It is known that finitely generated FI-modules over a field of characteristic 0 are Noetherian. We generalize this result to the abstract setting of an infinite EI category satisfying certain combinatorial conditions.

We develop a local cohomology theory for FI^m-modules, and show that it in many ways mimics the classical theory for multi-graded modules over a polynomial ring. In particular, we define an invariant of FI^m-modules using this local cohomology theory which closely resembles an invariant of multi-graded modules over Cox rings defined by Maclagan and Smith. It is then shown that this invariant behaves almost identically to the invariant of Maclagan and Smith.

A finite EI category is a small category with finitely many morphisms such that every endomorphism is an isomorphism. They include finite groups, finite posets and free categories of finite quivers as special cases. In this paper we consider the representation types of finite EI categories, describe some criteria for finite representation type, and use them to classify the representation types of several classes of finite EI categories with extra properties.

The action of the mapping class group of the thrice-punctured projective plane on its GL(2,C) character variety produces an algorithm for generating the simple length spectra of quasi-Fuchsian thrice-punctured projective planes. We apply this algorithm to quasi-Fuchsian representations of the corresponding fundamental group to prove: a sharp upper-bound for the length its shortest geodesic, a McShane identity and the surprising result of non-polynomial growth for the number of simple closed geodesic lengths.

We are interested in the 3-Calabi-Yau categories D arising from quivers with potential associated to a triangulated marked surface S (without punctures). We prove that the spherical twist group ST of D is isomorphic to a subgroup (generated by braid twists) of the mapping class group of the decorated marked surface S_Delta. Here S_Delta is the surface obtained from S by decorating with a set of points, where the number of points equals the number of triangles in any triangulations of S. For instance, when S is an annulus, the result implies that the corresponding spaces of stability conditions on D are contractible.