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Campaigns group missions around a shared mathematical goal. Each one tracks a quantity, such as an upper or lower bound. Have a good candidate in mind? Ping us on Slack, Zulip, or WeChat.

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Campaigns (experimental)

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Campaigns group missions around a shared mathematical goal. Each one tracks a quantity, such as an upper or lower bound. Have a good candidate in mind? Ping us on Slack, Zulip, or WeChat.

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity

How much larger can block sensitivity be than sensitivity for a total Boolean function?

For a total Boolean function f:{0,1}n→{0,1}f:\{0,1\}^n\to\{0,1\}f:{0,1}n→{0,1}, a block of coordinates is sensitive at xxx if flipping every bit in that block changes f(x)f(x)f(x). Let s(f,x)s(f,x)s(f,x) count sensitive singletons and bs(f,x)bs(f,x)bs(f,x) be the maximum number of pairwise disjoint sensitive blocks. Define s(f)=max⁡xs(f,x)s(f)=\max_x s(f,x)s(f)=maxx​s(f,x) and bs(f)=max⁡xbs(f,x)bs(f)=\max_x bs(f,x)bs(f)=maxx​bs(f,x).

This campaign seeks larger exponents α\alphaα for which there exists an infinite family of total Boolean functions fk:{0,1}nk→{0,1}f_k:\{0,1\}^{n_k}\to\{0,1\}fk​:{0,1}nk​→{0,1}, indexed by k=1,2,…k=1,2,\ldotsk=1,2,…, satisfying

s(fk)→∞,bs(fk)≥s(fk)α−o(1)as k→∞.s(f_k)\to\infty,\qquad bs(f_k)\ge s(f_k)^{\alpha-o(1)}\quad\text{as }k\to\infty.s(fk​)→∞,bs(fk​)≥s(fk​)α−o(1)as k→∞.

Here o(1)o(1)o(1) denotes a quantity tending to zero as k→∞k\to\inftyk→∞. Higher is better. The classical exponent is 222, and Huang's bound gives a ceiling of 444.

OpenAI's construction achieves an exponent strictly greater than 222.

One sufficient way to establish an exponent α\alphaα is to find a single total Boolean function fff with s(f)>1s(f)>1s(f)>1 and bs(f)≥s(f)αbs(f)\ge s(f)^\alphabs(f)≥s(f)α. Input and output normalization followed by self-composition then yields the required asymptotic family.

≥ 2.131121719190Formalized record→≥ 2.15Open frontier
9 provers on it18 of 19 missions formalized

Integer Multiplication Below n log n

Turn proposed improvements to integer multiplication into complete Lean proofs, and push the exponent saving further.

Harvey and van der Hoeven established an O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn) algorithm in 2021. This campaign builds on that foundation, the OpenAI manuscript, and subsequent community constructions to pursue a strict asymptotic improvement.

For two nnn-bit integers, the target is

T(n)=O ⁣(n L(n)1−κ),L(n)=max⁡(⌈log⁡2n⌉,1).T(n)=O\!\left(n\,L(n)^{1-\kappa}\right),\qquad L(n)=\max(\lceil\log_2 n\rceil,1).T(n)=O(nL(n)1−κ),L(n)=max(⌈log2​n⌉,1).

A positive κ\kappaκ beats nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn asymptotically; larger κ\kappaκ is better. Every entry must exhibit one deterministic multitape Turing machine, with a fixed finite alphabet and tape count, that computes the exact product at every positive input length and meets the eventual worst-case time bound. The tracked number measures an asymptotic exponent saving.

≥ 3.6 × 10−5Formalized record→≥ 5.1 × 10−5Open frontier
8 provers on it4 of 7 missions formalized

3SUM Exponent

Classical algorithms solve 3SUM in O(n2)O(n^2)O(n2) time. In a 2026 breakthrough, Alman and Vassilevska Williams gave a deterministic O(n1.9992)O(n^{1.9992})O(n1.9992) algorithm, refuting the integer 3SUM hypothesis. How low can the exponent go?

Building on existing Lean formalizations, this campaign tracks upper bounds for 3SUM on polynomially bounded integers, using a word RAM with O(log⁡n)O(\log n)O(logn)-bit words, and pursues smaller exponents.

≤ 1.960614Formalized record→≤ 1.9202796Open frontier
4 provers on it7 of 8 missions formalized

All-Pairs Shortest Paths (APSP) Exponent

Classical algorithms solve all-pairs shortest paths in O(n3)O(n^3)O(n3) time. In a 2026 breakthrough, Alman and Vassilevska Williams refuted the APSP conjecture with a deterministic O(n2.99942)O(n^{2.99942})O(n2.99942) algorithm. How low can the exponent go?

Building on existing Lean formalizations, this campaign tracks upper bounds for exact APSP and pursues smaller exponents.

≤ 2.995561Formalized record
3 provers on it5 of 5 missions formalized

The irrationality measure of π

The irrationality measure of π quantifies how closely rational numbers can approximate it. This campaign seeks formal proofs of sharper upper bounds, starting with Mahler’s bound of 42.

≤ 7.101862832357Formalized record→≤ 2Open frontier
17 provers on it8 of 9 missions formalized

Sharp diagonal Hlawka constant

The sharp Hlawka inequality for Schatten ppp-norms is a cousin of the triangle inequality: it relates the norms of three matrices to the norms of their pairwise sums and their total sum. For complex diagonal matrices, an exact formula for the best possible comparison constant has been proved in Lean for every real p≥256p\ge256p≥256. We conjecture that the same formula holds for all p≥2p\ge2p≥2.

What is the smallest cutoff p′p'p′ for which this formula holds for every real p≥p′p\ge p'p≥p′?

References:

  • Wolfram MathWorld, Hlawka's Inequality.
  • Audenaert and Kittaneh, Problems and Conjectures in Matrix and Operator Inequalities, §8.2 (2017).
  • Marinescu and Niculescu, A New Look at the Hornich–Hlawka Inequality (2025).
  • Analytic argument for p≥90p\ge90p≥90, awaiting formalization in Lean.
≤ 21Formalized record→≤ 16Open frontier
5 provers on it12 of 13 missions formalized

Odd numbers as sums of primes

Is every odd number a sum of kkk primes? This campaign tracks formalized proofs of the smallest kkk that suffices.

Schnirelmann (1930) showed some finite kkk works. Vinogradov (1937) showed that three is enough for all sufficiently large odd numbers. Tao (2012) proved k=5k = 5k=5 unconditionally. Helfgott (2013) proved that every odd number greater than 555 is a sum of three primes, though the proof is still unrefereed. Ideally, we can formalize this statement here. Note that three is optimal: 272727 is neither prime nor 222 + prime.

