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1. Linking Numbers in Three-Manifolds

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00454-021-00287-3  

   Cahn, Patricia; Kjuchukova, Alexandra (July 2021, Discrete & Computational Geometry)

   Abstract LetMbe a connected, closed, oriented three-manifold andK, Ltwo rationally null-homologous oriented simple closed curves in M. We give an explicit algorithm for computing the linking number betweenKandLin terms of a presentation of Mas an irregular dihedral three-fold cover of $$S^3$$ $S^3$branched along a knot$$\alpha \subset S^3$$ $\alpha \subset S^3$. Since every closed, oriented three-manifold admits such a presentation, our results apply to all (well-defined) linking numbers in all three-manifolds. Furthermore, ribbon obstructions for a knot $$\alpha $$ $\alpha$can be derived from dihedral covers of $$\alpha $$ $\alpha$. The linking numbers we compute are necessary for evaluating one such obstruction. This work is a step toward testing potential counter-examples to the Slice-Ribbon Conjecture, among other applications. 

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2. Torsion phenomena for zero-cycles on a product of curves over a number field

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s40993-024-00519-4  

   Gazaki, Evangelia; Love, Jonathan (March 2024, Research in Number Theory)

   Abstract For a smooth projective varietyXover an algebraic number fieldka conjecture of Bloch and Beilinson predicts that the kernel of the Albanese map ofXis a torsion group. In this article we consider a product$$X=C_1\times \cdots \times C_d$$ $X=C_1\times \cdots \times C_d$of smooth projective curves and show that if the conjecture is true for any subproduct of two curves, then it is true forX. For a product$$X=C_1\times C_2$$ $X=C_1\times C_2$of two curves over$$\mathbb {Q} $$ $Q$with positive genus we construct many nontrivial examples that satisfy the weaker property that the image of the natural map$$J_1(\mathbb {Q})\otimes J_2(\mathbb {Q})\xrightarrow {\varepsilon }{{\,\textrm{CH}\,}}_0(C_1\times C_2)$$ $J_1\left(Q\right)\otimes J_2\left(Q\right)\stackrel{\epsilon }{\to }{\text{CH}}_0(C_1\times C_2)$is finite, where$$J_i$$ $J_i$is the Jacobian variety of$$C_i$$ $C_i$. Our constructions include many new examples of non-isogenous pairs of elliptic curves$$E_1, E_2$$ $E_1,E_2$with positive rank, including the first known examples of rank greater than 1. Combining these constructions with our previous result, we obtain infinitely many nontrivial products$$X=C_1\times \cdots \times C_d$$ $X=C_1\times \cdots \times C_d$for which the analogous map$$\varepsilon $$ $\epsilon$has finite image. 

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3. On an Equivalence of Divisors on $$\overline {\text {M}}_{0,n}$$ from Gromov-Witten Theory and Conformal Blocks

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00031-022-09752-6  

   Chen, L.; Gibney, A.; Heller, L.; Kalashnikov, E.; Larson, H.; Xu, W. (August 2022, Transformation Groups)

   Abstract We consider a conjecture that identifies two types of base point free divisors on$$\overline {\text {M}}_{0,n}$$ ${\overline{M}}_{0,n}$. The first arises from Gromov-Witten theory of a Grassmannian. The second comes from first Chern classes of vector bundles associated with simple Lie algebras in type A. Here we reduce this conjecture on$$\overline {\text {M}}_{0,n}$$ ${\overline{M}}_{0,n}$to the same statement forn= 4. A reinterpretation leads to a proof of the conjecture on$$\overline {\text {M}}_{0,n}$$ ${\overline{M}}_{0,n}$for a large class, and we give sufficient conditions for the non-vanishing of these divisors. 

