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Terence Tao

Publications and source records attributed to Terence Tao.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
arXiv2010

A finitary version of Gromov's polynomial growth theorem

We show that for some absolute (explicit) constant $C$, the following holds for every finitely generated group $G$, and all $d >0$: If there is some $ R_0 > \exp(\exp(Cd^C))$ for which the number of elements in a ball of radius $R_0$ in a Cayley graph of $G$ is bounded by $R_0^d$, then $G$ has a finite index subgroup which is nilpotent (of step $<C^d$). An effective bound on the finite index is provided if "nilpotent" is replaced by 'polycyclic", thus yielding a non-trivial result for finite groups as well.

math.GR↗
arXiv2010

Scale-oblivious metric fragmentation and the nonlinear Dvoretzky theorem

We introduce a randomized iterative fragmentation procedure for finite metric spaces, which is guaranteed to result in a polynomially large subset that is $D$-equivalent to an ultrametric, where $D\in (2,\infty)$ is a prescribed target distortion. Since this procedure works for $D$ arbitrarily close to the nonlinear Dvoretzky phase transition at distortion 2, we thus obtain a much simpler probabilistic proof of the main result of Bartel, Linial, Mendel, and Naor, answering a question from Mendel and Naor, and yielding the best known bounds in the nonlinear Dvoretzky theorem. Our method utilizes a sequence of random scales at which a given metric space is fragmented. As in many previous randomized arguments in embedding theory, these scales are chosen irrespective of the geometry of the metric space in question. We show that our bounds are sharp if one utilizes such a "scale-oblivious" fragmentation procedure.

math.MG↗
arXiv2010

Restriction and Kakeya phenomena for finite fields

The restriction and Kakeya problems in Euclidean space have received much attention in the last few decades, and are related to many problems in harmonic analysis, PDE, and number theory. In this paper we initiate the study of these problems on finite fields. The restriction problem then becomes a question about general bounds for certain types of exponential sums, while the Kakeya problem has an algebraic geometry flavor, asking for the extent to which lines in different directions can overlap. In many cases the Euclidean arguments carry over easily to the finite setting (and are in fact somewhat cleaner), but there are some new phenomena in the finite case which deserve closer study.

math.CA↗
arXiv2010

Linear Approximate Groups

This is an informal announcement of results to be described and proved in detail in a paper to appear. We give various results on the structure of approximate subgroups in linear groups such as $\SL_n(k)$. For example, generalising a result of Helfgott (who handled the cases $n = 2$ and 3), we show that any approximate subgroup of $\SL_n(\F_q)$ which generates the group must be either very small or else nearly all of $\SL_n(\F_q)$. The argument is valid for all Chevalley groups $G(\F_q)$.

math.GR↗
arXiv2010

Freiman's theorem for solvable groups

Freiman's theorem asserts, roughly speaking, if that a finite set in a torsion-free abelian group has small doubling, then it can be efficiently contained in (or controlled by) a generalised arithmetic progression. This was generalised by Green and Ruzsa to arbitrary abelian groups, where the controlling object is now a coset progression. We extend these results further to solvable groups of bounded derived length, in which the coset progressions are replaced by the more complicated notion of a "coset nilprogression". As one consequence of this result, any subset of such a solvable group of small doubling is is controlled by a set whose iterated products grow polynomially, and which are contained inside a virtually nilpotent group. As another application we establish a strengthening of the Milnor-Wolf theorem that all solvable groups of polynomial growth are virtually nilpotent, in which only one large ball needs to be of polynomial size. This result complements recent work of Breulliard-Green, Fisher-Katz-Peng, and Sanders.

math.CO↗
arXiv2010

Random matrices: Universality of local eigenvalue statistics up to the edge

This is a continuation of our earlier paper on the universality of the eigenvalues of Wigner random matrices. The main new results of this paper are an extension of the results in that paper from the bulk of the spectrum up to the edge. In particular, we prove a variant of the universality results of Soshnikov for the largest eigenvalues, assuming moment conditions rather than symmetry conditions. The main new technical observation is that there is a significant bias in the Cauchy interlacing law near the edge of the spectrum which allows one to continue ensuring the delocalization of eigenvectors.

