Mike Stillman
We investigate algebraic and topological signatures of networks of coupled oscillators. Translating dynamics into a system of algebraic equations enables us to identify classes of network topologies that exhibit unexpected behaviors. Many…
We enumerate topologically-inequivalent compact Calabi-Yau threefold hypersurfaces. By computing arithmetic and algebraic invariants and the Gopakumar-Vafa invariants of curves, we prove that the number of distinct simply connected…
We study Euclidean D3-branes wrapping divisors $D$ in Calabi-Yau orientifold compactifications of type IIB string theory. Witten's counting of fermion zero modes in terms of the cohomology of the structure sheaf $\mathcal{O}_D$ applies when…
We present a computational algebra solution to reverse engineering the network structure of discrete dynamical systems from data. We use monomial ideals to determine dependencies between variables that encode constraints on the possible…
A quaternary quartic form, a quartic form in four variables, is the dual socle generator of an Artinian Gorenstein ring of codimension and regularity 4. We present a classification of quartic forms in terms of rank and powersum…
A projectively normal Calabi-Yau threefold $X \subseteq \mathbb{P}^n$ has an ideal $I_X$ which is arithmetically Gorenstein, of Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity four. Such ideals have been intensively studied when $I_X$ is a complete…
A question of Conca, Rossi, and Valla asks whether every quadratic Gorenstein ring $R$ of regularity three is Koszul. In a previous paper, we use idealization to answer their question, proving that in nine or more variables there exist…
Let $R$ be a standard graded Gorenstein algebra over a field presented by quadrics. Conca, Rossi, and Valla have shown that such a ring is Koszul if $\mathrm{reg}\, R \leq 2$ or if $\mathrm{reg}\, = 3$ and $c= \mathrm{codim}\, R \leq 4$,…
For a planar simplicial complex Delta contained in R^2, Schumaker proved that a lower bound on the dimension of the space C^r_k(Delta) of planar splines of smoothness r and polynomial degree at most k on Delta is given by a polynomial…
We show that the Weak Gravity Conjecture (WGC) implies a nontrivial upper bound on the volumes of the minimal-volume cycles in certain homology classes that admit no calibrated representatives. In compactification of type IIB string theory…
We study the topological properties of Calabi-Yau threefold hypersurfaces at large $h^{1,1}$. We obtain two million threefolds $X$ by triangulating polytopes from the Kreuzer-Skarke list, including all polytopes with $240 \le h^{1,1}\le…
We study the linear syzygies of a homogeneous ideal I in a polynomial ring S, focusing on the graded betti numbers b_(i,i+1) = dim_k Tor_i(S/I, k)_(i+1). For a variety X and divisor D with S = Sym(H^0(D)*), what conditions on D ensure that…
For a vector space V of homogeneous forms of the same degree in a polynomial ring, we investigate what can be said about the generic initial ideal of the ideal generated by V, from the form of the generic initial space gin(V) for the revlex…
This paper studies the behavior of Grobner bases with respect to extensions of scalars. We prove that an extension of scalars commutes with taking Grobner bases iff the extension is flat. We consider what information can be deduced about…
We introduce the notion of monomial group action and study some of its consequences for Groebner basis theory. As an application we prove a conjecture of V. Batyrev and O. Popov describing the Cox rings of Del Pezzo surfaces (of degree at…
We study the local cohomology modules H^i_B(R) for a reduced monomial ideal B in a polynomial ring R=k[X_1,...,X_n]. We consider a grading on R which is coarser than the Z^n-grading such that each component of H^i_B(R) is finite dimensional…