Semi-algebraic Ramsey numbers

Given a finite point set $P \subset \mathbb{R}^d$, a $k$-ary semi-algebraic relation $E$ on $P$ is the set of $k$-tuples of points in $P$, which is determined by a finite number of polynomial equations and inequalities in $kd$ real variables. The description complexity of such a relation is at most $t$ if the number of polynomials and their degrees are all bounded by $t$. The Ramsey number $R^{d,t}_k(s,n)$ is the minimum $N$ such that any $N$-element point set $P$ in $\mathbb{R}^d$ equipped with a $k$-ary semi-algebraic relation $E$, such that $E$ has complexity at most $t$, contains $s$ members such that every $k$-tuple induced by them is in $E$, or $n$ members such that every $k$-tuple induced by them is not in $E$. We give a new upper bound for $R^{d,t}_k(s,n)$ for $k\geq 3$ and $s$ fixed. In particular, we show that for fixed integers $d,t,s$, $R^{d,t}_3(s,n) \leq 2^{n^{o(1)}},$ establishing a subexponential upper bound on $R^{d,t}_3(s,n)$. This improves the previous bound of $2^{n^C}$ due to Conlon, Fox, Pach, Sudakov, and Suk, where $C$ is a very large constant depending on $d,t,$ and $s$. As an application, we give new estimates for a recently studied Ramsey-type problem on hyperplane arrangements in $\mathbb{R}^d$. We also study multi-color Ramsey numbers for triangles in our semi-algebraic setting, achieving some partial results

A note on order-type homogeneous point sets

Let OT_d(n) be the smallest integer N such that every N-element point sequence in R^d in general position contains an order-type homogeneous subset of size n, where a set is order-type homogeneous if all (d+1)-tuples from this set have the same orientation. It is known that a point sequence in R^d that is order-type homogeneous forms the vertex set of a convex polytope that is combinatorially equivalent to a cyclic polytope in R^d. Two famous theorems of Erdos and Szekeres from 1935 imply that OT_1(n) = Theta(n^2) and OT_2(n) = 2^(Theta(n)). For d \geq 3, we give new bounds for OT_d(n). In particular: 1. We show that OT_3(n) = 2^(2^(Theta(n))), answering a question of Eli\'a\v{s} and Matou\v{s}ek. 2. For d \geq 4, we show that OT_d(n) is bounded above by an exponential tower of height d with O(n) in the topmost exponent

Disjoint edges in complete topological graphs

It is shown that every complete n-vertex simple topological graph has at least Omega(n^{1/3}) pairwise disjoint edges, and these edges can be found in polynomial time. This proves a conjecture of Pach and T\'oth

We Both Eat Rice, But That\u27s About It: Korean and Latino Relations in a Multi-Ethnic City

On any given day, in any given restaurant in Koreatown, countless orders are taken, meals are served, tables are cleared, dishes are washed, and checks are paid. Down the street at a corner convenience store, shelves are stocked, beverages are placed into large refrigerators, and purchases are rung up. Even to the most casual observer, it becomes obvious that Korean workers take the orders and collect the money while Latino workers replenish the shelves, clear the tables, and wash the dishes

Universal Bundle, Generalized Russian Formula and Non-Abelian Anomaly in Topological Yang-Mills Theory

We re-examine the geometry and algebraic structure of BRST's of Topological Yang-Mills theory based on the universal bundle formalism of Atiyah and Singer. This enables us to find a natural generalization of the {\it Russian formula and descent equations\/}, which can be used as algebraic method to find the non-Abelian anomalies counterparts in Topological Yang-Mills theory. We suggest that the presence of the non-Abelian anomaly obstructs the proper definition of Donaldson's invariants.Comment: 16 pages, harvmac TeX, ESENAT-92-07, (TeXnical and stupid errors are corrected.