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1. The half-volume spectrum of a manifold

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00526-025-02949-z  

   Mazurowski, Liam; Zhou, Xin (May 2025, Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations)

   Abstract We define the half-volume spectrum$$\{{\tilde{\omega }_p\}_{p\in \mathbb {N}}}$$ $\{{\tilde{\omega }}_p{\}}_{p\in N}$of a closed manifold$$(M^{n+1},g)$$ $(M^{n+1},g)$. This is analogous to the usual volume spectrum ofM, except that we restrict top-sweepouts whose slices each enclose half the volume ofM. We prove that the Weyl law continues to hold for the half-volume spectrum. We define an analogous half-volume spectrum$$\tilde{c}(p)$$ $\tilde{c}\left(p\right)$in the phase transition setting. Moreover, for$$3 \le n+1 \le 7$$ $3\le n+1\le 7$, we use the Allen–Cahn min-max theory to show that each$$\tilde{c}(p)$$ $\tilde{c}\left(p\right)$is achieved by a constant mean curvature surface enclosing half the volume ofMplus a (possibly empty) collection of minimal surfaces with even multiplicities. 

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2. Transversality of holomorphic maps into hyperquadrics

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00208-025-03134-5  

   Huang, Xiaojun; Zhu, Weixia (March 2025, Mathematische Annalen)

   Abstract We study holomorphic mapsFfrom a smooth Levi non-degenerate real hypersurface$$ M_{\ell }\subset {\mathbb {C}}^n $$ $M_{\ell }\subset C^n$into a hyperquadric$$ {\mathbb {H}}_{\ell '}^N $$ $H_{{\ell }^{\prime }}^N$with signatures$$ \ell \le (n-1)/2 $$ $\ell \le (n-1)/2$and$$ \ell '\le (N-1)/2,$$ ${\ell }^{\prime }\le (N-1)/2,$respectively. Assuming that$$ N - n < n - 1,$$ $N-n<n-1,$we prove that if$$ \ell = \ell ',$$ $\ell ={\ell }^{\prime },$thenFis either CR transversal to$$ {\mathbb {H}}_{\ell }^N $$ $H_{\ell }^N$at every point of$$ M_{\ell },$$ $M_{\ell },$or it maps a neighborhood of$$ M_{\ell } $$ $M_{\ell }$in$$ {\mathbb {C}}^n $$ $C^n$into$$ {\mathbb {H}}_{\ell }^N.$$ $H_{\ell }^N.$Furthermore, in the case where$$ \ell ' > \ell ,$$ ${\ell }^{\prime }>\ell ,$we show that ifFis not CR transversal at$$0\in M_\ell ,$$ $0\in M_{\ell },$then it must be transversally flat. The latter is best possible. 

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3. Carleson’s $$\varepsilon ^{2}$$ conjecture in higher dimensions

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00222-025-01337-w  

   Fleschler, Ian; Tolsa, Xavier; Villa, Michele (July 2025, Inventiones mathematicae)

