In this paper, we study gravitational instantons (i.e., complete hyperkähler 4‑manifolds with faster than quadratic curvature decay). We prove three main theorems: (1) Any gravitational instanton must have one of the following known ends: ALE, ALF, ALG, and ALH. (2) In the ALG and ALH non-splitting cases, it must be biholomorphic to a compact complex elliptic surface minus a divisor. Thus, we confirm a long-standing question of Yau in the ALG and ALH cases. (3) In the ALF‑D_k case, it must have an O(4)‑multiplet.

For any 2⩽r⩽∞,n⩾2, we prove the existence of an open set U of C^r‑self‑mappings of any n‑manifold so that a generic map f in U displays a fast growth of the number of periodic points: the number of its n‑periodic points grows as fast as asked. This complements the works of Martens–de Melo–van Strien, Kaloshin, Bonatti–Díaz–Fisher and Turaev, to give a full answer to questions asked by Smale in 1967, Bowen in 1978 and Arnold in 1989, for any manifold of any dimension and for any smoothness. Furthermore, for any 1⩽r<∞ and any k⩾0, we prove the existence of an open set \hat U of k-parameter families in U such that for a generic (f_p)^p ∈ \hat U, for every ∥p∥⩽1, the map f_p displays a fast growth of the number of periodic points. This gives a negative answer to a problem asked by Arnold in 1992 in the finitely smooth case.

An explicit Fredholm determinant formula is derived for the multipoint distribution of the height function of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) with arbitrary right-finite initial condition. The method is by solving the biorthogonal ensemble/non-intersecting path representation found by [54], [10]. The resulting kernel involves transition probabilities of a random walk forced to hit a curve defined by the initial data. In the KPZ 1:2:3 scaling limit the formula leads in a transparent way to a Fredholm determinant formula, in terms of analogous kernels based on Brownian motion, for the transition probabilities of the scaling invariant Markov process at the centre of the KPZ universality class. The formula readily reproduces known special self-similar solutions such as the Airy1 and Airy2 processes. The process takes values in real valued functions which look locally like Brownian motion, and is Hölder 1/3−in time. Both the KPZ fixed point and TASEP are shown to be stochastic integrable systems in the sense that the time evolution of their transition probabilities can be linearized through a new Brownian scattering transform and its discrete analogue.

Using the geometric Satake correspondence, the Mirković–Vilonen cycles in the affine Grasssmannian give bases for representations of a semisimple group G. We prove that these bases are “perfect”, i.e. compatible with the action of the Chevelley generators of the positive half of the Lie algebra g. We compute this action in terms of intersection multiplicities in the affine Grassmannian. We prove that these bases stitch together to a basis for the algebra C[N] of regular functions on the unipotent subgroup. We compute the multiplication in this MV basis using intersection multiplicities in the Beilinson–Drinfeld Grassmannian, thus proving a conjecture of Anderson. In the third part of the paper, we define a map from C[N] to a convolution algebra of measures on the dual of the Cartan subalgebra of g. We characterize this map using the universal centralizer space of G. We prove that the measure associated with an MV basis element equals the Duistermaat–Heckman measure of the corresponding MV cycle. This leads to a proof of a conjecture of Muthiah. Finally, we use the map to measures to compare the MV basis and Lusztig’s dual semicanonical basis. We formulate conjectures relating the algebraic invariants of preprojective algebra modules (which underlie the dual semicanonical basis) and geometric invariants of MV cycles. In the appendix, we use these ideas to prove that the MV basis and the dual semicanonical basis do not coincide in SL_6 .

We develop the orbit method in a quantitative form, along the lines of microlocal analysis, and apply it to the analytic theory of automorphic forms. Our main global application is an asymptotic formula for averages of Gan-Gross-Prasad periods in arbitrary rank. The automorphic form on the larger group is held fixed, while that on the smaller group varies over a family of size roughly the fourth root of the conductors of the corresponding L-functions. Ratner’s results on measure classification provide an important input to the proof. Our local results include asymptotic expansions for certain special functions arising from representations of higher-rank Lie groups, such as the relative characters defined by matrix coefficient integrals as in the Ichino-Ikeda conjecture.