Seminars and Colloquia by Series

Pebbling graphs of diameter three

Series
Graph Theory Seminar
Time
Thursday, September 18, 2008 - 12:05 for 1.5 hours (actually 80 minutes)
Location
Skiles 255
Speaker
Luke PostleSchool of Mathematics, Georgia Tech
Given a configuration of pebbles on the vertices of a connected graph G, a pebbling move is defined as the removal of two pebbles from some vertex, and the placement of one of these on an adjacent vertex. A graph is called pebbleable if for each vertex v there is a sequence of pebbling moves so that at least one pebble can be placed on vertex v. The pebbling number of a graph G is the smallest integer k such that G is pebbleable given any configuration of k pebbles on G. We improve on the bound of Bukh by showing that the pebbling number of a graph of diameter 3 on n vertices is at most the floor of 3n/2 + 2, and this bound is best possible. We give an alternative proof that the pebbling number of a graph of diameter 2 on n vertices is at most n + 1. This is joint work with Noah Streib and Carl Yerger.

Dynamical networks - interplay of topology, interactions and local dynamics

Series
School of Mathematics Colloquium
Time
Thursday, September 18, 2008 - 11:00 for 1 hour (actually 50 minutes)
Location
Skiles 269
Speaker
Leonid BunimovichSchool of Mathematics, Georgia Tech
It has been found about ten years ago that most of the real networks are not random ones in the Erdos-Renyi sense but have different topology (structure of the graph of interactions between the elements of a network). This finding generated a steady flux of papers analyzing structural aspects of networks.  However, real networks are rather dynamical ones where the elements (cells, genes, agents, etc) are interacting dynamical systems. Recently a general approach to the studies of dynamical networks with arbitrary topology was developed. This approach is based on a symbolic dynamics and is in a sense similar to the one introduced by Sinai and the speaker for Lattice Dynamical Systems, where the graph of interactions is a lattice. The new approach allows to analyse a combined effect of all three features which characterize a dynamical network (topology, dynamics of elements of the network and interactions between these elements) on its evolution. The networks are of the most general type, e.g. the local systems and interactions need not to be homogeneous, nor restrictions are imposed on a structure of the graph of interactions. Sufficient conditions on stability of dynamical networks are obtained. It is demonstrated that some subnetworks can evolve regularly while the others evolve chaotically. This approach is a very natural one and thus gives a hope that in many other problems (some will be discussed) on dynamical networks a progress could be expected.

Challenges in Exact Linear Programming: Exact Precision Linear Algebra

Series
ACO Student Seminar
Time
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 13:30 for 1.5 hours (actually 80 minutes)
Location
ISyE Executive Classroom
Speaker
Dan SteffyISyE, Georgia Tech
A successful approach to solving linear programming problems exactly has been to solve the problems with increasing levels of fixed precision, checking the final basis in exact arithmetic and then doing additional simplex pivots if necessary. This work is a computational study comparing different techniques for the core element of our exact computation: solving sparse rational systems of linear equations exactly.

Space-Time Dynamics

Series
Research Horizons Seminar
Time
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 12:00 for 1 hour (actually 50 minutes)
Location
Skiles 255
Speaker
Leonid BunimovichSchool of Mathematics, Georgia Tech
Dynamics of spatially extended systems is often described by Lattice Dynamical Systems (LDS). LDS were introduced 25 years ago independently by four physicists from four countries. Sometimes LDS themselves are quite relevant models of real phenomena. Besides, very often discretizations of partial differential equations lead to LDS. LDS consist of local dynamical systems sitting in the nodes of a lattice which interact between themselves. Mathematical studies of LDS started in 1988 and introduced a thermodynamic formalism for these spatially extended dynamical systems. They allowed to give exact definitions of such previously vague phenomena as space-time chaos and coherent structures and prove their existence in LDS. The basic notions and results in this area will be discussed.  It is a preparatory talk for the next day colloquium where Dynamical Networks, i.e.  the systems with arbitrary graphs of interactions, will be discussed.

Filling invariants for groups

Series
Geometry Topology Seminar
Time
Monday, September 15, 2008 - 14:00 for 1 hour (actually 50 minutes)
Location
Skiles 269
Speaker
Pallavi DaniEmory University and LSU
The Dehn function of a finitely presented group measures the difficulty in filling loops in the presentation complex of the group. Higher dimensional Dehn functions are a natural generalization: the n-dimensional Dehn function of a group captures the difficulty of filling n-spheres with (n+1)-balls in suitably defined complexes associated with the group. A fundamental question in the area is that of determining which functions arise as Dehn functions. I will give an overview of known results and describe recent progress in the 2-dimensional case. This is joint work with Josh Barnard and Noel Brady.