   Abstract In this paper we prove a higher dimensional analogue of Carleson’s$$\varepsilon ^{2}$$ ${\epsilon }^2$conjecture. Given two arbitrary disjoint Borel sets$$\Omega ^{+},\Omega ^{-}\subset \mathbb{R}^{n+1}$$ ${\Omega }^{+},{\Omega }^{-}\subset R^{n+1}$, and$$x\in \mathbb{R}^{n+1}$$ $x\in R^{n+1}$,$$r>0$$ $r>0$, we denote$$ \varepsilon _{n}(x,r) := \frac{1}{r^{n}}\, \inf _{H^{+}} \mathcal{H}^{n} \left ( ((\partial B(x,r)\cap H^{+}) \setminus \Omega ^{+}) \cup (( \partial B(x,r)\cap H^{-}) \setminus \Omega ^{-})\right ), $$ ${\epsilon }_n(x,r):=\frac{1}{r^n}\underset{H^{+}}{inf}{H}^n\left(\right(\left(\partial B\right(x,r)\cap H^{+})\setminus {\Omega }^{+})\cup (\left(\partial B\right(x,r)\cap H^{-})\setminus {\Omega }^{-}\left)\right),$where the infimum is taken over all open affine half-spaces$$H^{+}$$ $H^{+}$such that$$x \in \partial H^{+}$$ $x\in \partial H^{+}$and we define$$H^{-}= \mathbb{R}^{n+1} \setminus \overline{H^{+}}$$ $H^{-}=R^{n+1}\setminus \overline{H^{+}}$. Our first main result asserts that the set of points$$x\in \mathbb{R}^{n+1}$$ $x\in R^{n+1}$where$$ \int _{0}^{1} \varepsilon _{n}(x,r)^{2} \, \frac{dr}{r}< \infty $$ ${\int }_0^1{\epsilon }_n{(x,r)}^2\frac{dr}{r}<\infty$is$$n$$ $n$-rectifiable. For our second main result we assume that$$\Omega ^{+}$$ ${\Omega }^{+}$,$$\Omega ^{-}$$ ${\Omega }^{-}$are open and that$$\Omega ^{+}\cup \Omega ^{-}$$ ${\Omega }^{+}\cup {\Omega }^{-}$satisfies the capacity density condition. For each$$x \in \partial \Omega ^{+} \cup \partial \Omega ^{-}$$ $x\in \partial {\Omega }^{+}\cup \partial {\Omega }^{-}$and$$r>0$$ $r>0$, we denote by$$\alpha ^{\pm }(x,r)$$ ${\alpha }^{\pm }(x,r)$the characteristic constant of the (spherical) open sets$$\Omega ^{\pm }\cap \partial B(x,r)$$ ${\Omega }^{\pm }\cap \partial B(x,r)$. We show that, up to a set of$$\mathcal{H}^{n}$$ $H^n$measure zero,$$x$$ $x$is a tangent point for both$$\partial \Omega ^{+}$$ $\partial {\Omega }^{+}$and$$\partial \Omega ^{-}$$ $\partial {\Omega }^{-}$if and only if$$ \int _{0}^{1} \min (1,\alpha ^{+}(x,r) + \alpha ^{-}(x,r) -2) \frac{dr}{r} < \infty . $$ ${\int }_0^{1}min(1,{\alpha }^{+}(x,r)+{\alpha }^{-}(x,r)-2)\frac{dr}{r}<\infty .$The first result is new even in the plane and the second one improves and extends to higher dimensions the$$\varepsilon ^{2}$$ ${\epsilon }^2$conjecture of Carleson. 

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4. Improved Merlin–Arthur Protocols for Central Problems in Fine-Grained Complexity

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00453-023-01102-6  

   Akmal, Shyan; Chen, Lijie; Jin, Ce; Raj, Malvika; Williams, Ryan (February 2023, Algorithmica)

