We first establish a sharp relation between the order of vanishing of a Dirichlet eigenfunction at a point and the leading term of the asymptotic expansion of the Dirichlet eigenvalue variation, as a removed compact set concentrates at that point. Then we apply this spectral stability result to the study of the asymptotic behaviour of eigenvalues of Aharonov–Bohm operators with two colliding poles moving on an axis of symmetry of the domain.

We deal with the sharp asymptotic behaviour of eigenvalues of elliptic operators with varying mixed Dirichlet–Neumann boundary conditions. In case of simple eigenvalues, we compute explicitly the constant appearing in front of the expansion’s leading term. This allows inferring some remarkable consequences for Aharonov–Bohm eigenvalues when the singular part of the operator has two coalescing poles.

The thesis consists of two papers, both treating hypergeometric polynomials, and a short introduction. The main results are as follows.In the first paper,we study the asymptotic zero distribution of a family of hypergeometric polynomials in one complex variable as their degree goes to infinity,using the associated differential equations that hypergeometric polynomials satisfy.   We describe in particular the curve complex on which the zeros cluster, as level curves associated to integrals on an algebraic curve derived from the equation.   The new result is first of all that we are able to formulate results on the location of zeros of generalized hypergeometric polynomials in greater generality than before (earlier results are mainly concerned with the Gauss hypergeometric case.) Secondly, we are able to formulate a precise conjucture giving the asymptotic behaviour of zeros in the generalized case of our polynomials, which covers previous results.In the second paper we partly prove one of the  conjectures in the first paper by using Euler integral representation of the Gauss hypergeometric functions together with the Saddle point method.

We study the asymptotic behavior of the zeros of a family of a certain class of hypergeometric polynomials [GRAPHICS] , using the associated hypergeometric differential equation, as the parameters go to infinity. The curve configuration on which the zeros cluster is characterized as level curves associated with integrals on an algebraic curve. The algebraic curve is the hypergeometrc differential equation, using a similar approach to the method used in Borcea et al. (Publ Res Inst Math Sci 45(2):525-568, 2009). In a specific degenerate case, we make a conjecture that generalizes work in Boggs and Duren (Comput Methods Funct Theory 1(1):275-287, 2001), Driver and Duren (Algorithms 21(1-4):147-156, 1999), and Duren and Guillou (J Approx Theory 111(2):329-343, 2001), and present experimental evidence to substantiate it.

We prove that as n -> infinity, the zeros of the polynomial F-2(1) 9-n, (an + 2) (an + 1) ; z] cluster on (a part of) a level curve of an explicit harmonic function. This generalizes previous results of Boggs, Driver, Duren et al. (1999-2001) to the case of a complex parameter alpha and partially proves a conjecture made by the authors in an earlier work.

We prove that the opposite of the category of coalgebras for the Vietoris endofunctor on the category of compact Hausdorff spaces is monadic over $\mathsf {Set}$ . We deliver an analogous result for the upper, lower, and convex Vietoris endofunctors acting on the category of stably compact spaces. We provide axiomatizations of the associated (infinitary) varieties. This can be seen as a version of Jonsson-Tarski duality for modal algebras beyond the zero-dimensional setting.

Let alpha(1), alpha(2),..., alpha(m) be linear forms defined on C-n and X = C-n\boolean OR(m)(i=1) V(alpha(i)), where V(alpha(i))={p is an element of C-n : alpha(i)(p)=0}. The coordinate ring O-X of X is a holonomic A(n)-module, where A(n) is the nth Weyl algebra and since holonomic A(n)-modules have finite length, O-X has finite length. We consider a "" twisted"" variant of this An- module which is also holonomic. Define M-alpha(beta) to be the free rank-1 C[x](alpha)-module on the generator alpha(beta) (thought of as a multivalued function), where alpha(beta)=alpha(beta 1)(1),..., alpha(beta m)(m) and the multi-index beta=(beta(1),...,beta(m))is an element of C-m. Our main result is the computation of the number of decomposition factors of M-alpha(beta) and their description when n-2.

