The aim of this paper is to extend the previous work on transfer matrix compression in the case of graph homomorphisms. For H-homomorphisms of lattice-like graphs we demonstrate how the automorphisms of H, as well as those of the underlying lattice, can be used to reduce the size of the relevant transfer matrices. As applications of this method we give currently best known bounds for the number of 4- and 5-colourings of the square grid, and the number of 3- and 4-colourings of the three-dimensional cubic lattice. Finally, we also discuss approximate compression of transfer matrices.

We determine the character table of the endomorphism ring of the permutation module associated with the multiplicity-free action of the sporadic simple Baby Monster group B on its conjugacy class 2B, where the centraliser of a 2B-element is a maximal subgroup of shape 21+22.Co2. This is one of the first applications of a new general computational technique to enumerate big orbits.

We investigate the possible character values of torsion units of the normalized unit group of the integral group ring of the Mathieu sporadic group M22. We confirm the Kimmerle conjecture on prime graphs for this group and specify the partial augmentations for possible counterexamples to the stronger Zassenhaus conjecture.

We analyse and drastically improve the running time of the algorithm of Mazur, Stein and Tate for computing the canonical cyclotomic p-adic height of a point on an elliptic curve E/Q, where E has good ordinary reduction at p ≥ 5.

We study weak convergence of an Euler scheme for nonlinear stochastic delay differential equations (SDDEs) driven by multidimensional Brownian motion. The Euler scheme has weak order of convergence 1, as in the case of stochastic ordinary differential equations (SODEs) (i.e., without delay). The result holds for SDDEs with multiple finite fixed delays in the drift and diffusion terms. Although the set-up is non-anticipating, our approach uses the Malliavin calculus and the anticipating stochastic analysis techniques of Nualart and Pardoux.

We classify the radical p-subgroups and chains of the Fischer simple group Fi′24 and then verify the Alperin weight conjecture and the Uno reductive conjecture for Fi′24.

We describe an algorithm to decompose rational functions from which we determine the poset of groups fixing these functions.

We present experimental evidence to support the widely held belief that one half of all elliptic curves have infinitely many rational points. The method used to gather this evidence is a refinement of an algorithm due to the author which is based upon rigid and crystalline cohomology.

Let A be a finite dimensional algebra over a finite field F. Condensing an A-module V with two different idempotents e and e′ leads to the problem that to compare the composition series of V e and V e′, we need to match the composition factors of both modules. In other words, given a composition factor S of V e, we have to find a composition factor S′ of V e′ such that there exists a composition factor Ŝ of V with Ŝ e ≅ S and Ŝ e′ ≅ S′, or prove that no such S′ exists. In this note, we present a computationally tractable solution to this problem.

We describe an algorithm for computing a chief series, the soluble radical, and two other characteristic subgroups of a matrix group over a finite field, which is intended for matrix groups that are too large for the use of base and strong generating set methods. The algorithm has been implemented in Magma by the second author.

We present and analyse a Monte-Carlo algorithm to compute the minimal polynomial of an n × n matrix over a finite field that requires O(n3) field operations and O(n) random vectors, and is well suited for successful practical implementation. The algorithm, and its complexity analysis, use standard algorithms for polynomial and matrix operations. We compare features of the algorithm with several other algorithms in the literature. In addition we present a deterministic verification procedure which is similarly efficient in most cases but has a worst-case complexity of O(n4). Finally, we report the results of practical experiments with an implementation of our algorithms in comparison with the current algorithms in the GAP library.

Let G be a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field with Lie algebra g. Then the orbits of nilpotent elements of g under the adjoint action of G have been classified. We describe a simple algorithm for finding a representative of a nilpotent orbit. We use this to compute lists of representatives of these orbits for the Lie algebras of exceptional type. Then we give two applications. The first one concerns settling a conjecture by Elashvili on the index of centralizers of nilpotent orbits, for the case where the Lie algebra is of exceptional type. The second deals with minimal dimensions of centralizers in centralizers.

This article deals with a constructive aspect of Hilbert's seventeenth problem: producing a collection of real polynomials in two variables, of degree 8 in one variable, which are positive but are not sums of three squares of rational fractions.

To do this we use a reformulation of this problem in terms of hyperelliptic curves due to Huisman and Mahé and we follow a method of Cassels, Ellison and Pfister which involves the computation of a Mordell–Weil rank over ℝ(x).

I give an algorithm for computing the full space of automor-phic forms for definite unitary groups over ℚ, and apply this to calculate the automorphic forms of level G(hat{Z}) and various small weights for an example of a rank 3 unitary group. This leads to some examples of various types of endoscopic lifting from automorphic forms for U1 × U1 × U1 and U1 × U2, and to an example of a non-endoscopic form of weight (3, 3) corresponding to a family of 3-dimensional irreducible ℓ-adic Galois representations. I also compute the 2-adic slopes of some automorphic forms with level structure at 2, giving evidence for the local constancy of the slopes.

The unipotent groups are an important class of algebraic groups. We show that techniques used to compute with finitely generated nilpotent groups carry over to unipotent groups. We concentrate particularly on maximal unipotent subgroups of split reductive groups and show how this improves computation in the reductive group itself.

We present a proof, which is conditional on the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture for a specific abelian variety, that there do not exist rational numbers x and c such that x has exact period N = 6 under the iteration x ↦ x2 + c. This extends earlier results by Morton for N = 4 and by Flynn, Poonen and Schaefer for N = 5.