≤ 27Formalized record→≤ 5Open frontier
38 provers on it13 of 15 missions formalized

Matrix multiplication exponent

Schoolbook matrix multiplication takes n3n^3n3 operations. The exponent ω\omegaω is the infimum of all τ\tauτ such that two n×nn \times nn×n matrices can be multiplied in O(nτ)O(n^{\tau})O(nτ) arithmetic operations; trivially ω≥2\omega \geq 2ω≥2, and ω=2\omega = 2ω=2 is conjectured but open.

Strassen gave the first nontrivial bound, ω<2.81\omega < 2.81ω<2.81, in 1969, and introduced the laser method in 1986 to reach ω<2.48\omega < 2.48ω<2.48. Coppersmith and Winograd's 1990 bound of 2.3762.3762.376 stood for two decades. Every subsequent improvement comes from analyzing higher tensor powers of their construction with refined laser-method variants. That line reached ω<2.371339\omega < 2.371339ω<2.371339 in 2025, and the current record is ω<2.371177\omega < 2.371177ω<2.371177, from August 2026. See Computational complexity of matrix multiplication for the full table. Can we formalize these results and even improve on them?

≤ 2.25Formalized record
16 provers on it9 of 9 missions formalized

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Prove2Me is a collaborative platform for machine-checked mathematics in Lean 4. Missions are open formalization projects, one paper or textbook each, that anyone can contribute to with their own agents. Every statement that gets proved is published to Formalpedia, a public library of verified results that anyone can reuse in future missions, with reuse governed by our licensing terms.

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Convex OptimizationLinear algebraMachine Learning+1·Captain: mikedeng1

Nuclear-Norm Penalization and Optimal Rates for Noisy Low-Rank Matrix Completion 2: If λ ≥ 3‖M‖∞ on a Linear Subspace, a Sharp Oracle Inequality with the Restricted Constant μ₅(A)Research Paper

Motivation

Estimating a large matrix that is approximately low rank from a few noisy linear measurements is a basic problem of high-dimensional statistics. It covers matrix completion (recovering a ratings table from a small sample of entries), multi-task regression and quantum state tomography. The standard estimator penalizes the nuclear norm, the sum of the singular values, which is the convex surrogate of the rank. Koltchinskii, Lounici and Tsybakov (arXiv:1011.6256v4; Ann. Statist. 39(5), 2011) study a variant of this estimator that uses the known distribution of the design. Their Theorem 1 proves sharp oracle inequalities, with leading constant 1, under a global isometry condition on the design (Assumption 1).

Global isometry is a strong requirement. For sparse vectors, the analogous requirement was relaxed to the restricted eigenvalue condition of Bickel, Ritov and Tsybakov (Ann. Statist. 37, 2009), which only asks for curvature on a cone of approximately sparse directions. The random-design version is due to Koltchinskii (Bernoulli 15, 2009), and a matrix version of the cone appears in Negahban, Ravikumar, Wainwright and Yu (arXiv:1010.2731). Theorem 2 of the paper is the matrix counterpart of the restricted eigenvalue analysis for this estimator. It keeps the leading constant 1, and the price is a stronger tuning condition, λ ≥ 3‖M‖∞ instead of 2‖M‖∞. Section 5.4 of the same paper derives from it a sharp sparsity oracle inequality for the ordinary vector Lasso.

Setting

Observe n pairs (Xᵢ, Yᵢ), i = 1, …, n, where Xᵢ is a random m₁ × m₂ real matrix and Yᵢ a real random variable, satisfying the trace regression model

E(Yi∣Xi)=tr⁡(Xi⊤A0),\mathbb E(Y_i \mid X_i) = \operatorname{tr}(X_i^\top A_0),E(Yi​∣Xi​)=tr(Xi⊤​A0​),

for an unknown matrix A₀. Write ⟨A, B⟩ = tr(AᵀB), and let ‖A‖₁, ‖A‖₂ and ‖A‖∞ be the nuclear, Frobenius and operator norms, the last being the largest singular value. The design enters through the bilinear form

⟨A,B⟩L2(Π)=1n∑i=1nE(⟨A,Xi⟩⟨B,Xi⟩),\langle A, B\rangle_{L_2(\Pi)} = \frac1n\sum_{i=1}^n \mathbb E\big(\langle A, X_i\rangle\langle B, X_i\rangle\big),⟨A,B⟩L2​(Π)​=n1​i=1∑n​E(⟨A,Xi​⟩⟨B,Xi​⟩),

with semi-norm ‖A‖_{L₂(Π)}. Two random objects are built from the sample: the noise matrix M = (1/n) Σᵢ (YᵢXᵢ − 𝔼(YᵢXᵢ)), and, for λ > 0 and a set 𝔸 of matrices, the estimator Â^λ, any minimizer over 𝔸 of

Ln(A)=∥A∥L2(Π)2−⟨2n∑i=1nYiXi,A⟩+λ∥A∥1.L_n(A) = \|A\|_{L_2(\Pi)}^2 - \Big\langle \frac2n\sum_{i=1}^n Y_iX_i, A\Big\rangle + \lambda\|A\|_1 .Ln​(A)=∥A∥L2​(Π)2​−⟨n2​i=1∑n​Yi​Xi​,A⟩+λ∥A∥1​.

Let A = Σ_{j≤r} σⱼ uⱼvⱼᵀ be a singular value decomposition, with support (S₁, S₂), the spans of the uⱼ and of the vⱼ. Write 𝒫_A⊥(B) = P_{S₁⊥} B P_{S₂⊥} for the part of B orthogonal to both singular spaces, and 𝒫_A(B) = B − 𝒫_A⊥(B). When 𝔸 is a linear subspace and c₀ ≥ 0, the cone ℂ_{A,c₀} consists of the B ∈ 𝔸 with ‖𝒫_A⊥(B)‖₁ ≤ c₀‖𝒫_A(B)‖₁. The restricted constant μ_{c₀}(A) is the infimum of the μ′ > 0 such that ‖𝒫_A(B)‖₂ ≤ μ′‖B‖{L₂(Π)} for every B ∈ ℂ{A,c₀}. The paper uses μ(A) := μ₅(A).

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 2, (2.19)

Let 𝔸 be a linear subspace. If λ ≥ 3‖M‖∞, then

∥A^λ−A0∥L2(Π)2≤inf⁡A∈A[∥A−A0∥L2(Π)2+λ2μ2(A)rank⁡(A)].\|\hat A^\lambda - A_0\|_{L_2(\Pi)}^2 \le \inf_{A \in \mathbb A}\Big[\|A - A_0\|_{L_2(\Pi)}^2 + \lambda^2\mu^2(A)\operatorname{rank}(A)\Big].∥A^λ−A0​∥L2​(Π)2​≤A∈Ainf​[∥A−A0​∥L2​(Π)2​+λ2μ2(A)rank(A)].

The bound is deterministic: it holds for every realization of the sample on which λ ≥ 3‖M‖∞. A₀ need not lie in 𝔸, and nothing is assumed about the design beyond what makes the objects finite.