Let alpha(1), ... , alpha(m) be linear functions on C-n and X = C-n \ V(alpha), where alpha = Pi(m)(i=1) alpha(i) and V(alpha) = {p is an element of C-n : alpha(p) = 0}. The coordinate ring O-X = C[x](alpha) of X is a holonomic A(n)-module, where A(n) is the n-th Weyl algebra, and since holonomic A(n)-modules have finite length, O-X has finite length. We consider a twisted variant of this A(n)-module which is also holonomic. Define M-alpha(beta) to be the free rank 1 C[x](alpha)-module on the generator alpha(beta) (thought of as a multivalued function), where alpha(beta) = alpha(beta 1)(1) ... alpha(beta m)(m) and the multi-index beta = (beta(1), ... , beta(m)) is an element of C-m. It is straightforward to describe the decomposition factors of M-alpha(beta), when the linear functions alpha(1), ... , alpha(m) define a normal crossing hyperplane configuration, and we use this to give a sufficient criterion on beta for the irreducibility of M-alpha(beta), in terms of numerical data for a resolution of the singularities of V(alpha).

For a domain $\Omega\subset\dR^N$ we consider the equation $ -\Delta u + V(x)u = Q_n(x)\abs{u}^{p-2}u$ with zero Dirichlet boundary conditions and $p\in(2,2^*)$. Here $V\ge 0$ and $Q_n$ are bounded functions that are positive in a region contained in $\Omega$ and negative outside, and such that the sets $\{Q_n>0\}$ shrink to a point $x_0\in\Omega$ as $n\to\infty$. We show that if $u_n$ is a nontrivial solution corresponding to $Q_n$, then the sequence $(u_n)$ concentrates at $x_0$ with respect to the $H^1$ and certain $L^q$-norms. We also show that if the sets $\{Q_n>0\}$ shrink to two points and $u_n$ are ground state solutions, then they concentrate at one of these points.

We study the spectrum of a self-adjoint Dirac–Krein operator with potential on a compact star graph G with a finite number n of edges. This operator is defined by a Dirac–Krein differential expression with summable matrix potentials on each edge, by self-adjoint boundary conditions at the outer vertices, and by a self-adjoint matching condition at the common central vertex of G. Special attention is paid to Robin matching conditions with parameter τ∈R∪{∞}. Choosing the decoupled operator with Dirichlet condition at the central vertex as a reference operator, we derive Krein’s resolvent formula, introduce corresponding Weyl–Titchmarsh functions, study the multiplicities, dependence on τ, and interlacing properties of the eigenvalues, and prove a trace formula. Moreover, we show that, asymptotically for R→∞, the difference of the number of eigenvalues in the intervals [0,R) and [−R,0) deviates from some integer κ0, which we call dislocation index, at most by n+2.

We provide simplified proofs for the asymptotic distribution of the number of cuts required to cut down a Galton-Watson tree with critical, finite-variance offspring distribution, conditioned to have total progeny n. Our proof is based on a coupling which yields a precise, nonasymptotic distributional result for the case of uniformly random rooted labeled trees (or, equivalently, Poisson Galton-Watson trees conditioned on their size). Our approach also provides a new, random reversible transformation between Brownian excursion and Brownian bridge.

This thesis is devoted to the study of Hardy and spectral inequalities for the Heisenberg and the Grushin operators. It consists of five chapters. In chapter 1 we present basic notions and summarize the main results of the thesis. In chapters 2-4 we deal with different types of Hardy inequalities for Laplace and Grushin operators with magnetic and non-magnetic fields. It was shown in an article by Laptev and Weidl that for some magnetic forms in two dimensions, the Hardy inequality holds in its classical form. More precisely, by considering the Aharonov-Bohm magnetic potential, we can improve the constant in the respective Hardy inequality. In chapter 2 we establish an L^p - Hardy inequality related to Laplacians with magnetic fields with Aharonov-Bohm vector potentials. In chapter 3 we introduce a suitable notion of a vector field for the Grushin sub-elliptic operator G and obtain an improvement of the Hardy inequality, which was previously obtained in the paper of N. Garofallo and E. Lanconelli. In chapter 4 we find an L^p version of the Hardy inequality obtained in chapter 2. Finally in chapter 5 we aim to find the CLR and Lieb-Thirringbninequalities for harmonic Grushin-type operators. As the Grushin operator is non-elliptic, these inequalities will not take their classical form.

A version of the Aharonov-Bohm magnetic field for a Grushin subelliptic operator is introduced; then its quadratic form is shown to satisfy an improved Hardy inequality.

