Number Theory

Let $G$ be a graph with adjacency matrix $A$. A continuous quantum walk on $G$ is determined by the complex unitary matrix $U(t)=\exp(itA)$, where $i^2=−1 and $t$ is a real number. Here, $G$ represents a quantum spin network, and its vertices and edges represent the particles and their interactions in the network. The propagation of quantum states in the quantum system determined by $G$ is then governed by the matrix $U(t)$. In particular, $|U(t)_{u,v}|^2$ may be interpreted as the probability that the quantum state assigned at vertex $u$ is transmitted to vertex $v$ at time $t$. Quantum walks are of great interest in quantum computing because not only do they produce algorithms that outperform classical counterparts, but they are also promising tools in the construction of operational quantum computers. In this talk, we give an overview of continuous quantum walks, and discuss old and new results in this area with emphasis on the concepts and techniques that fall under the umbrella of discrete mathematics.

A zero-free region of the Riemann zeta-function is a subset of the
complex plane where the zeta-function is known to not vanish. In this talk we
will discuss various computational and analytic techniques used to enlarge the
zero-free region for the Riemann zeta-function, when the imaginary part of a
complex zero is large. We will also explore the limitations of currently known
approaches. This talk will reference a number of works from the literature,
including a joint work with M. Mossinghoff and T. Trudgian.

Given an elliptic curve $E/\mathbb{Q}$, we can consider its trace of Frobenius, denoted as $a_p(E)$, where $p$ is a prime. We will discuss the race problem arising from these ap values and the general strategy in attacking these problems.

It has been known since the 80s, thanks to Conrey and Ghosh, that the average of the square of the Riemann zeta function, summed over the extreme points of zeta up to a height $T$, is $\frac{1}{2}(e^2 −5)\log T$ as $T\rightarrow \infty$. This problem and its generalisations are closely linked to evaluating asymptotics of joint moments of the zeta function and its derivatives, and for a time was one of the few cases in which Number Theory could do what Random Matrix Theory could not. RMT then managed to retake the lead in calculating these sorts of problems, but we may now tell the story of how Number Theory is fighting back, and in doing so, describe how to find a full asymptotic expansion for this problem, the first of its kind for any nontrivial joint moment of the Riemann zeta function. This is joint work with Chris Hughes and Solomon Lugmayer

The Farey sequence $\mathcal{F}_Q$ of order $Q$ is the ascending sequence of fractions $\frac{a}{b}$ in the unit interval $(0, 1]$ with $gcd(a, b) = 1$ and $0 < a \leq b \leq Q$. The study of the Farey fractions is of major interest because of their role in problems related to Diophantine approximation. Also, there is a connection between the distribution of Farey fractions and the Riemann hypothesis, which further motivates their study. In this talk, we will discuss the distribution of Farey fractions with some divisibility constraints on denominators by studying their pair-correlation measure. This is based on joint work with Sneha Chaubey.