The BMS (Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs) symmetry arises as the asymptotic symmetry of flat spacetime at null infinity. In particular, the BMS algebra for three dimensional flat spacetime (BMS3) is generated by the super-rotation generators which form a Virasoro sub-algebra with central charge cL, together with mutually-commuting super-translation generators. The super-rotation and super-translation generators have non-trivial commutation relations with another central charge cM. In this paper, we study a free scalar theory in two dimensions exhibiting BMS3 symmetry, which can also be understood as the ultra-relativistic limit of a free scalar CFT2. Upon canonical quantization on the highest weight vacuum, the central charges are found to be cL=2 and cM=0. Because of the vanishing central charge cM=0, the theory features novel properties: there exist primary states which form a multiplet, and the Hilbert space can be organized by an enlarged version of BMS modules dubbed the staggered modules. We further calculate correlation functions and the torus partition function, the later of which is also shown explicitly to be modular invariant.

Consider a perturbed KdV equation: ut +uxxx −6uux = εf(u(·)), x ∈ T = R/Z, where the nonlinear perturbation defines analytic operators u(·) 􏰀→ f(u(·)) in sufficiently smooth Sobolev spaces. Assume that the equation has an ε-quasi- invariant measure μ and satisfies some additional mild assumptions. Let uε(t) be a solution. Then on time intervals of order ε−1, as ε → 0, its actions I(uε(t,·)) can be approximated by solutions of a certain well-posed averaged equation, provided that the initial datum is μ-typical.

Characterization of homogeneous polynomials with isolated critical point at the origin follows from a study of complex geometry. Yau previously proposed a Numerical Characterization Conjecture. A step forward in solving this Conjecture, the Granville-Lin-Yau Conjecture was formulated, with a sharp estimate that counts the number of positive integral points in ndimensional (n≥3) real right-angled simplices with vertices whose distance to the origin are at least n-1. The estimate was proven for n≤6 but has a counterexample for n = 7. In this project we come up with an idea of forming a new sharp estimate conjecture where we need the distances of the vertices to be n. We have proved this new sharp estimate conjecture for n≤7 and are in the process of proving the general n case.

Let $\sum$ be a minimal submanifold of $\mathbb{R}^{n+m}$ that can be represented as the graph of a smooth map $f : \mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}^m$. We apply a formula we derived in the study of mean curvature flow to obtain conditions under which $\sum$ must be an affine subspace. Our result covers all known ones in the general case. The conditions are stated in terms of the singular values of $df$.

In G2 manifolds, 3-dimensional associative submanifolds (instantons) play a role similar to J-holomorphic curves in symplectic geometry. In [21], instantons in G2 manifolds were constructed from regular J-holomorphic curves in coassociative submanifolds. In this exposition paper, after reviewing the background of G2 geometry, we explain the main ingredients in the proofs in [21]. We also construct new examples of instantons.