Lines in Euclidean Ramsey theory

Let $\ell_m$ be a sequence of $m$ points on a line with consecutive points of distance one. For every natural number $n$, we prove the existence of a red/blue-coloring of $\mathbb{E}^n$ containing no red copy of $\ell_2$ and no blue copy of $\ell_m$ for any $m \geq 2^{cn}$. This is best possible up to the constant $c$ in the exponent. It also answers a question of Erd\H{o}s, Graham, Montgomery, Rothschild, Spencer and Straus from 1973. They asked if, for every natural number $n$, there is a set $K \subset \mathbb{E}^1$ and a red/blue-coloring of $\mathbb{E}^n$ containing no red copy of $\ell_2$ and no blue copy of $K$.Comment: 7 page

Learning Representations in Model-Free Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning

Common approaches to Reinforcement Learning (RL) are seriously challenged by large-scale applications involving huge state spaces and sparse delayed reward feedback. Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (HRL) methods attempt to address this scalability issue by learning action selection policies at multiple levels of temporal abstraction. Abstraction can be had by identifying a relatively small set of states that are likely to be useful as subgoals, in concert with the learning of corresponding skill policies to achieve those subgoals. Many approaches to subgoal discovery in HRL depend on the analysis of a model of the environment, but the need to learn such a model introduces its own problems of scale. Once subgoals are identified, skills may be learned through intrinsic motivation, introducing an internal reward signal marking subgoal attainment. In this paper, we present a novel model-free method for subgoal discovery using incremental unsupervised learning over a small memory of the most recent experiences (trajectories) of the agent. When combined with an intrinsic motivation learning mechanism, this method learns both subgoals and skills, based on experiences in the environment. Thus, we offer an original approach to HRL that does not require the acquisition of a model of the environment, suitable for large-scale applications. We demonstrate the efficiency of our method on two RL problems with sparse delayed feedback: a variant of the rooms environment and the first screen of the ATARI 2600 Montezuma's Revenge game

The Minimal Modal Interpretation of Quantum Theory

We introduce a realist, unextravagant interpretation of quantum theory that builds on the existing physical structure of the theory and allows experiments to have definite outcomes, but leaves the theory's basic dynamical content essentially intact. Much as classical systems have specific states that evolve along definite trajectories through configuration spaces, the traditional formulation of quantum theory asserts that closed quantum systems have specific states that evolve unitarily along definite trajectories through Hilbert spaces, and our interpretation extends this intuitive picture of states and Hilbert-space trajectories to the case of open quantum systems as well. We provide independent justification for the partial-trace operation for density matrices, reformulate wave-function collapse in terms of an underlying interpolating dynamics, derive the Born rule from deeper principles, resolve several open questions regarding ontological stability and dynamics, address a number of familiar no-go theorems, and argue that our interpretation is ultimately compatible with Lorentz invariance. Along the way, we also investigate a number of unexplored features of quantum theory, including an interesting geometrical structure---which we call subsystem space---that we believe merits further study. We include an appendix that briefly reviews the traditional Copenhagen interpretation and the measurement problem of quantum theory, as well as the instrumentalist approach and a collection of foundational theorems not otherwise discussed in the main text.Comment: 73 pages + references, 9 figures; cosmetic changes, added figure, updated references, generalized conditional probabilities with attendant changes to the sections on the EPR-Bohm thought experiment and Lorentz invariance; for a concise summary, see the companion letter at arXiv:1405.675

Large subgraphs without complete bipartite graphs

In this note, we answer the following question of Foucaud, Krivelevich and Perarnau. What is the size of the largest $K_{r,s}$-free subgraph one can guarantee in every graph $G$ with $m$ edges? We also discuss the analogous problem for hypergraphs.Comment: 4 page

Integrable clusters

The goal of this note is to study quantum clusters in which cluster variables (not coefficients) commute which each other. It turns out that this property is preserved by mutations. Remarkably, this is equivalent to the celebrated sign coherence conjecture recently proved by M. Gross, P. Hacking, S. Keel and M. KontsevichComment: 3 page

Primer for the algebraic geometry of sandpiles

The Abelian Sandpile Model (ASM) is a game played on a graph realizing the dynamics implicit in the discrete Laplacian matrix of the graph. The purpose of this primer is to apply the theory of lattice ideals from algebraic geometry to the Laplacian matrix, drawing out connections with the ASM. An extended summary of the ASM and of the required algebraic geometry is provided. New results include a characterization of graphs whose Laplacian lattice ideals are complete intersection ideals; a new construction of arithmetically Gorenstein ideals; a generalization to directed multigraphs of a duality theorem between elements of the sandpile group of a graph and the graph's superstable configurations (parking functions); and a characterization of the top Betti number of the minimal free resolution of the Laplacian lattice ideal as the number of elements of the sandpile group of least degree. A characterization of all the Betti numbers is conjectured.Comment: 45 pages, 14 figures. v2: corrected typo