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1. Discrepancy in modular arithmetic progressions

   https://doi.org/10.1112/s0010437x22007758  

   Fox, Jacob; Xu, Max Wenqiang; Zhou, Yunkun (November 2022, Compositio Mathematica)

   Celebrated theorems of Roth and of Matoušek and Spencer together show that the discrepancy of arithmetic progressions in the first $$n$$ positive integers is $$\Theta (n^{1/4})$$ . We study the analogous problem in the $$\mathbb {Z}_n$$ setting. We asymptotically determine the logarithm of the discrepancy of arithmetic progressions in $$\mathbb {Z}_n$$ for all positive integer $$n$$ . We further determine up to a constant factor the discrepancy of arithmetic progressions in $$\mathbb {Z}_n$$ for many $$n$$ . For example, if $n=p^k$ is a prime power, then the discrepancy of arithmetic progressions in $$\mathbb {Z}_n$$ is $$\Theta (n^{1/3+r_k/(6k)})$$ , where $$r_k \in \{0,1,2\}$$ is the remainder when $$k$$ is divided by $$3$$ . This solves a problem of Hebbinghaus and Srivastav. 

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2. Brauer groups and Galois cohomology of commutative ring spectra

   https://doi.org/10.1112/S0010437X21007065  

   Gepner, David; Lawson, Tyler (June 2021, Compositio Mathematica)

   null (Ed.)

   In this paper we develop methods for classifying Baker, Richter, and Szymik's Azumaya algebras over a commutative ring spectrum, especially in the largely inaccessible case where the ring is nonconnective. We give obstruction-theoretic tools, constructing and classifying these algebras and their automorphisms with Goerss–Hopkins obstruction theory, and give descent-theoretic tools, applying Lurie's work on $$\infty$$ -categories to show that a finite Galois extension of rings in the sense of Rognes becomes a homotopy fixed-point equivalence on Brauer spaces. For even-periodic ring spectra $$E$$ , we find that the ‘algebraic’ Azumaya algebras whose coefficient ring is projective are governed by the Brauer–Wall group of $$\pi _0(E)$$ , recovering a result of Baker, Richter, and Szymik. This allows us to calculate many examples. For example, we find that the algebraic Azumaya algebras over Lubin–Tate spectra have either four or two Morita equivalence classes, depending on whether the prime is odd or even, that all algebraic Azumaya algebras over the complex K-theory spectrum $KU$ are Morita trivial, and that the group of the Morita classes of algebraic Azumaya algebras over the localization $KU[1/2]$ is $$\mathbb {Z}/8\times \mathbb {Z}/2$$ . Using our descent results and an obstruction theory spectral sequence, we also study Azumaya algebras over the real K-theory spectrum $KO$ which become Morita-trivial $KU$ -algebras. We show that there exist exactly two Morita equivalence classes of these. The nontrivial Morita equivalence class is realized by an ‘exotic’ $KO$ -algebra with the same coefficient ring as $$\mathrm {End}_{KO}(KU)$$ . This requires a careful analysis of what happens in the homotopy fixed-point spectral sequence for the Picard space of $KU$ , previously studied by Mathew and Stojanoska. 

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3. The cohomology of Torelli groups is algebraic

   https://doi.org/10.1017/fms.2020.41  

   Kupers, Alexander; Randal-Williams, Oscar (January 2020, Forum of Mathematics, Sigma)

   Abstract The Torelli group of $$W_g = \#^g S^n \times S^n$$ is the group of diffeomorphisms of $$W_g$$ fixing a disc that act trivially on $$H_n(W_g;\mathbb{Z} )$$ . The rational cohomology groups of the Torelli group are representations of an arithmetic subgroup of $$\text{Sp}_{2g}(\mathbb{Z} )$$ or $$\text{O}_{g,g}(\mathbb{Z} )$$ . In this article we prove that for $$2n \geq 6$$ and $$g \geq 2$$ , they are in fact algebraic representations. Combined with previous work, this determines the rational cohomology of the Torelli group in a stable range. We further prove that the classifying space of the Torelli group is nilpotent. 

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4. The Apollonian Staircase

   https://doi.org/10.1093/imrn/rnad007  

   Rickards, James (March 2023, International Mathematics Research Notices)

   Abstract A circle of curvature $$n\in \mathbb{Z}^+$$ is a part of finitely many primitive integral Apollonian circle packings. Each such packing has a circle of minimal curvature $$-c\leq 0$$, and we study the distribution of $c/n$ across all primitive integral packings containing a circle of curvature $$n$$. As $$n\rightarrow \infty $$, the distribution is shown to tend towards a picture we name the Apollonian staircase. A consequence of the staircase is that if we choose a random circle packing containing a circle $$C$$ of curvature $$n$$, then the probability that $$C$$ is tangent to the outermost circle tends towards $$3/\pi $$. These results are found by using positive semidefinite quadratic forms to make $$\mathbb{P}^1(\mathbb{C})$$ a parameter space for (not necessarily integral) circle packings. Finally, we examine an aspect of the integral theory known as spikes. When $$n$$ is prime, the distribution of $c/n$ is extremely smooth, whereas when $$n$$ is composite, there are certain spikes that correspond to prime divisors of $$n$$ that are at most $$\sqrt{n}$$. 

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5. Generalized $$\mathbb Z$$-homotopy fixed points of $$C_n$$ spectra with applications to norms of $$MU_{\mathbb R}$$

   Hill, Michael A; Zeng, Mingcong (January 2020, New York journal of mathematics)

   null (Ed.)

   We introduce a computationally tractable way to describe the $$\mathbb Z$$-homotopy fixed points of a $$C_{n}$$-spectrum $$E$$, producing a genuine $$C_{n}$$ spectrum $$E^{hn\mathbb Z}$$ whose fixed and homotopy fixed points agree and are the $$\mathbb Z$$-homotopy fixed points of $$E$$. These form the bottom piece of a contravariant functor from the divisor poset of $$n$$ to genuine $$C_{n}$$-spectra, and when $$E$$ is an $$N_{\infty}$$-ring spectrum, this functor lifts to a functor of $$N_{\infty}$$-ring spectra. For spectra like the Real Johnson--Wilson theories or the norms of Real bordism, the slice spectral sequence provides a way to easily compute the $RO(G)$-graded homotopy groups of the spectrum $$E^{hn\mathbb Z}$$, giving the homotopy groups of the $$\mathbb Z$$-homotopy fixed points. For the more general spectra in the contravariant functor, the slice spectral sequences interpolate between the one for the norm of Real bordism and the especially simple $$\mathbb Z$$-homotopy fixed point case, giving us a family of new tools to simplify slice computations. 

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