We construct a conformally invariant random family of closed curves in the plane by welding of random homeomorphisms of the unit circle. The homeomorphism is constructed using the exponential of$βX$, where X is the restriction of the 2-dimensional free field on the circle and the parameter$β$is in the “high temperature” regime $$ \beta < \sqrt {2} $$ . The welding problem is solved by studying a non-uniformly elliptic Beltrami equation with a random complex dilatation. For the existence a method of Lehto is used. This requires sharp probabilistic estimates to control conformal moduli of annuli and they are proven by decomposing the free field as a sum of independent fixed scale fields and controlling the correlations of the complex dilatation restricted to dyadic cells of various scales. For the uniqueness we invoke a result by Jones and Smirnov on conformal removability of Hölder curves. Our curves are closely related to SLE($ϰ$) for$ϰ$<4.

We consider the Stokes conjecture concerning the shape of extreme 2-dimensional water waves. By new geometric methods including a non-linear frequency formula, we prove the Stokes conjecture in the original variables. Our results do not rely on structural assumptions needed in previous results such as isolated singularities, symmetry and monotonicity. Part of our results extends to the mathematical problem in higher dimensions.

We define non-pluripolar products of an arbitrary number of closed positive (1, 1)-currents on a compact Kähler manifold$X$. Given a big (1, 1)-cohomology class$α$on$X$(i.e. a class that can be represented by a strictly positive current) and a positive measure$μ$on$X$of total mass equal to the volume of$α$and putting no mass on pluripolar sets, we show that$μ$can be written in a unique way as the top-degree self-intersection in the non-pluripolar sense of a closed positive current in$α$. We then extend Kolodziedj’s approach to sup-norm estimates to show that the solution has minimal singularities in the sense of Demailly if$μ$has$L$^{1+$ε$}-density with respect to Lebesgue measure. If$μ$is smooth and positive everywhere, we prove that$T$is smooth on the ample locus of$α$provided$α$is nef. Using a fixed point theorem, we finally explain how to construct singular Kähler–Einstein volume forms with minimal singularities on varieties of general type.

We study the wave propagation speed problem on metric measure spaces, emphasizing on self-similar sets that are not postcritically finite. We prove that a sub-Gaussian lower heat kernel estimate leads to infinite propagation speed, extending a result of Y.-T. Lee to include bounded and unbounded generalized Sierpi\'nski carpets as well as some fractal blowups. We also formulate conditions under which a Gaussian upper heat kernel estimate leads to finite propagation speed, and apply this result to two classes of iterated function systems with overlaps, including those defining the classical infinite Bernoulli convolutions.

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