This collection of research and survey papers sets out the theory of hidden Markov processes, in particular addressing a central problem of the subject: computation of the Shannon entropy rate of an HMP. Connections are drawn between approaches from various disciplines, whilst recent research results and open problems are described.
Hidden Markov processes (HMPs) are important objects of study in many areas of pure and applied mathematics, including information theory, probability theory, dynamical systems and statistical physics, with applications in electrical engineering, computer science and molecular biology. This collection of research and survey papers presents important new results and open problems, serving as a unifying gateway for researchers in these areas. Based on talks given at the Banff International Research Station Workshop, 2007, this volume addresses a central problem of the subject: computation of the Shannon entropy rate of an HMP. This is a key quantity in statistical physics and information theory, characterizing the fundamental limit on compression and closely related to channel capacity, the limit on reliable communication. Also discussed, from a symbolic dynamics and thermodynamical viewpoint, is the problem of characterizing the mappings between dynamical systems which map Markov measures to Markov (or Gibbs) measures, and which allow for Markov lifts of Markov chains.
This volume contains nine survey articles by the invited speakers of the 30th British Combinatorial Conference, held at Queen Mary University of London in July 2024. Each article provides an overview of recent developments in a current hot research topic in combinatorics. Topics covered include: Latin squares, Erdős covering systems, finite field models, sublinear expanders, cluster expansion, the slice rank polynomial method, and oriented trees and paths in digraphs. The authors are among the world's foremost researchers on their respective topics but their surveys are accessible to nonspecialist readers: they are written clearly with little prior knowledge assumed and with pointers to the wider literature. Taken together these surveys give a snapshot of the research frontier in contemporary combinatorics, helping researchers and graduate students in mathematics and theoretical computer science to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field.
The rigorous mathematical theory of the Navier–Stokes and Euler equations has been a focus of intense activity in recent years. This volume, the product of a workshop in Venice in 2013, consolidates, surveys and further advances the study of these canonical equations. It consists of a number of reviews and a selection of more traditional research articles on topics that include classical solutions to the 2D Euler equation, modal dependency for the 3D Navier–Stokes equation, zero viscosity Boussinesq equations, global regularity and finite-time singularities, well-posedness for the diffusive Burgers equations, and probabilistic aspects of the Navier–Stokes equation. The result is an accessible summary of a wide range of active research topics written by leaders in their field, together with some exciting new results. The book serves both as a helpful overview for graduate students new to the area and as a useful resource for more established researchers.
The theory of optimal transportation has its origins in the eighteenth century when the problem of transporting resources at a minimal cost was first formalised. Through subsequent developments, particularly in recent decades, it has become a powerful modern theory. This book contains the proceedings of the summer school 'Optimal Transportation: Theory and Applications' held at the Fourier Institute in Grenoble. The event brought together mathematicians from pure and applied mathematics, astrophysics, economics and computer science. Part I of this book is devoted to introductory lecture notes accessible to graduate students, while Part II contains research papers. Together, they represent a valuable resource on both fundamental and advanced aspects of optimal transportation, its applications, and its interactions with analysis, geometry, PDE and probability, urban planning and economics. Topics covered include Ricci flow, the Euler equations, functional inequalities, curvature-dimension conditions, and traffic congestion.