Let f be a function from R-P to R-q and let Lambda be a finite set of pairs (theta, eta) is an element of R-P x R-q. Assume that the real-valued function (eta, f(x)) is Lipschitz continuous in the direction theta for every (theta, eta) is an element of Lambda. Necessary and sufficient conditions on Lambda are given for this assumption to imply each of the following: (1) that f is Lipschitz continuous, and (2) that f is continuous with modulus of continuity <= C epsilon vertical bar log epsilon vertical bar.

We consider conditions under. which an embedded eigenvalue of a self-adjoint operator remains embedded under small perturbations. In the case of a simple eigenvalue embedded in continuous spectrum of multiplicity m < infinity we show that in favorable situations, the set of small perturbations of a suitable Banach space which do not remove the eigenvalue form a smooth submanifold of codimension in. We also have results regarding the cases when the eigenvalue is degenerate or when the multiplicity of the continuous spectrum is infinite.

This article gives a brief overview of the research in microlocal analysis, tomography, and integral geometry of Professor Eric Todd Quinto, Robinson Professor of Mathematics at Tufts University, along with the collaborators and colleagues who influenced his work. 

Generalizing Lemma 28 from Newton's "Principia" [25], Arnold [10] asked for a complete characterization of algebraically integrable domains. In this chapter we describe the current state of Arnold's problems. We also consider closely related problems involving the Radon transform of indicator functions.

We study the rate of convergence in the celebrated Shape Theorem in first-passage percolation, obtaining the precise asymptotic rate of decay for the probability of linear order deviations under a moment condition. Our results are presented from a temporal perspective and complement previous work by the same author, in which the rate of convergence was studied from the standard spatial perspective.

We consider planar first-passage percolation and show that the time constant can be bounded by multiples of the first and second tertiles of the weight distribution. As a consequence, we obtain a counter-example to a problem proposed by Alm and Deijfen (2015).

We study an interacting system of competing particles on the real line. Two populations of positive and negative particles evolve according to branching Brownian motion. When opposing particles meet, their charges neutralize and the particles annihilate, as in an inert chemical reaction. We show that, with positive probability, the two populations coexist and that, on this event, the interface is asymptotically linear with a random slope. A variety of generalizations and open problems are discussed.

In this paper we study noise sensitivity and threshold phenomena for Poisson Voronoi percolation on R-2. In the setting of Boolean functions, both threshold phenomena and noise sensitivity can be understood via the study of randomized algorithms. Together with a simple discretization argument, such techniques apply also to the continuum setting. Via the study of a suitable algorithm we show that box-crossing events in Voronoi percolation are noise sensitive and present a threshold phenomenon with polynomial window. We also study the effect of other kinds of perturbations, and emphasize the fact that the techniques we use apply for a broad range of models.

The two-type Richardson model describes the growth of two competing infection types on the two or higher dimensional integer lattice. For types that spread with the same intensity, it is known that there is a positive probability for infinite coexistence, while for types with different intensities, it is conjectured that infinite coexistence is not possible. In this paper we study the two-type Richardson model in the upper half-plane Z x Z(+), and prove that coexistence of two types starting on the horizontal axis has positive probability if and only if the types have the same intensity.

We study the growth of two competing infection types on graphs generated by the configuration model with a given degree sequence. Starting from two vertices chosen uniformly at random, the infection types spread via the edges in the graph in that an uninfected vertex becomes type 1 (2) infected at rate lambda(1) (lambda(2)) times the number of nearest neighbors of type 1 (2). Assuming (essentially) that the degree of a randomly chosen vertex has finite second moment, we show that if lambda(1) = lambda(2), then the fraction of vertices that are ultimately infected by type 1 converges to a continuous random variable V is an element of (0,1), as the number of vertices tends to infinity. Both infection types hence occupy a positive (random) fraction of the vertices. If lambda(1) not equal lambda(2), on the other hand, then the type with the larger intensity occupies all but a vanishing fraction of the vertices. Our results apply also to a uniformly chosen simple graph with the given degree sequence.

We study the transition from stability to chaos in a dynamic last passage percolation model on  with random weights at the vertices. Given an initial weight configuration at time 0, we perturb the model over time in such a way that the weight configuration at time t is obtained by resampling each weight independently with probability t. On the cube [0, ^n]d, we study geodesics, that is, weight-maximizing up-right paths from (0,0,⋯,0) to (n,n,⋯,n), and their passage time T. Under mild conditions on the weight distribution, we prove a phase transition between stability and chaos at t≍ Var(T). Indeed, as n grows large, for small values of t, the passage times at time 0 and time t are highly correlated, while for large values of t, the geodesics become almost disjoint.