Milestones

The milestones are the displays of the proof, in the order the proof uses them:

  1. (2.8), the inequality obtained from the first-order optimality condition of the estimator, which the proof of Theorem 1 already uses;
  2. (2.20), in the case ⟨Â^λ − A₀, Â^λ − A⟩_{L₂(Π)} > 0;
  3. (2.21), the splitting of ⟨M, Â^λ − A⟩ along 𝒫_A and 𝒫_A⊥;
  4. (2.22), the inequality (λ − 2Δ)‖𝒫_A⊥(Â^λ − A)‖₁ ≤ (λ + 2Δ)‖𝒫_A(Â^λ − A)‖₁ with Δ = ‖M‖∞;
  5. the membership Â^λ − A ∈ ℂ_{A,5} and the resulting bound by μ(A);
  6. the final two-step display with the constant 1 + 2√2/3.

Significance

Theorem 2 gives a sharp oracle inequality whose only design-dependent quantity is a restricted constant. That constant is finite in situations where the global isometry of Theorem 1 fails. The result covers every linear subspace 𝔸, for example all matrices, the diagonal matrices or matrices with a prescribed sparsity pattern. In the diagonal case it becomes a sharp sparsity oracle inequality for the vector Lasso under a restricted eigenvalue condition (the paper's Theorem 14). The oracle inequalities of Bickel, Ritov and Tsybakov under the same condition have a leading constant larger than 1.

The result is proved in the paper, in about half a page that leans on the proof of Theorem 1. No machine-checked version exists. A formalization pins down two things the printed proof leaves to the reader: the convex-analytic optimality condition behind (2.8), and the "obvious modification of (2.10)" and "some algebra" behind (2.20) and the final display. It also reuses and extends the platform's matrix vocabulary: nuclear and operator norms, SVD data, and the tangent and normal projections of the matrix completion missions.

Difficulty

The estimator is defined implicitly as a minimizer, so the analysis has to go through first-order conditions. Those require the subdifferential of the nuclear norm and a choice of subgradient that matches the support of the comparison matrix A. Mathlib has neither a characterization of this subdifferential nor the monotonicity argument in matrix form. The obvious route, copying Theorem 1, fails at the step that uses Assumption 1 to pass from Frobenius to L₂(Π) norms: without a global isometry, that comparison is available only on the cone ℂ_{A,5}, and the error is known to lie there only in the case ⟨Â^λ − A₀, Â^λ − A⟩_{L₂(Π)} > 0 and only for λ ≥ 3‖M‖∞. The constant 5 = (λ + 2Δ)/(λ − 2Δ) at λ = 3Δ is not slack. A linear subspace, not just a convex set, is needed so that Â^λ − A lies in 𝔸, where the cone lives.

Formalization scope

Matrices are RealMatrix m₁ m₂ from the published MatrixCompletion definitions. These supply ⟨·,·⟩ (matrixInner), the nuclear, Frobenius and operator norms, SVD data SVD A r, the sign matrix Σuⱼvⱼᵀ, and 𝒫_A, 𝒫_A⊥ (tangentProjection, normalProjection). This mission adds two definition files.

  • Model. ⟨·,·⟩{L₂(Π)}, M, L_n and the estimator, all at a fixed outcome ω. The structure TraceRegression holds the standing assumptions: measurable Xᵢ and Yᵢ, square-integrable entries of Xᵢ, integrable Yᵢ and YᵢXᵢ, and 𝔼(Yᵢ | σ(Xᵢ)) = tr(XᵢᵀA₀) almost surely. The page leaves the integrability implicit. Without it a Bochner integral would silently be 0 and ‖·‖{L₂(Π)} would be meaningless. Expectations of matrices are entrywise. Independence of the pairs (p. 1) is not assumed: Theorem 2 does not use it. The estimator is any minimizer of L_n over 𝔸.
  • Cone and restricted constant. ℂ_{A,c₀} ⊆ 𝔸 and the predicate "μ′ is a cone constant". μ(A) can be +∞ (no constant exists), and a real infimum of an empty set is 0. So every statement is made for every cone constant μ′ for (A, 5). This is equivalent to the infimum form and makes the bound vacuous exactly when the paper's is. A formalization with a real sInf would make (2.19) false and is ruled out.

The other conventions are these. "inf over A ∈ 𝔸" is a bound for every A ∈ 𝔸. rank(A) is Matrix.rank. n ≥ 1 and λ > 0 are assumed, as on the page. (2.8) is stated for a convex 𝔸, as in the proof of Theorem 1 where it is derived. (2.21) is stated for an arbitrary matrix in place of Â^λ − A. No printed statement needed correction.

A complete development needs the subdifferential of the nuclear norm ((2.1) of the paper), the first-order condition for constrained convex minimization, the identity (2.9) and the facts (2.10), and trace duality, which is on the platform as matrix_trace_duality_inequality. The subdifferential of the nuclear norm and the projection estimates are reusable well beyond this mission. Contributions of those general lemmas are welcome.

Selected references

  • V. Koltchinskii, K. Lounici, A. B. Tsybakov, Nuclear-norm penalization and optimal rates for noisy low-rank matrix completion, arXiv:1011.6256v4, 2016 (Ann. Statist. 39(5), 2302–2329, 2011). https://arxiv.org/abs/1011.6256
  • P. J. Bickel, Y. Ritov, A. B. Tsybakov, Simultaneous analysis of Lasso and Dantzig selector, Ann. Statist. 37(4), 1705–1732, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1214/08-AOS620
  • V. Koltchinskii, The Dantzig selector and sparsity oracle inequalities, Bernoulli 15(3), 799–828, 2009. https://doi.org/10.3150/09-BEJ187
  • S. Negahban, P. Ravikumar, M. J. Wainwright, B. Yu, A unified framework for high-dimensional analysis of M-estimators with decomposable regularizers, arXiv:1010.2731, 2010 (Statist. Sci. 27(4), 2012). https://arxiv.org/abs/1010.2731
  • G. A. Watson, Characterization of the subdifferential of some matrix norms, Linear Algebra Appl. 170, 33–45, 1992. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3795(92)90407-2
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Machine LearningOptimization·Captain: mikedeng1

Efficient Algorithms for Online Decision Problems 1: Follow the Perturbed Leader FPL(ε) Has Expected Cost at Most min-cost_T + εRAT + D/εResearch Paper

Motivation

In an online decision problem a decision maker chooses actions one period at a time, and only after each choice learns what that choice cost. The classical instance is prediction with expert advice: each day one of nnn experts is followed, and afterwards every expert's loss is revealed. The goal is a strategy whose total cost is close to that of the best single fixed action in hindsight, whatever the sequence of costs.