Recent Developments in Variable Transformations for Numerical Integration

Series
Analysis Seminar
Time
Monday, September 15, 2008 - 14:00 for 1 hour (actually 50 minutes)
Location
Skiles 255
Speaker
Avram SidiTechnion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa
Variable transformations are used to enhance the normally poor performance of trapezoidal rule approximations of finite-range integrals I[f]=\int^1_0f(x)dx. Letting x=\psi(t), where \psi(t) is an increasing function for 0 < t < 1 and \psi(0)=0 and \psi(1)=1, the trapezoidal rule is applied to the transformed integral I[f]=\int^1_0f(\psi(t))\psi'(t)dt. By choosing \psi(t) appropriately, approximations of very high accuracy can be obtained for I[f] via this approach. In this talk, we survey the various transformations that exist in the literature. In view of recent generalizations of the classical Euler-Maclaurin expansion, we show how some of these transformations can be tuned to optimize the numerical results. If time permits, we will also discuss some recent asymptotic expansions for Gauss-Legendre integration rules in the presence of endpoint singularities and show how their performance can be optimized by tuning variable transformations. The variable transformation approach presents a very flexible device that enables one to write his/her own high-accuracy numerical integration code in a simple way without the need to look up tables of abscissas and weights for special Gaussian integration formulas.

Numerical Simulations of Global Approach for Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscopy - Coupling of Finite Element and Boundary Integral Methods

Series
Applied and Computational Mathematics Seminar
Time
Monday, September 15, 2008 - 13:00 for 1 hour (actually 50 minutes)
Location
Skiles 255
Speaker
Peijun LiDepartment of Mathematics, Purdue University
Near-field optics has developed dramatically in recent years due to the possibility of breaking the diffraction limit and obtaining subwavelength resolution. Broadly speaking, near-field optics concerns phenomena involving evanescent electromagnetic waves, to which the super-resolving capability of near-field optics may be attributed. In order to theoretically understand the physical mechanism of this capability, it is desirable to accurately solve the underlying scattering problem in near-field optics. We propose an accurate global model for one of the important experimental modes of near-field optics, photon scanning tunneling microscopy, and develop a coupling of finite element and boundary integral method for its numerical solution. Numerical experiments will be presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and to show the features of wave propagation in photon scanning tunneling microscope.  The proposed model and developed method have no limitations on optical or geometrical parameters of probe and sample, they can be used for realistic simulations of various near-field microscope configurations.

On the upper bound for the Tur\'an density of K^r_{r+1}

Series
Combinatorics Seminar
Time
Friday, September 12, 2008 - 15:00 for 1 hour (actually 50 minutes)
Location
Skiles 255
Speaker
Yi ZhaoGeorgia State University
Let K^r_{r+1} denote the complete r-graph on r+1 vertices. The Turan density of K^r_{r+1} is the largest number t such that there are infinitely many K^r_{r+1}-free r-graphs with edge density t-o(1). Determining t(K^r_{r+1}) for r > 2 is a famous open problem of Turan. The best upper bound for even r, t(K^r_{r+1})\leq 1-1/r, was given by de Caen and Sidorenko. In a joint work with Linyuan Lu, we slightly improve it. For example, we show that t(K^r_{r+1})\leq 1 - 1/r - 1/(2r^3) for r=4 mod 6.  One of our lemmas also leads to an exact result for hypergraphs.  Given r > 2, let p be the smallest prime factor of r-1. Every r-graph on n > r(p-1) vertices such that every r+1 vertices contain 0 or r edges must be empty or a complete star.

Exact asymptotics for the stationary distribution of Markov chains

Series
Stochastics Seminar
Time
Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 15:00 for 1 hour (actually 50 minutes)
Location
Skiles 269
Speaker
Robert FoleyISyE, Georgia Tech
Under certain conditions, we obtain exact asymptotic expressions for the stationary distribution \pi of a Markov chain.  In this talk, we will consider Markov chains on {0,1,...}^2.  We are particularly interested in deriving asymptotic expressions when the fluid limit of the most probable paths from the origin to the rare event are nonlinear.  For example, we will derive asymptotic expressions for a large deviation along the x-axis (e.g., \pi(\ell, y) for fixed y) when the most probable paths to (\ell,y) initially climb the y-axis before turning southwest and drifting towards (\ell,y).

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