math.PR↗
arXiv2009

Random Martingales and localization of maximal inequalities

Let $(X,d,μ)$ be a metric measure space. For $\emptyset\neq R\subseteq (0,\infty)$ consider the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator $$ M_R f(x) \stackrel{\mathrm{def}}{=} \sup_{r \in R} \frac{1}{μ(B(x,r))} \int_{B(x,r)} |f| dμ.$$ We show that if there is an $n>1$ such that one has the "microdoubling condition" $ μ(B(x,(1+\frac{1}{n})r))\lesssim μ(B(x,r)) $ for all $x\in X$ and $r>0$, then the weak $(1,1)$ norm of $M_R$ has the following localization property: $$ \|M_R\|_{L_1(X) \to L_{1,\infty}(X)}\asymp \sup_{r>0} \|M_{R\cap [r,nr]}\|_{L_1(X) \to L_{1,\infty}(X)}. $$ An immediate consequence is that if $(X,d,μ)$ is Ahlfors-David $n$-regular then the weak $(1,1)$ norm of $M_R$ is $\lesssim n\log n$, generalizing a result of Stein and Strömberg. We show that this bound is sharp, by constructing a metric measure space $(X,d,μ)$ that is Ahlfors-David $n$-regular, for which the weak $(1,1)$ norm of $M_{(0,\infty)}$ is $\gtrsim n\log n$. The localization property of $M_R$ is proved by assigning to each $f\in L_1(X)$ a distribution over {\em random} martingales for which the associated (random) Doob maximal inequality controls the weak $(1,1)$ inequality for $M_R$.

math.CA↗
arXiv2009

Local well-posedness of the Yang-Mills equation in the Temporal Gauge below the energy norm

We show that the Yang-Mills equation in three dimensions is locally well-posed in the Temporal gauge for initial data in H^s x H^{s-1} for s > 3/4, if the norm of the initial data is sufficiently small. The main new ingredients are a splitting of the connection into curl-free and div-free components, and some product estimates which interact solutions of wave equations Box u = F with solutions of time integration equations partial_t u = F.

math.AP↗
arXiv2009

The inverse conjecture for the Gowers norm over finite fields via the correspondence principle

The inverse conjecture for the Gowers norms $U^d(V)$ for finite-dimensional vector spaces $V$ over a finite field $\F$ asserts, roughly speaking, that a bounded function $f$ has large Gowers norm $\|f\|_{U^d(V)}$ if and only if it correlates with a phase polynomial $ϕ= e_\F(P)$ of degree at most $d-1$, thus $P: V \to \F$ is a polynomial of degree at most $d-1$. In this paper, we develop a variant of the Furstenberg correspondence principle which allows us to establish this conjecture in the large characteristic case $\charac(F) \geq d$ from an ergodic theory counterpart, which was recently established by Bergelson and the authors. In low characteristic we obtain a partial result, in which the phase polynomial $ϕ$ is allowed to be of some larger degree $C(d)$. The full inverse conjecture remains open in low characteristic; the counterexamples by Lovett-Meshulam-Samorodnitsky or Green-Tao in this setting can be avoided by a slight reformulation of the conjecture.

math.CO↗
arXiv2009

A sharp inverse Littlewood-Offord theorem

Let $η_i, i=1,..., n$ be iid Bernoulli random variables. Given a multiset $\bv$ of $n$ numbers $v_1, ..., v_n$, the \emph{concentration probability} $¶_1(\bv)$ of $\bv$ is defined as $¶_1(\bv) := \sup_{x} ¶(v_1 η_1+ ... v_n η_n=x)$. A classical result of Littlewood-Offord and Erd\H os from the 1940s asserts that if the $v_i $ are non-zero, then this probability is at most $O(n^{-1/2})$. Since then, many researchers obtained better bounds by assuming various restrictions on $\bv$. In this paper, we give an asymptotically optimal characterization for all multisets $\bv$ having large concentration probability. This allow us to strengthen or recover several previous results in a straightforward manner.

math.CO↗
arXiv2009

A remark on partial sums involving the Mobius function

Let $<¶> \subset \N$ be a multiplicative subsemigroup of the natural numbers $\N = \{1,2,3,...\}$ generated by an arbitrary set $¶$ of primes (finite or infinite). We given an elementary proof that the partial sums $\sum_{n \in < ¶>: n \leq x} \frac{μ(n)}{n}$ are bounded in magnitude by 1. With the aid of the prime number theorem, we also show that these sums converge to $\prod_{p \in ¶} (1 - \frac{1}{p})$ (the case when $¶$ is all the primes is a well-known observation of Landau). Interestingly, this convergence holds even in the presence of non-trivial zeroes and poles of the associated zeta function $ζ_¶(s) := \prod_{p \in ¶} (1-\frac{1}{p^s})^{-1}$ on the line $\{\Re(s)=1\}$. As equivalent forms of the first inequality, we have $|\sum_{n \leq x: (n,P)=1} \frac{μ(n)}{n}| \leq 1$, $|\sum_{n|N: n \leq x} \frac{μ(n)}{n}| \leq 1$, and $|\sum_{n \leq x} \frac{μ(mn)}{n}| \leq 1$ for all $m,x,N,P \geq 1$.