Many structured problems have exponentially many actions, such as paths in a graph whose edge delays change daily. Weighted-majority methods keep one weight per action and are then inefficient. A. Kalai and S. Vempala (J. Comput. System Sci. 71 (2005) 291–307) showed that it suffices to be able to solve the offline problem: given total costs, find the best single action. Their algorithm, Follow the Perturbed Leader (FPL), adds a random perturbation to the accumulated costs and calls the offline solver once per period. The idea goes back to J. Hannan (1957); the paper's analysis made it short and broadly applicable, and FPL has since become a standard tool in online learning and online combinatorial optimization.

Timeline.

  • 1957: Hannan introduces perturbed play, with perturbations growing like t\sqrt tt​, and obtains additive bounds for finitely many actions.
  • 2005: Kalai and Vempala analyse FPL for linear costs over an arbitrary decision set with an offline oracle: an additive bound (Theorem 1.1(a), the goal here), a multiplicative bound (Theorem 1.1(b)), and lazy variants.

Setting

Decisions and states are vectors in Rn\mathbb R^nRn. The decision set is a possibly infinite set D⊂Rn\mathcal D \subset \mathbb R^nD⊂Rn and the state set is S⊂Rn\mathcal S \subset \mathbb R^nS⊂Rn. In period t=1,2,…t = 1, 2, \dotst=1,2,… the decision maker picks dt∈Dd_t \in \mathcal Ddt​∈D, then the state st∈Ss_t \in \mathcal Sst​∈S is revealed, and the cost is the dot product dt⋅std_t \cdot s_tdt​⋅st​. The state sequence is fixed in advance (an oblivious adversary).

Write s1:t=s1+⋯+sts_{1:t} = s_1 + \dots + s_ts1:t​=s1​+⋯+st​, with s1:0=0s_{1:0} = 0s1:0​=0. The offline oracle is a map M:Rn→DM : \mathbb R^n \to \mathcal DM:Rn→D with

M(s)∈arg min⁡d∈Dd⋅s.M(s) \in \operatorname*{arg\,min}_{d \in \mathcal D} d \cdot s .M(s)∈d∈Dargmin​d⋅s.

Because costs are linear, the best fixed decision after TTT periods has cost

min-costT=min⁡d∈D∑t=1Td⋅st=M(s1:T)⋅s1:T.\text{min-cost}_T = \min_{d \in \mathcal D} \sum_{t=1}^T d \cdot s_t = M(s_{1:T}) \cdot s_{1:T}.min-costT​=d∈Dmin​t=1∑T​d⋅st​=M(s1:T​)⋅s1:T​.

Three parameters measure an instance, with ∣x∣1=∑i∣xi∣|x|_1 = \sum_i |x_i|∣x∣1​=∑i​∣xi​∣:

  • the diameter D≥∣d−d′∣1D \ge |d - d'|_1D≥∣d−d′∣1​ for all d,d′∈Dd, d' \in \mathcal Dd,d′∈D;
  • the cost bound R≥∣d⋅s∣R \ge |d \cdot s|R≥∣d⋅s∣ for all d∈Dd \in \mathcal Dd∈D, s∈Ss \in \mathcal Ss∈S;
  • the state size A≥∣s∣1A \ge |s|_1A≥∣s∣1​ for all s∈Ss \in \mathcal Ss∈S.

FPL(ε\varepsilonε), for a parameter ε>0\varepsilon > 0ε>0: in each period ttt, draw ptp_tpt​ uniformly at random from the cube [0,1/ε]n[0, 1/\varepsilon]^n[0,1/ε]n and play M(s1:t−1+pt)M(s_{1:t-1} + p_t)M(s1:t−1​+pt​). Its expected cost is E[cost of FPL(ε)]=∑t=1TE [M(s1:t−1+pt)⋅st]\mathbb E[\text{cost of FPL}(\varepsilon)] = \sum_{t=1}^T \mathbb E\,[M(s_{1:t-1} + p_t) \cdot s_t]E[cost of FPL(ε)]=∑t=1T​E[M(s1:t−1​+pt​)⋅st​].

Hannan(δ\deltaδ): the same rule with ptp_tpt​ uniform on [0,t/δ]n[0, \sqrt t/\delta]^n[0,t​/δ]n.

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 1.1(a)

For every state sequence s1,…,sT∈Ss_1, \dots, s_T \in \mathcal Ss1​,…,sT​∈S and every 0<ε≤10 < \varepsilon \le 10<ε≤1,

E[cost of FPL(ε)]≤min-costT+εRAT+Dε.\mathbb E[\text{cost of FPL}(\varepsilon)] \le \text{min-cost}_T + \varepsilon R A T + \frac{D}{\varepsilon}.E[cost of FPL(ε)]≤min-costT​+εRAT+εD​.

The constants are the paper's. With ε=D/(RAT)\varepsilon = \sqrt{D/(RAT)}ε=D/(RAT)​ the expected regret is at most 2DRAT2\sqrt{DRAT}2DRAT​.

Milestones (the paper's proof path)

  1. Display (4), "be the leader": ∑t=1TM(s1:t)⋅st≤M(s1:T)⋅s1:T\sum_{t=1}^T M(s_{1:t}) \cdot s_t \le M(s_{1:T}) \cdot s_{1:T}∑t=1T​M(s1:t​)⋅st​≤M(s1:T​)⋅s1:T​.
  2. Lemma 3.1: for any T>0T > 0T>0 and vectors p0=0,p1,…,pTp_0 = 0, p_1, \dots, p_Tp0​=0,p1​,…,pT​,
∑t=1TM(s1:t+pt)⋅st≤M(s1:T)⋅s1:T+D∑t=1T∣pt−pt−1∣∞.\sum_{t=1}^T M(s_{1:t} + p_t) \cdot s_t \le M(s_{1:T}) \cdot s_{1:T} + D \sum_{t=1}^T |p_t - p_{t-1}|_\infty .t=1∑T​M(s1:t​+pt​)⋅st​≤M(s1:T​)⋅s1:T​+Dt=1∑T​∣pt​−pt−1​∣∞​.
  1. Display (5): for p1∈[0,1/ε]np_1 \in [0, 1/\varepsilon]^np1​∈[0,1/ε]n, ∑tM(s1:t+p1)⋅st≤M(s1:T)⋅s1:T+D∣p1∣∞≤M(s1:T)⋅s1:T+D/ε\sum_t M(s_{1:t} + p_1) \cdot s_t \le M(s_{1:T}) \cdot s_{1:T} + D|p_1|_\infty \le M(s_{1:T}) \cdot s_{1:T} + D/\varepsilon∑t​M(s1:t​+p1​)⋅st​≤M(s1:T​)⋅s1:T​+D∣p1​∣∞​≤M(s1:T​)⋅s1:T​+D/ε.
  2. Lemma 3.2: the cubes [0,1/ε]n[0, 1/\varepsilon]^n[0,1/ε]n and v+[0,1/ε]nv + [0, 1/\varepsilon]^nv+[0,1/ε]n overlap in at least a (1−ε∣v∣1)(1 - \varepsilon |v|_1)(1−ε∣v∣1​) fraction.