   Abstract In a Merlin–Arthur proof system, the proof verifier (Arthur) accepts valid proofs (from Merlin) with probability 1, and rejects invalid proofs with probability arbitrarily close to 1. The running time of such a system is defined to be the length of Merlin’s proof plus the running time of Arthur. We provide new Merlin–Arthur proof systems for some key problems in fine-grained complexity. In several cases our proof systems have optimal running time. Our main results include:Certifying that a list ofnintegers has no 3-SUM solution can be done in Merlin–Arthur time$$\tilde{O}(n)$$ $\tilde{O}\left(n\right)$. Previously, Carmosino et al. [ITCS 2016] showed that the problem has a nondeterministic algorithm running in$$\tilde{O}(n^{1.5})$$ $\tilde{O}\left(n^{1.5}\right)$time (that is, there is a proof system with proofs of length$$\tilde{O}(n^{1.5})$$ $\tilde{O}\left(n^{1.5}\right)$and a deterministic verifier running in$$\tilde{O}(n^{1.5})$$ $\tilde{O}\left(n^{1.5}\right)$time).Counting the number ofk-cliques with total edge weight equal to zero in ann-node graph can be done in Merlin–Arthur time$${\tilde{O}}(n^{\lceil k/2\rceil })$$ $\tilde{O}\left(n^{\lceil k/2\rceil }\right)$(where$$k\ge 3$$ $k\ge 3$). For oddk, this bound can be further improved for sparse graphs: for example, counting the number of zero-weight triangles in anm-edge graph can be done in Merlin–Arthur time$${\tilde{O}}(m)$$ $\tilde{O}\left(m\right)$. Previous Merlin–Arthur protocols by Williams [CCC’16] and Björklund and Kaski [PODC’16] could only countk-cliques in unweighted graphs, and had worse running times for smallk.Computing the All-Pairs Shortest Distances matrix for ann-node graph can be done in Merlin–Arthur time$$\tilde{O}(n^2)$$ $\tilde{O}\left(n^2\right)$. Note this is optimal, as the matrix can have$$\Omega (n^2)$$ $\Omega \left(n^2\right)$nonzero entries in general. Previously, Carmosino et al. [ITCS 2016] showed that this problem has an$$\tilde{O}(n^{2.94})$$ $\tilde{O}\left(n^{2.94}\right)$nondeterministic time algorithm.Certifying that ann-variablek-CNF is unsatisfiable can be done in Merlin–Arthur time$$2^{n/2 - n/O(k)}$$ $2^{n/2-n/O\left(k\right)}$. We also observe an algebrization barrier for the previous$$2^{n/2}\cdot \textrm{poly}(n)$$ $2^{n/2}·\text{poly}\left(n\right)$-time Merlin–Arthur protocol of R. Williams [CCC’16] for$$\#$$ $\#$SAT: in particular, his protocol algebrizes, and we observe there is no algebrizing protocol fork-UNSAT running in$$2^{n/2}/n^{\omega (1)}$$ $2^{n/2}/n^{\omega \left(1\right)}$time. Therefore we have to exploit non-algebrizing properties to obtain our new protocol.Certifying a Quantified Boolean Formula is true can be done in Merlin–Arthur time$$2^{4n/5}\cdot \textrm{poly}(n)$$ $2^{4n/5}·\text{poly}\left(n\right)$. Previously, the only nontrivial result known along these lines was an Arthur–Merlin–Arthur protocol (where Merlin’s proof depends on some of Arthur’s coins) running in$$2^{2n/3}\cdot \textrm{poly}(n)$$ $2^{2n/3}·\text{poly}\left(n\right)$time.Due to the centrality of these problems in fine-grained complexity, our results have consequences for many other problems of interest. For example, our work implies that certifying there is no Subset Sum solution tonintegers can be done in Merlin–Arthur time$$2^{n/3}\cdot \textrm{poly}(n)$$ $2^{n/3}·\text{poly}\left(n\right)$, improving on the previous best protocol by Nederlof [IPL 2017] which took$$2^{0.49991n}\cdot \textrm{poly}(n)$$ $2^{0.49991n}·\text{poly}\left(n\right)$time. 

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5. Towards a Schinzel–Wójcik theorem for number fields

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s40879-025-00819-8  

   Pollack, Paul (April 2025, European Journal of Mathematics)

   Abstract Schinzel and Wójcik have shown that for every$$\alpha ,\beta \in \mathbb {Q}^{\times }\hspace{0.55542pt}{\setminus }\hspace{1.111pt}\{\pm 1\}$$ $\alpha ,\beta \in Q^{\times }\backslash \{\pm 1\}$, there are infinitely many primespwhere$$v_p(\alpha )=v_p(\beta )=0$$ $v_p\left(\alpha \right)=v_p\left(\beta \right)=0$and where$$\alpha $$ $\alpha$and$$\beta $$ $\beta$generate the same multiplicative group modp. We prove a weaker result in the same direction for algebraic numbers$$\alpha , \beta $$ $\alpha ,\beta$. Let$$\alpha , \beta \in \overline{\mathbb {Q}} ^{\times }$$ $\alpha ,\beta \in {\overline{Q}}^{\times }$, and suppose$$|N_{\mathbb {Q}(\alpha ,\beta )/\mathbb {Q}}(\alpha )|\ne 1$$ $|N_{Q(\alpha ,\beta )/Q}\left(\alpha \right)|\ne 1$and$$|N_{\mathbb {Q}(\alpha ,\beta )/\mathbb {Q}}(\beta )|\ne 1$$ $|N_{Q(\alpha ,\beta )/Q}\left(\beta \right)|\ne 1$. Then for some positive integer$$C = C(\alpha ,\beta )$$ $C=C(\alpha ,\beta )$, there are infinitely many prime idealsPof Equation missing<#comment/>where$$v_P(\alpha )=v_P(\beta )=0$$ $v_P\left(\alpha \right)=v_P\left(\beta \right)=0$and where the group$$\langle \beta \bmod {P}\rangle $$ $⟨\beta modP⟩$is a subgroup of$$\langle \alpha \bmod {P}\rangle $$ $⟨\alpha modP⟩$with$$[\langle \alpha \bmod {P}\rangle \,{:}\, \langle \beta \bmod {P}\rangle ]$$ $[⟨\alpha modP⟩:⟨\beta modP⟩]$dividingC. A key component of the proof is a theorem of Corvaja and Zannier bounding the greatest common divisor of shiftedS-units. 

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