We study a model of competition between two types evolving as branching random walks on Z(d). The two types are represented by red and blue balls, respectively, with the rule that balls of different colour annihilate upon contact. We consider initial configurations in which the sites of Z(d) contain one ball each which are independently coloured red with probability p and blue otherwise. We address the question of fixation, referring to the sites and eventually settling for a given colour or not. Under a mild moment condition on the branching rule, we prove that the process will fixate almost surely for p not equal 1/2 and that every site will change colour infinitely often almost surely for the balanced initial condition p = 1/2.

We study survival among two competing types in two settings: a planar growth model related to two-neighbor bootstrap percolation, and a system of urns with graph-based interactions. In the planar growth model, uncolored sites are given a color at rate 0, 1 or infinity, depending on whether they have zero, one, or at least two neighbors of that color. In the urn scheme, each vertex of a graph G has an associated urn containing some number of either blue or red balls ( but not both). At each time step, a ball is chosen uniformly at random from all those currently present in the system, a ball of the same color is added to each neighboring urn, and balls in the same urn but of different colors annihilate on a one-for-one basis. We show that, for every connected graph G and every initial configuration, only one color survives almost surely. As a corollary, we deduce that in the two-type growth model on Z(2), one of the colors only infects a finite number of sites with probability one. We also discuss generalizations to higher dimensions and multi-type processes, and list a number of open problems and conjectures.

We consider the Poisson Boolean percolation model in R-2, where the radius of each ball is independently chosen according to some probability measure with finite second moment. For this model, we show that the two thresholds, for the existence of an unbounded occupied and an unbounded vacant component, coincide. This complements a recent study of the sharpness of the phase transition in Poisson Boolean percolation by the same authors. As a corollary it follows that for Poisson Boolean percolation in R-d, for any d >= 2, finite moment of order d is both necessary and sufficient for the existence of a nontrivial phase transition for the vacant set.

In ice sheet and glacier modelling, the Finite Element Method is rapidly gaining popularity. However, constructing and updating meshes for ice sheets and glaciers is a non-trivial and computationally demanding task due to their thin, irregular, and time dependent geometry. In this paper we introduce a novel approach to ice dynamics computations based on the unfitted Finite Element Method CutFEM, which lets the domain boundary cut through elements. By employing CutFEM, complex meshing and remeshing is avoided as the glacier can be immersed in a simple background mesh without loss of accuracy. The ice is modelled as a non-Newtonian, shear-thinning fluid obeying the p-Stokes (full Stokes) equations with the ice atmosphere interface as a moving free surface. A Navier slip boundary condition applies at the glacier base allowing both bedrock and subglacial lakes to be represented. Within the CutFEM framework we develop a strategy for handling non-linear viscosities and thin domains and show how glacier deformation can be modelled using a level set function. In numerical experiments we show that the expected order of accuracy is achieved and that the method is robust with respect to penalty parameters. As an application we compute the velocity field of the Swiss mountain glacier Haut Glacier d'Arolla in 2D with and without an underlying subglacial lake, and simulate the glacier deformation from year 1930 to 1932, with and without surface accumulation and basal melt.

We compute the cohomology ring H*(X, Z/nZ) for X the spectrum of the ring of integers of a number field K. As an application, we give a non-vanishing formula for an invariant defined by Minhyong Kim.

Let R=K[x₁,…,x_n], a graded algebra S=R/I satisfies N_k,p if I is generated in degree k, and the graded minimal resolution is linear the first p steps, and the k-index of S is the largest p such that S satisfies N_k,p. Eisenbud and Goto have shown that for any graded ring R/I, then R/I_≥k, where I_≥k=I∩M^k and M=(x₁,…,x_n), has a k-linear resolution (satisfies N_k,p for all p) if k≫0. For a squarefree monomial ideal I, we are here interested in the ideal I_k which is the squarefree part of I_≥k. The ideal I is, via Stanley–Reisner correspondence, associated to a simplicial complex Δ_I. In this case, all Betti numbers of R/I_k for k>min{deg(u)∣u∈I}, which of course are a much finer invariant than the index, can be determined from the Betti diagram of R/I and the f-vector of Δ_I. We compare our results with the corresponding statements for I_≥k. (Here I is an arbitrary graded ideal.) In this case, we show that the Betti numbers of R/I_≥k can be determined from the Betti numbers of R/I and the Hilbert series of R/I_≥k.