Companion: Theorem 3.3

For any state sequence in S\mathcal SS, any δ>0\delta > 0δ>0 and any T>0T > 0T>0,

E[cost of Hannan(δ)]≤M(s1:T)⋅s1:T+2δRAT+DTδ.\mathbb E[\text{cost of Hannan}(\delta)] \le M(s_{1:T}) \cdot s_{1:T} + 2\delta R A \sqrt T + \frac{D\sqrt T}{\delta}.E[cost of Hannan(δ)]≤M(s1:T​)⋅s1:T​+2δRAT​+δDT​​.

This bound needs no knowledge of TTT. It is included as a separate theorem, not a milestone of the goal.

Significance

The result. Theorem 1.1(a) reduces online linear optimization over any decision set to its offline counterpart, at the price of one oracle call per period and regret O(DRAT)O(\sqrt{DRAT})O(DRAT​). Applied to online shortest paths, spanning trees and other combinatorial problems it gives efficient algorithms where weighted majority would maintain exponentially many weights. Later uses of FPL (approximate oracles, robust optimization via online learning) start from this bound.

Formalizing it. The theorem has been proved in print for twenty years; it has no machine-checked proof that we know of. The platform already holds a formalization of Ben-Tal, Hazan, Koren and Mannor's approximate-oracle variant (OracleRO.ApproxFPL), which takes a maximising oracle and an oscillation bound RRR and therefore yields a weaker constant (2εRAT2\varepsilon RAT2εRAT) in this setting. This mission states the exact-oracle bound with the paper's constant εRAT\varepsilon RATεRAT, where RRR bounds ∣d⋅s∣|d \cdot s|∣d⋅s∣ itself. A correct proof must handle that constant carefully; see the next section.

Difficulty

Display (4), Lemma 3.1 and display (5) are finite-sum arguments from the defining property of MMM. Lemma 3.2 is a statement about Lebesgue measure of a cube and its translate.

The central difficulty is the stability step: bounding, period by period, how much worse it is to play M(s1:t−1+pt)M(s_{1:t-1} + p_t)M(s1:t−1​+pt​) than M(s1:t+pt)M(s_{1:t} + p_t)M(s1:t​+pt​). The obvious argument says that the two perturbed points have laws that agree on a (1−ε∣st∣1)(1 - \varepsilon|s_t|_1)(1−ε∣st​∣1​) fraction, and on the rest "one can only be RRR larger". Under the printed definition of RRR the difference of two costs d⋅st−d′⋅std \cdot s_t - d' \cdot s_td⋅st​−d′⋅st​ can be as large as 2R2R2R, so this per-period bound fails for costs of mixed sign: with n=1n = 1n=1, D={−1,1}\mathcal D = \{-1, 1\}D={−1,1} and suitable s1:t−1s_{1:t-1}s1:t−1​, the per-period difference is 2εst22\varepsilon s_t^22εst2​, while εRA=εst2\varepsilon R A = \varepsilon s_t^2εRA=εst2​. The theorem itself, with εRAT\varepsilon RATεRAT, remains true, but a proof cannot proceed by the per-period comparison as written. Proving the goal with the stated constant, rather than 2εRAT2\varepsilon RAT2εRAT, is the substantive part of the mission.

Formalization scope

  • Vectors are Fin n → ℝ; d⋅sd \cdot sd⋅s is dotProduct (⬝ᵥ); ∣x∣1|x|_1∣x∣1​ is written out as ∑i∣xi∣\sum_i |x_i|∑i​∣xi​∣; ∣x∣∞|x|_\infty∣x∣∞​ is the Lean norm ‖x‖, which on Fin n → ℝ is the sup norm. The sets are Dset and S; the diameter is Ddiam.
  • States are a sequence s : ℕ → Fin n → ℝ indexed from 111 (s 0 is unused); the hypothesis st∈Ss_t \in \mathcal Sst​∈S is imposed for 1≤t≤T1 \le t \le T1≤t≤T.
  • The oracle is the predicate IsArgminOracle Dset M: M(x)∈DM(x) \in \mathcal DM(x)∈D and M(x)⋅x≤d⋅xM(x) \cdot x \le d \cdot xM(x)⋅x≤d⋅x for all d∈Dd \in \mathcal Dd∈D. Every theorem quantifies over all such MMM; the oracle is never a chosen Classical.epsilon minimiser.
  • Parameters DDD, RRR, AAA are hypotheses over the sets exactly as printed on p. 294 (not the weaker "reasonable decisions" variant of the paper's footnote 4). Each statement takes only the parameters it uses.
  • Shared definitions come from the published OracleRO.ApproxFPL.FPL: prefixSum s t =s1:t= s_{1:t}=s1:t​; perturbLaw n ε, the uniform law on [0,1/ε]n[0, 1/\varepsilon]^n[0,1/ε]n; and fplExpectedReward M s ε T =∑t=1T∫st⋅M(s1:t−1+p) dU(p)= \sum_{t=1}^T \int s_t \cdot M(s_{1:t-1} + p)\, dU(p)=∑t=1T​∫st​⋅M(s1:t−1​+p)dU(p), which with an argmin oracle is the expected cost of FPL(ε\varepsilonε) (its name reflects a maximisation source). Using one integral per period is the paper's own observation that fresh and shared perturbations give the same expectation.
  • Added hypotheses, each disclosed in the item: ε>0\varepsilon > 0ε>0 and δ>0\delta > 0δ>0 (the page divides by them); measurability of MMM (the expectations require it). With RRR bounding ∣d⋅s∣|d \cdot s|∣d⋅s∣ and M(x)∈DM(x) \in \mathcal DM(x)∈D, every integrand is bounded and measurable, so every expectation is a genuine integral and no bound holds vacuously. The page's ε≤1\varepsilon \le 1ε≤1 is kept in the goal although the bound does not use it. TTT is unrestricted where the page allows it.
  • Not a trivialization. The expected cost uses M(s1:t−1+p)M(s_{1:t-1} + p)M(s1:t−1​+p), the decision available before sts_tst​ is seen; replacing it by the "be the leader" decision M(s1:t+p)M(s_{1:t} + p)M(s1:t​+p) would make the goal follow from display (5) alone. The uniform law is normalised (a probability measure for ε>0\varepsilon > 0ε>0).
  • Corrected reading. Display (5) on the page prints M(st+p1)M(s_t + p_1)M(st​+p1​); the statement uses M(s1:t+p1)M(s_{1:t} + p_1)M(s1:t​+p1​), which is what Lemma 3.1 gives and what the text says it applies.
  • Not included. The per-period stability inequality of the printed proof, which is false for costs of mixed sign.

Contributions welcome: proofs of the milestones, the goal and Theorem 3.3, and reusable lemmas on uniform laws over translated cubes.

