models. Specifically, we consider three-dimensional SU(2) pure Yang-Mills as an accessible yet non-trivial case in which the gauge group is non-abelian. Using methods developed recently in the context of spin foam quantum gravity, we derive an algorithm for efficiently computing the dual amplitude and describe Metropolis moves for sampling the dual ensemble. We relate our algorithms to prior work in non-abelian dual computations of Hari Dass and his collaborators, addressing several problems that have been left open. We report results of spin expectation value computations over a range of lattice sizes and couplings that are in agreement with our conventional lattice computations. We conclude with an outlook on further development of dual methods and their application to problems of current interest.

hep-lat↗
arXiv2007

q-Deformed spin foam models of quantum gravity

We numerically study Barrett-Crane models of Riemannian quantum gravity. We have extended the existing numerical techniques to handle q-deformed models and arbitrary space-time triangulations. We present and interpret expectation values of a few selected observables for each model, including a spin-spin correlation function which gives insight into the behaviour of the models. We find the surprising result that, as the deformation parameter q goes to 1 through roots of unity, the limit is discontinuous.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2007

The generating hypothesis for the stable module category of a $p$-group

Freyd's generating hypothesis, interpreted in the stable module category of a finite p-group G, is the statement that a map between finite-dimensional kG-modules factors through a projective if the induced map on Tate cohomology is trivial. We show that Freyd's generating hypothesis holds for a non-trivial finite p-group G if and only if G is either C_2 or C_3. We also give various conditions which are equivalent to the generating hypothesis.

math.RT↗
arXiv2007

Groups which do not admit ghosts

A ghost in the stable module category of a group G is a map between representations of G that is invisible to Tate cohomology. We show that the only non-trivial finite p-groups whose stable module categories have no non-trivial ghosts are the cyclic groups of order 2 and 3. We compare this to the situation in the derived category of a commutative ring. We also determine for which groups G the second power of the Jacobson radical of kG is stably isomorphic to a suspension of k.

math.RT↗
arXiv2006

Finiteness of Lorentzian 10j symbols and partition functions

We give a short and simple proof that the Lorentzian 10j symbol, which forms a key part of the Barrett-Crane model of Lorentzian quantum gravity, is finite. The argument is very general, and applies to other integrals. For example, we show that the Lorentzian and Riemannian causal 10j symbols are finite, despite their singularities. Moreover, we show that integrals that arise in Cherrington's work are finite. Cherrington has shown that this implies that the Lorentzian partition function for a single triangulation is finite, even for degenerate triangulations. Finally, we also show how to use these methods to prove finiteness of integrals based on other graphs and other homogeneous domains.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2005

Causal sites as quantum geometry

We propose a structure called a causal site to use as a setting for quantum geometry, replacing the underlying point set. The structure has an interesting categorical form, and a natural "tangent 2-bundle," analogous to the tangent bundle of a smooth manifold. Examples with reasonable finiteness conditions have an intrinsic geometry, which can approximate classical solutions to general relativity. We propose an approach to quantization of causal sites as well.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2005

Positivity in Lorentzian Barrett-Crane Models of Quantum Gravity

The Barrett-Crane models of Lorentzian quantum gravity are a family of spin foam models based on the Lorentz group. We show that for various choices of edge and face amplitudes, including the Perez-Rovelli normalization, the amplitude for every triangulated closed 4-manifold is a non-negative real number. Roughly speaking, this means that if one sums over triangulations, there is no interference between the different triangulations. We prove non-negativity by transforming the model into a ``dual variables'' formulation in which the amplitude for a given triangulation is expressed as an integral over three copies of hyperbolic space for each tetrahedron. Then we prove that, expressed in this way, the integrand is non-negative. In addition to implying that the amplitude is non-negative, the non-negativity of the integrand is highly significant from the point of view of numerical computations, as it allows statistical methods such as the Metropolis algorithm to be used for efficient computation of expectation values of observables.

gr-qc↗