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4. Polynomial Bounds for Chromatic Number. IV: A Near-polynomial Bound for Excluding the Five-vertex Path

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00493-023-00015-w  

   Scott, Alex; Seymour, Paul; Spirkl, Sophie (October 2023, Combinatorica)

   Abstract A graphGisH-freeif it has no induced subgraph isomorphic toH. We prove that a$$P_5$$ $P_5$-free graph with clique number$$\omega \ge 3$$ $\omega \ge 3$has chromatic number at most$$\omega ^{\log _2(\omega )}$$ ${\omega }^{{log}_2\left(\omega \right)}$. The best previous result was an exponential upper bound$$(5/27)3^{\omega }$$ $(5/27)3^{\omega }$, due to Esperet, Lemoine, Maffray, and Morel. A polynomial bound would imply that the celebrated Erdős-Hajnal conjecture holds for$$P_5$$ $P_5$, which is the smallest open case. Thus, there is great interest in whether there is a polynomial bound for$$P_5$$ $P_5$-free graphs, and our result is an attempt to approach that. 

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5. On a Traveling Salesman Problem for Points in the Unit Cube

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00453-024-01257-w  

   Balogh, József; Clemen, Felix Christian; Dumitrescu, Adrian (September 2024, Algorithmica)

   Abstract LetXbe ann-element point set in thek-dimensional unit cube$$[0,1]^k$$ ${[0,1]}^k$where$$k \ge 2$$ $k\ge 2$. According to an old result of Bollobás and Meir (Oper Res Lett 11:19–21, 1992) , there exists a cycle (tour)$$x_1, x_2, \ldots , x_n$$ $x_1,x_2,\dots ,x_n$through thenpoints, such that$$\left( \sum _{i=1}^n |x_i - x_{i+1}|^k \right) ^{1/k} \le c_k$$ ${\left({\sum }_{i=1}^n,{|x_i-x_{i+1}|}^k\right)}^{1/k}\le c_k$, where$$|x-y|$$ $|x-y|$is the Euclidean distance betweenxandy, and$$c_k$$ $c_k$is an absolute constant that depends only onk, where$$x_{n+1} \equiv x_1$$ $x_{n+1}\equiv x_1$. From the other direction, for every$$k \ge 2$$ $k\ge 2$and$$n \ge 2$$ $n\ge 2$, there existnpoints in$$[0,1]^k$$ ${[0,1]}^k$, such that their shortest tour satisfies$$\left( \sum _{i=1}^n |x_i - x_{i+1}|^k \right) ^{1/k} = 2^{1/k} \cdot \sqrt{k}$$ ${\left({\sum }_{i=1}^n,{|x_i-x_{i+1}|}^k\right)}^{1/k}=2^{1/k}·\sqrt{k}$. For the plane, the best constant is$$c_2=2$$ $c_2=2$and this is the only exact value known. Bollobás and Meir showed that one can take$$c_k = 9 \left( \frac{2}{3} \right) ^{1/k} \cdot \sqrt{k}$$ $c_k=9{\left(\frac{2}{3}\right)}^{1/k}·\sqrt{k}$for every$$k \ge 3$$ $k\ge 3$and conjectured that the best constant is$$c_k = 2^{1/k} \cdot \sqrt{k}$$ $c_k=2^{1/k}·\sqrt{k}$, for every$$k \ge 2$$ $k\ge 2$. Here we significantly improve the upper bound and show that one can take$$c_k = 3 \sqrt{5} \left( \frac{2}{3} \right) ^{1/k} \cdot \sqrt{k}$$ $c_k=3\sqrt{5}{\left(\frac{2}{3}\right)}^{1/k}·\sqrt{k}$or$$c_k = 2.91 \sqrt{k} \ (1+o_k(1))$$ $c_k=2.91\sqrt{k}(1+o_k\left(1\right))$. Our bounds are constructive. We also show that$$c_3 \ge 2^{7/6}$$ $c_3\ge 2^{7/6}$, which disproves the conjecture for$$k=3$$ $k=3$. Connections to matching problems, power assignment problems, related problems, including algorithms, are discussed in this context. A slightly revised version of the Bollobás–Meir conjecture is proposed. 

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