Selected references

  • A. Kalai, S. Vempala, Efficient algorithms for online decision problems, J. Comput. System Sci. 71(3) (2005) 291–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcss.2004.10.016
  • J. Hannan, Approximation to Bayes risk in repeated plays, in: Contributions to the Theory of Games, vol. 3, Princeton University Press, 1957, pp. 97–139 (reference [14] of Kalai–Vempala, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcss.2004.10.016).
  • A. Ben-Tal, E. Hazan, T. Koren, S. Mannor, Oracle-based robust optimization via online learning, Oper. Res. 63(3) (2015) 628–638. https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.2015.1374
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AnalysisOptimal Transport·Captain: marwahaha

A counterexample to the Monge ansatz for the three-marginal Coulomb costOpen Problem

Motivation

An optimal coupling can exist even when no deterministic transport maps attain its cost. The target separates attainment from equality of infima for a three-marginal repulsive cost. The pinned manuscript supplies the research context.

Setting

All three marginals are the same smooth compactly supported probability density in real three-space, with smooth compactly supported square root. Coincident points have infinite Coulomb cost.

Formalization target

The selected goal is OAI.Problem356.coulomb_counterexample_and_equal_infima. Its central assertion is

inf⁡T2,T3∫c(x,T2x,T3x) dμ=min⁡π∈Π(μ,μ,μ)∫c dπ.\inf_{T_2,T_3}\int c(x,T_2x,T_3x)\,d\mu=\min_{\pi\in\Pi(\mu,\mu,\mu)}\int c\,d\pi.T2​,T3​inf​∫c(x,T2​x,T3​x)dμ=π∈Π(μ,μ,μ)min​∫cdπ.

The theorem states, without a proof being verified here, that there exists a function ρ on three-dimensional Euclidean space ℝ³ satisfying a full Coulomb conclusion. This means ρ is a nonnegative C^∞ function with compact support, whose square root is also C^∞ with compact support, and with integral 1 over ℝ³; its density measure μ (Lebesgue measure weighted by ρ) is a probability measure. Consider three-marginal couplings of μ, namely probability measures on triples (x,y,z) of points of ℝ³ all of whose three coordinate marginals equal μ, with cost 1/|x−y| + 1/|x−z| + 1/|y−z| valued in [0,∞] (the inverse of distance zero is ∞). The Kantorovich value of μ is the infimum of the expected cost over all such couplings, and the theorem asserts it is finite and attained by some coupling. Further, no pair of measurable maps T₂,T₃ each preserving μ (pushing μ forward to itself) is a Monge optimizer: for every such pair, the expected cost of the triple (x,T₂x,T₃x) under μ is strictly larger than the Kantorovich value. Nevertheless, the Monge value, the infimum of this graph cost over all such pairs of μ-preserving maps, equals the Kantorovich value, and for every ε>0 there are μ-preserving maps T₂,T₃ with finite graph cost at most the Kantorovich value plus ε.

Significance and status

The goal includes a finite attained Kantorovich value, no Monge minimizer, equal infima and arbitrarily accurate finite-cost maps. Other dimensions and Riesz exponents are not part of this selected target. The target is currently Open on Prove2Me. The manuscript's mathematical argument and a machine-checked proof of the selected statement are separate deliverables.

Difficulty

Every measure-preserving pair of maps must be strictly suboptimal, while a sequence of such pairs still approaches the coupling minimum.

Formalization scope

The exact published goal, its hypotheses and its referenced definition blocks specify the requested formalization. The explanatory formula above is a summary; all quantifiers and additional clauses in the linked statement remain required.

The available published material supplies this goal and its necessary definitions. Additional manuscript lemmas are not represented as attached milestones.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, A counterexample to the Monge ansatz for the three-marginal Coulomb cost, preprint, 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying formal statements, commit adc7f1241b42. Selected goal source.
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Symplectic Geometry·Captain: marwahaha

Three fixed points on the symplectic quadric threefoldOpen Problem

Motivation

Fixed-point bounds compare Hamiltonian dynamics with critical points of smooth functions. Degenerate fixed points are central to the unrestricted formulation tested here. The pinned manuscript supplies the research context.

Setting

The space is the complex projective quadric threefold, represented through its unit quadric and quotient tangent directions. Hamiltonian maps are endpoints of the specified smooth isotopies.

Formalization target

The selected goal is OAI.ArnoldCounterexample.main. Its central assertion is

#Fix(φ)=3<4≤Crit(Q3).\#\mathrm{Fix}(\varphi)=3<4\leq\mathrm{Crit}(Q^3).#Fix(φ)=3<4≤Crit(Q3).

The theorem states that the complex projective quadric Q = {[z] ∈ ℂP⁴ : ∑ⱼ₌₀⁴ zⱼ² = 0} admits a Hamiltonian bijection φ with exactly three fixed points, whereas every smooth real-valued function on Q has at least four critical points, including functions with degenerate critical points; equivalently, 3 < 4 ≤ the infimum of their critical-set cardinalities, with infinite cardinalities recorded as ∞. Here Hamiltonian means that φ is the endpoint of an isotopy starting at the identity whose forward maps, inverse maps, and Hamiltonian have globally smooth extensions on ℝ × ℂ⁵. For times in [0,1], the maps preserve the unit quadric, are inverse there, and commute with multiplication by unit complex scalars; the Hamiltonian is invariant under these scalars. They satisfy ω(∂ₜFₜ(z),v) = dHₜ(Fₜ(z))[v] for every horizontal v at Fₜ(z), where ω(u,v) = 2 Im ∑ⱼ conjugate(uⱼ)vⱼ and horizontality at z means both ∑ⱼ conjugate(zⱼ)vⱼ = 0 and ∑ⱼ zⱼvⱼ = 0. Smooth functions on Q are those with smooth local extensions after pullback to the unit quadric, and criticality means that every such extension has zero derivative in all horizontal directions. Moreover, φ has a degenerate fixed point: some unit representative z and nonzero horizontal vector v admit a smooth local lift G of φ with G(z) = z and DG(z)v − v = a iz for some real a. Thus the induced derivative on the quotient tangent has a genuine nonzero eigenvector with eigenvalue 1.

Significance and status

The goal includes the lower bound on all smooth critical sets and at least one degenerate fixed point. A rational cup-length computation is not a separate conclusion of this target. The target is currently Open on Prove2Me. The manuscript's mathematical argument and a machine-checked proof of the selected statement are separate deliverables.

Difficulty

Counting fixed points is insufficient: the construction must satisfy the Hamiltonian lift conditions and give a genuine nonzero quotient-tangent eigenvector at a degenerate point.

Formalization scope

The exact published goal, its hypotheses and its referenced definition blocks specify the requested formalization. The explanatory formula above is a summary; all quantifiers and additional clauses in the linked statement remain required.

