The scientific activities of the group are focused on different aspects of number theory and representation theory, with ramifications and applications in Lie theory and algebraic combinatorics.
The group runs the Seminar on Combinatorics, Lie Theory, and Topology.
Research Topics
Algebraic combinatorics
Algebraic combinatorics studies mainly discrete structures that occur in algebraic problems. Our research focuses on combinatorics arising from representation theory. More specifically, in recent years we studied $q,t$-combinatorics arising from Macdonald polynomials, plethystic operators on symmetric functions, and diagonal coinvariants.
Member:
- Michele D'Adderio
Collaborators:
- Alessandro Iraci (Université du Quebéc à Montréal)
- Yvan Le Borgne (LaBRI – Université Bordeaux 1)
- Anton Mellit (University of Vienna)
- Marino Romero (UPenn)
- Anna Vanden Wyngaerd (IRIF – Université de Paris)
Arithmetic geometry and number theory
Number theory studies arithmetic problems by using tools from different areas of mathematics. Our research focuses on arithmetically relevant actions of Galois groups on algebro-geometric objects (such as number rings and their class groups, or abelian varieties and their Selmer groups). Via Iwasawa theory, algebraic invariants of such actions can sometimes be related to analytic objects (L-functions).
Members:
- Andrea Bandini
- Ilaria Del Corso
- Lorenzo Furio
- Davide Lombardo
- Lorenzo Stefanello
- Matteo Verzobio
Arithmetic of abelian varieties
Elliptic curves and higher-dimensional abelian varieties are fundamental objects of study in number theory. Our investigations focus mainly on their Galois representations, especially over number fields, in the spirit of the Mumford-Tate and Sato-Tate conjectures. We consider in particular the possible existence of nontrivial endomorphisms on a given abelian variety (with special attention given to the case of Jacobians), with implications for the arithmetic of low-genus curves. We also work on related problems, including Kummer theory (the study of division points of non-torsion points on commutative algebraic groups) and the determination of rational points on curves.
Members:
- Lorenzo Furio
- Davide Lombardo
- Matteo Verzobio
Collaborators:
- Victoria Cantoral Farfán (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen)
- Samuel Le Fourn (Université Grenoble Alpes)
- John Voight (Dartmouth College)
- David Zywina (Cornell University)
(Hopf) Galois module theory and skew braces
Hopf-Galois module theory is a generalisation of Galois module theory, where the action of a Galois group is replaced by that of a $K$-Hopf algebra. This generalisation is fruitful both for enlarging the set of extensions under consideration and for better describing wild extensions. We work on questions in both these settings.
The Hopf-Galois structures on a $G$-Galois field extension are in one-to-one correspondence with suitable subgroups of the permutation group on $G$, and are closely connected with skew braces. The focus of our research is both on the classification of Hopf-Galois structures and on the study of the properties of the skew braces as well as their equivalent from the Hopf-Galois point of view.
We are also employing the language and the properties of the braces in the study of some problems of commutative algebra.
Members:
- Ilaria Del Corso
- Davide Lombardo
- Lorenzo Stefanello
Collaborators:
- Elena Campedel (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)
- Andrea Caranti (Università degli Studi di Trento)
- Fabio Ferri (University of Exeter)
- Senne Trappeniers (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
- Paul Truman (University of Keele)
Iwasawa theory and Drinfeld modular forms
Iwasawa theory studies modules (like class groups and Selmer groups) associated to global fields and abelian varieties in all characteristics, in an attempt to link algebraic invariants (like orders of class groups and ranks of elliptic curves) to analytic ones (i.e. special values of $L$-functions).
The study of Drinfeld modular forms is currently focused on their structure in an attempt to define old forms and new forms, and on their slopes with respect to the action of the Hecke algebra. The main goal is to establish an analog of Hida theory for function fields.
Member:
- Andrea Bandini
Collaborators:
- Francesc Bars (UAB Barcelona)
- Ignazio Longhi (Università di Torino)
- Stefano Vigni (Università di Genova)
- Maria Valentino (Università della Calabria)
Lie theory
Members:
- Davide Lombardo
- Andrea Maffei
- Francesco Sala
Continuum Lie algebras and quantum groups
The theories of continuum quantum groups and continuum Kac-Moody algebras associated with one-dimensional manifolds (‘real curves’) can be thought of as continuum colimits of quantized enveloping algebras and Kac-Moody Lie algebras, respectively. These algebraic structures have rather peculiar properties, e.g. they are governed by a continuum root system with infinitely many elements and no simple roots.