We introduce and develop the notion of displayed categories. A displayed category over a category C is equivalent to 'a category D and functor F : D -> C', but instead of having a single collection of 'objects of D' with a map to the objects of C, the objects are given as a family indexed by objects of C, and similarly for the morphisms. This encapsulates a common way of building categories in practice, by starting with an existing category and adding extra data/properties to the objects and morphisms. The interest of this seemingly trivial reformulation is that various properties of functors are more naturally defined as properties of the corresponding displayed categories. Grothendieck fibrations, for example, when defined as certain functors, use equality on objects in their definition. When defined instead as certain displayed categories, no reference to equality on objects is required. Moreover, almost all examples of fibrations in nature are, in fact, categories whose standard construction can be seen as going via displayed categories. We therefore propose displayed categories as a basis for the development of fibrations in the type-theoretic setting, and similarly for various other notions whose classical definitions involve equality on objects. Besides giving a conceptual clarification of such issues, displayed categories also provide a powerful tool in computer formalisation, unifying and abstracting common constructions and proof techniques of category theory, and enabling modular reasoning about categories of multi-component structures. As such, most of the material of this article has been formalised in Coq over the UniMath library, with the aim of providing a practical library for use in further developments.

In this paper, we analyze and compare three of the many algebraic structures that have been used for modeling dependent type theories: categories with families, split type-categories, and representable maps of presheaves. We study these in univalent type theory, where the comparisons between them can be given more elementarily than in set-theoretic foundations. Specifically, we construct maps between the various types of structures, and show that assuming the Univalence axiom, some of the comparisons are equivalences. We then analyze how these structures transfer along (weak and strong) equivalences of categories, and, in particular, show how they descend from a category (not assumed univalent/saturated) to its Rezk completion. To this end, we introduce relative universes, generalizing the preceding notions, and study the transfer of such relative universes along suitable structure. We work throughout in (intensional) dependent type theory; some results, but not all, assume the univalence axiom. All the material of this paper has been formalized in Coq, over the UniMath library.

In previous work ("From signatures to monads in UniMath"),we described a category-theoretic construction of abstract syntax from a signature, mechanized in the UniMath library based on the Coq proof assistant.

In the present work, we describe what was necessary to generalize that work to account for simply-typed languages. First, some definitions had to be generalized to account for the natural appearance of non-endofunctors in the simply-typed case. As it turns out, in many cases our mechanized results carried over to the generalized definitions without any code change. Second, an existing mechanized library on 𝜔-cocontinuous functors had to be extended by constructions and theorems necessary for constructing multi-sorted syntax. Third, the theoretical framework for the semantical signatures had to be generalized from a monoidal to a bicategorical setting, again to account for non-endofunctors arising in the typed case. This uses actions of endofunctors on functors with given source, and the corresponding notion of strong functors between actions, all formalized in UniMath using a recently developed library of bicategory theory. We explain what needed to be done to plug all of these ingredients together, modularly.

The main result of our work is a general construction that, when fed with a signature for a simply-typed language, returns an implementation of that language together with suitable boilerplate code, in particular, a certified monadic substitution operation.

We state a number of conjectures that together allow one to classify a broad class of del Pezzo surfaces with cyclic quotient singularities using mirror symmetry. We prove our conjectures in the simplest cases. The conjectures relate mutation-equivalence classes of Fano polygons with Q-Gorenstein deformation classes of del Pezzo surfaces.

In this paper, we discuss the wedge product of positive pluriharmonic (resp. plurisubharmonic) current of bidimension $(p,p)$ with the Monge-Ampère operator of plurisubharmonic function. In the first part of the paper, we define this product when the locus points of the plurisubharmonic function are located in a (2p-2)-dimensional closed set (resp. (2p-4)-dimensional sets), in the sense of Hartogs. The second part treats the case when these locus points are contained in a compact complete pluripolar sets and p≥ 2 (resp. p≥3).

This dissertation is concerned with extensions and wedge products of positive currents. Our study can be considered as a generalization for classical works done earlier in this field.

