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1. Schubert line defects in 3d GLSMs. Part I. Complete flag manifolds and quantum Grothendieck polynomials

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2026)074  

   Closset, Cyril; Gu, Wei; Khlaif, Osama; Sharpe, Eric; Zhang, Hao; Zou, Hao (April 2026, Journal of High Energy Physics)

   A<sc>bstract</sc> We construct new half-BPS line defects in 3d$$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$ $N=2$supersymmetric quiver gauge theories whose Higgs branches are complete flag manifoldsX= Fl(n). Upon circle compactification, the bulk theory flows to a non-linear sigma model (NLSM) with target spaceXand the line defects flow to objects supported on Schubert varietiesX_w⊆X. TheseSchubert line defectsform an important basis of the quantum K-theory ofX. They are realized as$$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$ $N=2$supersymmetric quantum mechanics (SQM) quivers coupled to the 3d gauge theory. We show that the insertion of the Schubert line defect restricts the target space of the 3d gauged linear sigma model (GLSM) to the Schubert varietyX_w, with the 1d degrees of freedom physically realizing a Bott-Samelson resolution ofX_w. Moreover, we verify in examples that the 1d flavored Witten index of the quiver SQM reproduces the (equivariant) Chern character of the structure sheaf$$ {\mathcal{O}}_{X_w} $$ $O_{X_w}$as a (double) quantum Grothendieck polynomial, generalizing previous results forXa Grassmannian manifold. Our construction thus provides a more direct realization of the 3d GLSM/quantum K-theory correspondence for complete flag manifolds. Finally, in the small-circle limit, we obtain a 0d-2d coupled system that realizes the Schubert classes [X_w] in the quantum cohomology ring ofX. 

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2. 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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3. Quantum K theory of Grassmannians, Wilson line operators and Schur bundles

   https://doi.org/10.1017/fms.2025.10088  

   Gu, Wei; Mihalcea, Leonardo; Sharpe, Eric; Zou, Hao (January 2025, Forum of Mathematics, Sigma)

   Abstract We prove a ‘Whitney’ presentation, and a ‘Coulomb branch’ presentation, for the torus equivariant quantum K theory of the Grassmann manifold$$\mathrm {Gr}(k;n)$$, inspired from physics, and stated in an earlier paper. The first presentation is obtained by quantum deforming the product of the Hirzebruch$$\lambda _y$$classes of the tautological bundles. In physics, the$$\lambda _y$$classes arise as certain Wilson line operators. The second presentation is obtained from the Coulomb branch equations involving the partial derivatives of a twisted superpotential from supersymmetric gauge theory. This is closest to a presentation obtained by Gorbounov and Korff, utilizing integrable systems techniques. Algebraically, we relate the Coulomb and Whitney presentations utilizing transition matrices from the (equivariant) Grothendieck polynomials to the (equivariant) complete homogeneous symmetric polynomials. Along the way, we calculate K-theoretic Gromov-Witten invariants of wedge powers of the tautological bundles on$$\mathrm {Gr}(k;n)$$, using the ‘quantum=classical’ statement. 

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4. Planar chemical reaction systems with algebraic and non-algebraic limit cycles

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00285-025-02221-0  

   Craciun, Gheorghe; Erban, Radek (June 2025, Journal of Mathematical Biology)

   Abstract The Hilbert numberH(n) is defined as the maximum number of limit cycles of a planar autonomous system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with right-hand sides containing polynomials of degree at most$$n \in {{\mathbb {N}}}$$ $n\in N$. The dynamics of chemical reaction systems with two chemical species can be (under mass-action kinetics) described by such planar autonomous ODEs, wherenis equal to the maximum order of the chemical reactions in the system. Analogues of the Hilbert number H(n) for three different classes of chemical reaction systems are investigated: (i) chemical systems with reactions up to then-th order; (ii) systems with up ton-molecular chemical reactions; and (iii) weakly reversible chemical reaction networks. In each case (i), (ii) and (iii), the question on the number of limit cycles is considered. Lower bounds on the modified Hilbert numbers are provided for both algebraic and non-algebraic limit cycles. Furthermore, given a general algebraic curve$$h(x,y)=0$$ $h(x,y)=0$of degree$$n_h \in {{\mathbb {N}}}$$ $n_h\in N$and containing one or more ovals in the positive quadrant, a chemical system is constructed which has the oval(s) as its stable algebraic limit cycle(s). The ODEs describing the dynamics of the constructed chemical system contain polynomials of degree at most$$n=2\,n_h+1.$$ $n=2n_h+1.$Considering$$n_h \ge 4,$$ $n_h\ge 4,$the algebraic curve$$h(x,y)=0$$ $h(x,y)=0$can contain multiple closed components with the maximum number of ovals given by Harnack’s curve theorem as$$1+(n_h-1)(n_h-2)/2$$ $1+(n_h-1)(n_h-2)/2$, which is equal to 4 for$$n_h=4.$$ $n_h=4.$Algebraic curve$$h(x,y)=0$$ $h(x,y)=0$with$$n_h=4$$ $n_h=4$and the maximum number of four ovals is used to construct a chemical system which has four stable algebraic limit cycles. 

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5. Higher order Kirillov--Reshetikhin modules for 𝐔 _q ( A _n ⁽¹⁾ ), imaginary modules and monoidal categorification

   https://doi.org/10.1515/crelle-2023-0068  

   Brito, Matheus; Chari, Vyjayanthi (October 2023, Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik (Crelles Journal))

   Abstract We study the family of irreducible modules for quantum affine $𝔰{𝔩}_{n+1}${\mathfrak{sl}_{n+1}}whose Drinfeld polynomials are supported on just one node of the Dynkin diagram. We identify all the prime modules in this family and prove a unique factorization theorem. The Drinfeld polynomials of the prime modules encode information coming from the points of reducibility of tensor products of the fundamental modules associated to $A_m${A_{m}}with $m\le n${m\leq n}. These prime modules are a special class of the snake modules studied by Mukhin and Young. We relate our modules to the work of Hernandez and Leclerc and define generalizations of the category ${\mathcal{𝒞}}^{-}${\mathscr{C}^{-}}. This leads naturally to the notion of an inflation of the corresponding Grothendieck ring. In the last section we show that the tensor product of a (higher order) Kirillov–Reshetikhin module with its dual always contains an imaginary module in its Jordan–Hölder series and give an explicit formula for its Drinfeld polynomial. Together with the results of [D. Hernandez and B. Leclerc,A cluster algebra approach toq-characters of Kirillov–Reshetikhin modules,J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 18 2016, 5, 1113–1159] this gives examples of a product of cluster variables which are not in the span of cluster monomials. We also discuss the connection of our work with the examples arising from the work of [E. Lapid and A. Mínguez,Geometric conditions for $\mathrm{\square }$\square-irreducibility of certain representations of the general linear group over a non-archimedean local field,Adv. Math. 339 2018, 113–190]. Finally, we use our methods to give a family of imaginary modules in type $D_4${D_{4}}which do not arise from an embedding of $A_r${A_{r}}with $r\le 3${r\leq 3}in $D_4${D_{4}}. 

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