At the moment, we are investigating ‘continuum’ analogs of representations, integrable systems, and affinizations of quantum groups.
Member:
- Francesco Sala
Collaborators:
- Andrea Appel (Università di Parma)
- Olivier Schiffmann (Université de Paris-Saclay)
Opers on the punctured disc
Frenkel and Gaitsgory proposed a version of the Langlands correspondence in the case of the field $\mathbb{C}((t))$. Given a quasi-simple group $G$ such a proposal relates the geometry of the space of $G$ connections on the disk with a singularity in the origin and representations of the Langlands dual group of $G$. The tool that allows one to build a bridge between these objects is the Feigin-Frenkel theorem which describes the center of the enveloping algebra of an affine Lie algebra at the critical level as the functions on a space of connections for the dual algebra, called the space of Opers, introduced by Beilinson and Drinfeld. In this theory, vertex algebras play a key role in both the proof of the Feigin-Frenkel theorem and the development of the theory of Frenkel and Gaitsgory.
The local geometric correspondence is largely conjectural, but in the case of “spherical” representations, which corresponds to the case of monodromy-free connections, Frenkel and Gaitsgory gave complete proof.
We are studying a version of this correspondence in the case of families of connections on the disk with two singular points $0$ and $a$. In this case, we consider an analogue of the affine algebra, which we denote by $\mathfrak{g}(2)$, on the ring $\mathbb{C}[[a]]$. In the case $\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{sl}_2$ we were able to construct a family of elements that generalize Sugawara operators and generate the center of the enveloping algebra of $\mathfrak{g}(2)$ at the critical level. We have also provided a description of endomorphisms of a Weyl module similar to the one given by Frenkel and Gaitsgory in the usual case. We intend to continue the study started with this work by extending the results in various directions.
Members:
- Davide Lombardo
- Andrea Maffei
Collaborators:
- Luca Casarin (Sapienza Università di Roma)
- Alberto De Sole (Sapienza Università di Roma)
- Giorgia Fortuna
- Valerio Melani (Università di Firenze)
Symmetric and spherical varieties
If $G$ is a reductive group and $H$ is the subgroup of points fixed under an involution then $G/H$ is called a symmetric variety. They have been extensively studied in relation to problems coming from representation theory or algebraic geometry and in particular enumerative geometry. Symmetric varieties are a particular case of spherical varieties: normal $G$ variety with a finite number of $B$ orbits. The classification of spherical varieties has been obtained recently. We study different aspects of symmetric and spherical varieties: compactifications, description of the coordinate ring, applications to the study of normality of particular classes of $G$ variety important in representation theory.
An important theme is a study of the classification of $B$ orbits in these varieties and their Bruhat order.
Members:
- Andrea Maffei
Collaborators:
- Michele Carmassi
- Rocco Chirivì (Università di Lecce)
- Jacopo Gandini (Università di Bologna)
- Pierluigi Moseneder (Politecnico di Milano)
- Paolo Papi (Sapienza Università di Roma)
Members
Staff
Name | Surname | Links | Personal Card |
---|---|---|---|
Andrea | Bandini | [Google Scholar] [Mathscinet] [Orcid] | |
Massimo | Caboara | [Google Scholar] [Mathscinet] | |
Michele | D'Adderio | [Mathscinet] [Orcid] | |
Ilaria | Del Corso | [Google Scholar] [Mathscinet] | |
Giovanni | Gaiffi | [Mathscinet] [Orcid] | |
Davide | Lombardo | [Google Scholar] [Mathscinet] [Orcid] | |
Andrea | Maffei | [Mathscinet] | |
Enrico | Sbarra | [Google Scholar] [Mathscinet] |
Postdoctoral Fellows
Name | Surname | Links | Personal Card |
---|---|---|---|
Matteo | Verzobio | [Mathscinet] [Orcid] |
Ph.D. Students
Name | Surname | Links | Personal Card |
---|---|---|---|
Lorenzo | Furio | ||
Lorenzo | Stefanello | [arXiv] [Mathscinet] [Orcid] |
External Collaborators
Name | Surname | Links | Personal Card |
---|---|---|---|
Roberto | Dvornicich | ||
Patrizia | Gianni | [Mathscinet] |
Grants
Current Grants
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Geometric, algebraic and analytic methods in arithmetic (Prin 2017)
Principal Investigator: Pietro Corvaja (Università di Udine) | Coordinator of the Research Unit: Roberto Dvornicich