math.NT↗
arXiv2009

Coherence measures for heralded single-photon sources

Single-photon sources (SPSs) are mainly characterized by the minimum value of their second-order coherence function, viz. their $g^{(2)}$ function. A precise measurement of $g^{(2)}$ may, however, require high time-resolution devices, in whose absence, only time-averaged measurements are accessible. These time-averaged measures, standing alone, do not carry sufficient information for proper characterization of SPSs. Here, we develop a theory, corroborated by an experiment, that allows us to scrutinize the coherence properties of heralded SPSs that rely on continuous-wave parametric down-conversion. Our proposed measures and analysis enable proper standardization of such SPSs.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2009

Global regularity of wave maps III. Large energy from $\R^{1+2}$ to hyperbolic spaces

We show that wave maps $ϕ$ from two-dimensional Minkowski space $\R^{1+2}$ to hyperbolic spaces $\H^m$ are globally smooth in time if the initial data is smooth, conditionally on some reasonable claims concerning the local theory of such wave maps, as well as the self-similar and travelling (or stationary solutions); we will address these claims in the sequels \cite{tao:heatwave2}, \cite{tao:heatwave3}, \cite{tao:heatwave4} to this paper. Following recent work in critical dispersive equations, the strategy is to reduce matters to the study of an \emph{almost periodic} maximal Cauchy development in the energy class. We then repeatedly analyse the stress-energy tensor of this development (as in \cite{tao:forges}) to extract either a self-similar, travelling, or degenerate non-trivial energy class solution to the wave maps equation. We will then rule out such solutions in the sequels to this paper, establishing the desired global regularity result for wave maps.

math.AP↗
arXiv2009

Global regularity of wave maps VII. Control of delocalised or dispersed solutions

This is the final paper in the series \cite{tao:heatwave}, \cite{tao:heatwave2}, \cite{tao:heatwave3}, \cite{tao:heatwave4} that establishes global regularity for two-dimensional wave maps into hyperbolic targets. In this paper we establish the remaining claims required for this statement, namely a divisible perturbation theory, and a means of synthesising solutions for frequency-delocalised, spatially-dispersed, or spatially-delocalised data out of solutions of strictly smaller energy. As a consequence of the perturbation theory here and the results obtained earlier in the series, we also establish spacetime bounds and scattering properties of wave maps into hyperbolic space.

math.AP↗
arXiv2009

Global regularity of wave maps IV. Absence of stationary or self-similar solutions in the energy class

Using the harmonic map heat flow, we construct an energy class for wave maps $ϕ$ from two-dimensional Minkowski space $\R^{1+2}$ to hyperbolic spaces $\H^m$, and then show (conditionally on a large data well-posedness claim for such wave maps) that no stationary, travelling, self-similar, or degenerate wave maps exist in this energy class. These results form three of the five claims required in our earlier paper (arXiv:0805.4666) to prove global regularity for such wave maps. (The conditional claim of large data well-posedness is one of the remaining claims required in that paper.)

math.AP↗
arXiv2009

Global regularity of wave maps VI. Abstract theory of minimal-energy blowup solutions

In the previous papers in this series, the global regularity conjecture for wave maps from two-dimensional Minkowski space $\R^{1+2}$ to hyperbolic space $\H^m$ was reduced to the problem of constructing a minimal-energy blowup solution which is almost periodic modulo symmetries in the event that the conjecture fails. In this paper, we show that this problem can be reduced further, to that of showing that solutions at the critical energy which are either frequency-delocalised, spatially-dispersed, or spatially-delocalised have bounded ``entropy''. These latter facts will be demonstrated in the final paper in this series.

math.AP↗
arXiv2009

Local and global well-posedness of wave maps on $\R^{1+1}$ for rough data

We prove local and global existence from large, rough initial data for a wave map between 1+1 dimensional Minkowski space and an analytic manifold. Included here is global existence for large data in the scale-invariant norm $\dot L^{1,1}$, and in the Sobolev spaces $H^s$ for $s > 3/4$. This builds on previous work in 1+1 dimensions of Pohlmeyer, Gu, Ginibre-Velo and Shatah.

math.AP↗