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EPSRC Reference: GR/M85906/01
Title: ROUND-OFF ERRORS AND P-ADIC NUMBERS
Principal Investigator: Vivaldi, Professor F
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Department: Sch of Mathematical Sciences
Organisation: Queen Mary University of London
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 23 May 2000 Ends: 22 September 2000 Value (£): 3,600
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Algebra & Geometry Logic & Combinatorics
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
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Summary on Grant Application Form
Igor Vladimirov and I wish to collaborate on an investigation on the relation between round-off errors in dynamical systems an algebraic number theory, involving both arithmetical and probabilistic aspects. The study of round-off errors in spatial discretisations of dynamical systems has attracted considerable interest in recent years, due to its significance in theory and computations. A much-studied problem is that of uniform spatial discretisations of linear planar rotations (harmonic oscillator), where the exact dynamics is regular and well-understood, and where round-off errors can be studied in isolation from other dynamical phenomena [2, 6, 14, 15, 8, 11]. Among the most intriguing and complex objects associated to a discrete dynamical system are the so-called period functions describing the period of orbits (typically maximal, or average), as a function of the system 'size' N [13, 7, 1, 14]. The latter is invariably a large parameter, which for round-off systems may be taken to be the inverse of the discretisation length. These functions of a class of strongly chaotic system (toral automorphisms), have been related to some classical number-theoretic problems, centred around the so-called Artin's conjecture [12, 7, 5]. In particular, their average order may be inferred assuming the validity of the so-called generalised Riemann hypothesis. Recently [4], a connection has been found between round-off errors in planar rotations and algebraic number theory. Specifically, the uniform spatial discretisation of the linear mapping F: (x,y) (r)( ax-y,x) a=q/pn (1)where p is a prime number, can be represented as a mapping on the p-adic image of the algebraic number ring generated by the eigenvalues of F. Such mapping can be extended to a chaotic mapping of the p-adic integers, consisting of multiplication by a unit, followed by a Bernoulli shift. The existence of an embedding with complete symbolic dynamics affords an explicit construction and classification of all periodic orbits, and opens the possibility of a number-theoretic interpretation of the associated period functions. This is the problem Vladimirov and I would like to address in a joint research project, of which his visit to London would constitute the first step. We intend to proceed as follows:* Work towards a proof that all orbits of F are periodic, whence bounded. A probabilistic proof (valid for a set of full density) is the first target: this is equivalent to a probabilistic upper bound for the period function.* Work towards a formula for the average order of the period function. The first target is to isolate a minimal set of number-theoretic assumptions necessary to derive it.Igor Vladimirov is a young Russian researchers, who has recently produced remarkable work on the probabilistic aspects of round-off errors in dynamical systems, including the first central limit theorem for round-off errors in linear systems [15].
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