Paper I deals with the extension of positive currents across different types of sets. For closed complete pluripolar obstacles, we show the existence of such extensions. To do so, further Hausdorff dimension conditions are required. Moreover, we study the case when these obstacles are zero sets of strictly k-convex functions.

In Paper II, we discuss the wedge product of positive pluriharmonic (resp. plurisubharmonic) current of bidimension (p,p) with the Monge-Ampère operator of plurisubharmonic function. In the first part of the paper, we define this product when the locus points of the plurisubharmonic function are located in a (2p-2)-dimensional closed set (resp. (2p-4)-dimensional sets), in the sense of Hartogs. The second part treats the case when these locus points are contained in a compact complete pluripolar sets and p≥2 (resp. p≥3).

Paper III studies the extendability of negative S-plurisubharmonic current of bidimension (p,p) across a (2p-2)-dimensional closed set. Using only the positivity of S, we show that such extensions exist in the case when these obstacles are complete pluripolar, as well as zero sets of C²-plurisubharmoinc functions.

We investigate the number of permutations that occur in random labellings of trees. This is a generalisation of the number of subpermutations occurring in a random permutation. It also generalises some recent results on the number of inversions in randomly labelled trees (Cai et al. in Combin Probab Comput 28(3):335-364, 2019). We consider complete binary trees as well as random split trees a large class of random trees of logarithmic height introduced by Devroye (SIAM J Comput 28(2):409-432, 1998. 10.1137/s0097539795283954). Split trees consist of nodes (bags) which can contain balls and are generated by a random trickle down process of balls through the nodes. For complete binary trees we show that asymptotically the cumulants of the number of occurrences of a fixed permutation in the random node labelling have explicit formulas. Our other main theorem is to show that for a random split tree, with probability tending to one as the number of balls increases, the cumulants of the number of occurrences are asymptotically an explicit parameter of the split tree. For the proof of the second theorem we show some results on the number of embeddings of digraphs into split trees which may be of independent interest.

This thesis consists of three papers, all concerned with the eigenvalue problem for the Schrödinger operator -Δ+V, and in particular the Laplacian -Δ, on bounded, connected, Lipschitz domains with mixed boundary conditions, where a Dirichlet boundary condition is imposed on a subset of the boundary and a Neumann boundary condition on its complement. Given different such choices of boundary conditions on the same domain, we compare the resulting mixed Dirichlet-Neumann eigenvalues by establishing inequalities between them, and prove a variant of the hot spots conjecture for the lowest mixed Dirichlet-Neumann eigenfunction of the Laplacian. Our approach is purely variational and relies on both classical and novel variational principles; the geometric features of the underlying domain, such as convexity or curvature of the boundary, play a crucial role in our results.

In Paper I we consider the Laplacian on planar, convex domains and compare the lowest eigenvalues corresponding to different choices of mixed boundary conditions in the case in which the boundary contains a straight line segment. The proof relies on estimating the Rayleigh quotient of the derivative of a certain eigenfunction in the unique direction normal to this segment; as a result the established inequalities depend on the geometry of the boundary with respect to this direction, as well as on the convexity of the domain.

In Paper II we also compare the lowest mixed eigenvalues of the Laplacian on simply connected planar domains, but instead rely on a novel variational principle where the minimizers are gradients of eigenfunctions. To the best of our knowledge, this variational principle has not appeared in the literature before. This allows to replace the convexity assumption with a more general assumption regulating the normal directions to the boundary, and to drop the assumption that the boundary contains a straight line segment. Using this novel variational principle we also prove a version of the hot spots conjecture for mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions.

In Paper III we extend the eigenvalue inequalities of Paper I to Schrödinger operators on both planar and higher-dimensional domains by generalizing the variational approach therein established; in this case we require the boundary to contain a subset of a hyperplane. The inequalities rely again on the convexity of the domain and on the geometry of both the boundary and the potential V with respect to the unique direction normal to this hyperplane. Further, we prove an inequality between higher order mixed Dirichlet-Neumann eigenvalues and pure Dirichlet eigenvalues of Schrödinger operators.

The eigenvalue problem for the Laplacian on bounded, planar, convex domains with mixed boundary conditions is considered, where a Dirichlet boundary condition is imposed on a part of the boundary and a Neumann boundary condition on its complement. Given two different such choices of boundary conditions for the same domain, we prove inequalities between their lowest eigenvalues. As a special case, we prove parts of a conjecture on the order of mixed eigenvalues of triangles.

