Events

Title: Traveling Salesman Problems: Approximation Algorithms and Black-Box Reductions

Abstract:

We survey the recent progress on approximation algorithms and integrality ratios for variants of the traveling salesman problem, with a focus on black-box reductions from one problem to another. In particular, we explain recent results for the Path TSP and the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem, which are joint works with Vera Traub and Rico Zenklusen and with Jannis Blauth and Vera Traub.

Title: Hadamard diagonalizable graphs of small order

Abstract:

A graph whose Laplacian matrix has a full set of eigenvectors with entries in {1,-1} is said to be Hadamard diagonalizable (i.e. there exists a Hadamard matrix which diagonalizes the Laplacian matrix). We demonstrate that the only diagonalizable graphs on n=8k+4 vertices are K_n and K_{n/2,n/2}.

Title: Strong components of the directed configuration model

Abstract:

We study the behaviour of the largest components of the directed configuration model in the barely subcritical regime. We show that with high probability all strongly connected components in this regime are either cycles or isolated vertices and give an asymptotic distribution of the size of the kth largest cycle. This gives a configuration model analogue of a result of Luczak and Seierstad for the binomial random digraph.

Title: Semidistrim Lattices

Abstract:

This talk will introduce semidistrim lattices, which generalize semidistributive lattices and trim lattices; these two families, in turn, generalize distributive lattices. We will discuss structural, topological, and dynamical properties of semidistrim lattices. In particular, we will see how one can define a certain bijective operator on a semidistrim lattice called rowmotion; this definition unifies the definition that Barnard gave for semidistributive lattices and the definition that Thomas and Williams gave for trim lattices.

Title: The Problem Landscape of SIDH

Abstract:

The Supersingular Isogeny Diffie-Hellman protocol (SIDH) has recently been the subject of increased attention in the cryptography community. Conjecturally quantum-resistant, SIDH has the feature that it shares the same data flow as ordinary Diffie-Hellman: two parties exchange a pair of public keys, each generated from a private key, and combine them to form a shared secret.

Title: Optimizing sums of eigenvalues

Abstract:

In its original proof, Hoffman's well known lower bound to the chromatic number is obtained after replacing several terms of a sum of eigenvalues by the smallest eigenvalue of the graph.

Title: Two counterexamples related to chi-boundedness

Abstract:

This will be a joint talk with two parts.

Sophie Spirkl: I will present a counterexample to the following well-known conjecture: for every k, r, every graph G with clique number at most k and sufficiently large chromatic number contains a triangle-free induced subgraph with chromatic number at least r. 

Title: Rotational Differential-Linear Cryptanalysis of ARX Ciphers

Abstract:

The differential-linear attack, combining the power of the two most effective techniques for symmetric-key cryptanalysis, was proposed by Langford and Hellman at CRYPTO 1994. We further extend this framework by replacing the differential part of the attack by rotational differentials.

Title:  A curious identity between the orthogonal Brezin--Gross--Witten integral and Schur symmetric functions via b-deformed monotone Hurwitz numbers

Abstract:

This talk is intended for an algebraic combinatorial community and no prior knowledge is required. All the difficult words (Hurwitz numbers, KP hierarchy, HCIZ and BGW integrals, Jack symmetric functions, the b-conjecture) will be explained and gently introduced.

Title: On reverse mixing in quantum walks

Abstract:

A random walk on a connected undirected graph mixes to the principal eigenvector. We consider a continuous-time quantum walk to reverse this process: starting with the principal eigenvector, can we reach an arbitrary vertex if we were to place a loop on the target vertex?