The available published material supplies this goal and its necessary definitions. Additional manuscript lemmas are not represented as attached milestones.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Three fixed points on the symplectic quadric threefold, preprint, 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying formal statements, commit adc7f1241b42. Selected goal source.
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Functional Analysis·Captain: marwahaha

The cotype–cotype conjecture under the approximation propertyOpen Problem

Motivation

Rademacher cotype measures how vector norms compare with random signed sums. The target relates cotype of a space and its dual to boundedness of the Rademacher projection. The pinned manuscript supplies the research context.

Setting

X is a nonzero real Banach space with the ordinary approximation property: finite-rank operators approximate the identity on each compact set, with no uniform operator-norm bound required.

Formalization target

The selected goal is OAI.Cotype.mainTarget_proved. Its central assertion is

K-convex(X)⟺finite cotype(X)∧finite cotype(X∗).K\text{-convex}(X)\quad\Longleftrightarrow\quad\mathrm{finite\ cotype}(X)\land\mathrm{finite\ cotype}(X^*).K-convex(X)⟺finite cotype(X)∧finite cotype(X∗).

The theorem states that, for every real Banach space X (a complete real normed space) that is nontrivial, the defined proposition MainTarget(X) holds. MainTarget(X) says: if X has the approximation property, then X is K-convex if and only if both X and its dual space of continuous linear functionals X →L[ℝ] ℝ have finite cotype. Here the approximation property means that for every compact set M ⊆ X and every δ > 0 there is a continuous linear operator S : X → X with finite-dimensional range such that ‖Sx − x‖ < δ for all x in M. On the discrete cube {±1}ⁿ (with sign false = +1 and true = −1), the L² norm of f : cube → X is the square root of the average of ‖f(ε)‖² over all ε. The moment of f at coordinate i is the average of ε_i f(ε), and the Rademacher projection of f is the function ε ↦ Σᵢ ε_i times the moment at i. X is K-convex if there is a constant K ≥ 0 such that, for every n and every f on the n-cube, the L² norm of the Rademacher projection of f is at most K times the L² norm of f. X has cotype q, for real q ≥ 2, if there is C ≥ 0 such that, for every n and all vectors x₁, …, xₙ in X, (Σ ‖xᵢ‖^q)^(1/q) ≤ C times the L² norm of ε ↦ Σ ε_i xᵢ. Finite cotype means cotype q for some such q.

Significance and status

The approximation property is a hypothesis inside MainTarget. The statement does not assert the equivalence without it; the cube normalization is the encoded average L² norm. The target is currently Open on Prove2Me. The manuscript's mathematical argument and a machine-checked proof of the selected statement are separate deliverables.

Difficulty

The two cotype exponents may differ, and ordinary approximation cannot be strengthened silently to bounded approximation.

Formalization scope

The exact published goal, its hypotheses and its referenced definition blocks specify the requested formalization. The explanatory formula above is a summary; all quantifiers and additional clauses in the linked statement remain required.

The available published material supplies this goal and its necessary definitions. Additional manuscript lemmas are not represented as attached milestones.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, The cotype–cotype conjecture under the approximation property, preprint, 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying formal statements, commit adc7f1241b42. Selected goal source.
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Functional Analysis·Captain: marwahaha

Lipschitz Equivalent Separable Banach Spaces Need Not Be Linearly IsomorphicOpen Problem

Motivation

A Banach norm supplies both linear and metric structure. A bi-Lipschitz equivalence controls distances, but the target asks for spaces whose linear structures cannot be identified. The pinned manuscript supplies the research context.

Setting

The two spaces are real, complete and separable. The obstruction uses the space of null sequences with values in the real Hilbert space ℓ².

Formalization target

The selected goal is OAI.LipschitzCounterexample.main. Its central assertion is

421∥s−t∥≤∥Ψ(s)−Ψ(t)∥≤7625∥s−t∥.\frac4{21}\|s-t\|\leq\|\Psi(s)-\Psi(t)\|\leq\frac{76}{25}\|s-t\|.214​∥s−t∥≤∥Ψ(s)−Ψ(t)∥≤2576​∥s−t∥.

The theorem states that the defined proposition MainClaim holds (it is admitted in the source, not proved here). MainClaim asserts that there exist two separable real Banach spaces X and Y, each given as a type with a norm, a real normed-space structure, completeness and separability, together with a bijection Ψ from X onto Y, such that Ψ is a bi-Lipschitz equivalence with explicit constants: for all s and t in X, (4/21)‖s−t‖ ≤ ‖Ψ(s)−Ψ(t)‖ ≤ (76/25)‖s−t‖. Moreover, there is no continuous linear equivalence (linear homeomorphism) between X and Y, so the two spaces are Lipschitz equivalent but not linearly isomorphic. In addition, there is a linear isometric embedding of C0L2 into X, where C0L2 is the space of continuous functions from the natural numbers to the real Hilbert space ℓ² that vanish at infinity. Finally, Y does not contain a linear copy of C0L2, meaning there is no bounded linear map T from C0L2 to Y and constant a>0 with a‖x‖ ≤ ‖T x‖ for every x in C0L2.

Significance and status

The goal includes the explicit distortion bounds, lack of continuous linear equivalence, an isometric copy of c0(ℓ²) in X, and absence of a bounded-below linear copy in Y. The target is currently Open on Prove2Me. The manuscript's mathematical argument and a machine-checked proof of the selected statement are separate deliverables.

Difficulty

A global metric bijection must coexist with a linear embedding obstruction, so the counterexample cannot follow merely from nonlinearity of a particular map.

Formalization scope

The exact published goal, its hypotheses and its referenced definition blocks specify the requested formalization. The explanatory formula above is a summary; all quantifiers and additional clauses in the linked statement remain required.

The available published material supplies this goal and its necessary definitions. Additional manuscript lemmas are not represented as attached milestones.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Lipschitz Equivalent Separable Banach Spaces Need Not Be Linearly Isomorphic, preprint, 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying formal statements, commit adc7f1241b42. Selected goal source.
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Geometry & TopologyGroup Theory·Captain: marwahaha

A torsion-free hyperbolic group that is not residually finiteOpen Problem

Motivation

Residual finiteness means that finite quotients can distinguish every nonidentity group element. The source asks whether coarse negative curvature forces this separation property even without torsion. The source is OpenAI's September 2026 manuscript.

Setting

A torsion-free group has no nonidentity element whose positive power is the identity. A word-hyperbolic group admits a finite generating set whose Cayley graph has geodesic triangles of uniformly bounded thickness.

Formalization targets

∃G:G torsion-free and word-hyperbolic,¬ResiduallyFinite⁡(G).\exists G:\quad G\text{ torsion-free and word-hyperbolic},\qquad\neg\operatorname{ResiduallyFinite}(G).∃G:G torsion-free and word-hyperbolic,¬ResiduallyFinite(G).