We consider the eigenvalue problem for the Laplacian with mixed Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. For a certain class of bounded, simply connected planar domains we prove monotonicity properties of the first eigenfunction. As a consequence, we establish a variant of the hot spots conjecture for mixed boundary conditions. Moreover, we obtain an inequality between the lowest eigenvalue of this mixed problem and the lowest eigenvalue of the corresponding dual problem where the Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions are interchanged. The proofs are based on a novel variational principle, which we establish.

The theme of this thesis is combinatorics, complex analysis and algebraic geometry. The thesis consists of six articles divided into four parts.

Part A: Spectral properties of the Schrödinger equation

This part consists of Papers I-II, where we study a univariate Schrödinger equation with a complex polynomial potential. We prove that the set of polynomial potentials that admit solutions to the Schrödingerequation is connected, under certain boundary conditions. We also study a similar result for even polynomial potentials, where a similar result is obtained.

Part B: Graph monomials and sums of squares

In this part, consisting of Paper III, we study natural bases for the space of homogeneous, symmetric and translation-invariant polynomials in terms of multigraphs. We find all multigraphs with at most six edges that give rise to non-negative polynomials, and which of these that can be expressed as a sum of squares. Such polynomials appear naturally in connection to expressing certain non-negative polynomials as sums of squares.

Part C: Eigenvalue asymptotics of banded Toeplitz matrices

This part consists of Papers IV-V. We give a new and generalized proof of a theorem by P. Schmidt and F. Spitzer concerning asymptotics of eigenvalues of Toeplitz matrices. We also generalize the notion of eigenvalues to rectangular matrices, and partially prove the a multivariate analogue of the above.

Part D: Stretched Schur polynomials

This part consists of Paper VI, where we give a combinatorial proof that certain sequences of skew Schur polynomials satisfy linear recurrences with polynomial coefficients.

In this note, we provide a short proof of Theorem 4.3 in the paper titled Crystals, semistandard tableaux and cyclic sieving phenomenon, by Y.-T. Oh and E. Park, which concerns a cyclic sieving phenomenon on semi-standard Young tableaux. We also extend their result to skew shapes.

We conjecture an explicit positive combinatorial formula for the expansion of unicellular LLT polynomials in the elementary symmetric basis. This is an analogue of the Shareshian-Wachs conjecture previously studied by Panova and the author in 2018. We show that the conjecture for unicellular LLT polynomials implies a similar formula for vertical-strip LLT polynomials. We prove positivity in the elementary symmetric basis for the class of graphs called melting lollipops previously considered by Huh, Nam and Yoo. This is done by proving a curious relationship between a generalization of charge and orientations of unit-interval graphs. We also provide short bijective proofs of Lee's three-term recurrences for unicellular LLT polynomials, and we show that these recurrences are enough to generate all unicellular LLT polynomials associated with abelian area sequences.

In this paper, we generalize several results in the article Analytic continuation of eigenvalues of a quartic oscillator of A. Eremenko and A. Gabrielov [4]. We consider a family of eigenvalue problems for a Schrodinger equation with even polynomial potentials of arbitrary degree d with complex coefficients, and k < (d + 2)/2 boundary conditions. We show that the spectral determinant in this case consists of two components, containing even and odd eigenvalues respectively. In the case with k = (d + 2)/2 boundary conditions, we show that the corresponding parameter space consists of infinitely many connected components.

In this thesis, we generalize a recent result of A. Eremenko and A. Gabrielov on irreducibility of the spectral discriminant for the Schroedinger equation with quartic potentials.

In the first paper, we consider the eigenvalue problem with a complex-valued polynomial potential of arbitrary degree d and show that the spectral determinant of this problem is connected and irreducible. In other words, every eigenvalue can be reached from any other by analytic continuation. We also prove connectedness of the parameter spaces of the potentials that admit eigenfunctions satisfying k > 2 boundary conditions, except for the case d is even and k = d/2. In the latter case, connected components of the parameter space are distinguished by the number of zeros of the eigenfunctions.

In the second paper, we only consider even polynomial potentials, and show that the spectral determinant for the eigenvalue problem consists of two irreducible components. A similar result to that of paper I is proved for k boundary conditions.