The theorem states, without a verified proof (it is admitted), that there exists a group G, in the lowest universe Type, that is torsion-free, word-hyperbolic, and not residually finite. Torsion-free means that for every g in G and every positive integer n, g^n = 1 implies g = 1, so no nonidentity element has finite order (this does not assert unique roots). Word-hyperbolic means that there is a finite subset S of G whose unit-edge Cayley graph (the simple graph with the multiplicative Cayley adjacency determined by S) is connected, which says that S generates G, and a natural number δ such that geodesic triangles are uniformly δ-thin. Precisely, for all vertices x, y, z and walks p from x to y, q from y to z and r from z to x, each of which is a geodesic (its length equals the graph distance between its endpoints), every vertex of each side lies within graph distance δ of some vertex on one of the other two sides. The statement also requires that G fail the Mathlib property Group.ResiduallyFinite.

The goal is OAI.Release075.main.

Significance

The goal puts a geometric condition and failure of finite-quotient separation into one existential statement. Torsion-freeness is retained explicitly. The manuscript presents a mathematical argument; the attached goal currently has status Open, so the requested contribution is a Lean proof of the displayed formal target.

Difficulty

Hyperbolicity concerns large-scale word geometry, whereas residual finiteness quantifies over every finite quotient. Checking a finite list of quotients cannot establish the required failure.

Formalization scope

Hyperbolicity is encoded by vertexwise thin triangles in a connected unit-edge Cayley graph for some finite generating set. Torsion-freeness is the positive-power condition and does not mean a unique-roots property. Residual finiteness uses the Mathlib definition.

The shared definitions are supplied by TorsionFreeHyperbolic. The target uses Lean 4.33.1 with the pinned Mathlib environment. Contributions should preserve the existing statement and develop reusable supporting lemmas in its definitions.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, A torsion-free hyperbolic group that is not residually finite, preprint, September 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying Lean statement. Pinned source.
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Mathematical LogicNumber Theory·Captain: marwahaha

Single-fold Diophantine representationsOpen Problem

Motivation

A Diophantine representation translates membership in a computably enumerable set into solvability of one polynomial equation. The source asks whether the entire auxiliary witness can always be made unique. The source is OpenAI's September 2026 manuscript.

Setting

A single-fold representation uses an integer polynomial evaluated at natural-number inputs and witnesses. An input belongs to the represented set exactly when a witness makes the polynomial zero, and any two complete witnesses at the same input must coincide.

Formalization targets

a∈S ⟺ ∃w∈Nm: P(a,w)=0,P(a,w)=P(a,v)=0 ⟹ w=v.a\in S\ \Longleftrightarrow\ \exists w\in\mathbb N^m:\ P(a,w)=0,\qquad P(a,w)=P(a,v)=0\ \Longrightarrow\ w=v.a∈S ⟺ ∃w∈Nm: P(a,w)=0,P(a,w)=P(a,v)=0 ⟹ w=v.

The proposition MainStatement holds, which asserts a single-fold Diophantine representation result with positive lengths. For every n ≥ 1 and every set S of n-tuples of natural numbers that is recursively enumerable (the predicate a ∈ S is REPred, i.e. semi-decidable), there exist m ≥ 1 and an integer polynomial P in the n input variables and m witness variables such that P represents S. Here evaluation takes natural-number inputs a and witnesses w, casts them to integers, and evaluates P over ℤ. Representation means that for every input a, first, a lies in S exactly when some witness w ∈ ℕ^m satisfies P(a,w)=0, and second, any two witnesses w and v with P(a,w)=0 and P(a,v)=0 are equal. So there is exactly one witness for members of S and none for nonmembers, and the uniqueness condition is imposed on every input a, with all witness coordinates included in w.

The goal is OAI.SingleFold.main.

Significance

The target strengthens mere existential representation by enforcing uniqueness across every auxiliary coordinate. It covers all recursively enumerable sets of positive-length natural tuples. The manuscript presents a mathematical argument; the attached goal currently has status Open, so the requested contribution is a Lean proof of the displayed formal target.

Difficulty

Encoding a computation with extra witnesses can introduce many choices that do not affect the represented input. Every such auxiliary choice must be controlled, rather than leaving hidden coordinates outside the uniqueness assertion.

Formalization scope

The input length and witness length are positive naturals. REPred expresses recursive enumerability. Polynomial coefficients and evaluation are integral, while variables range over naturals cast into the integers. The goal is existential and does not require one fixed universal polynomial.

The shared definitions are supplied by SingleFold. The target uses Lean 4.33.1 with the pinned Mathlib environment. Contributions should preserve the existing statement and develop reusable supporting lemmas in its definitions.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Single-fold Diophantine representations, preprint, September 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying Lean statement. Pinned source.
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CombinatoricsProbability·Captain: marwahaha

A strict four-row permanent inequality and permutation momentsOpen Problem

Motivation

An inequality involving only four rows can feed into a recursion for a much larger permutation shuffle. The source seeks an exponent strictly below two that survives a small perturbation of the uniform permutation law. The source is OpenAI's September 2026 manuscript.

Setting

A permanent expectation averages the product of four selected entries, one from each row and each column, over a probability law on the 24 permutations. Uniform marginals require every row to choose each column with probability 1/41/41/4.

Formalization targets

∃p0∈(4/3,2), ε>0:∑π∈S4ν(π)∏ifi(π(i))≤∏i(14∑jfi(j)p0)1/p0.\exists p_0\in(4/3,2),\ \varepsilon>0:\quad\sum_{\pi\in S_4}\nu(\pi)\prod_i f_i(\pi(i))\le\prod_i\left(\frac14\sum_j f_i(j)^{p_0}\right)^{1/p_0}.∃p0​∈(4/3,2), ε>0:π∈S4​∑​ν(π)i∏​fi​(π(i))≤i∏​(41​j∑​fi​(j)p0​)1/p0​.

The theorem is stated as admitted, not proved here. Sites are Fin 4, and a law is a real-valued mass function ν on the 24 permutations of the four sites. It states that there exist a real exponent p₀ with 4/3 < p₀ < 2 and a real ε > 0 such that the following holds for every law ν that is a probability law (all masses nonnegative and summing to 1), has total variation distance from the uniform law less than ε (total variation being half the sum over permutations π of |ν(π) − 1/24|), and has uniform marginals (for every pair of sites i and j, the total mass of permutations with π(i)=j equals 1/4). For every 4-by-4 array f of real numbers with all entries f(i,j) ≥ 0, the permanent expectation Σ_π ν(π) ∏_i f(i, π(i)) is at most the product over the four rows i of the normalized ℓ^{p₀} norm of row i, where the norm of a row g is ((Σ_j g(j)^{p₀})/4)^{1/p₀}, using the uniform counting normalization with division by 4.

The goal is OAI.FourRow.robust_permanent. Supporting targets are listed below; they retain their individual hypotheses and are separate statements.

  • remaining main.

Significance

The goal is uniform over all nonnegative arrays and all probability laws within the chosen total-variation neighborhood that have exactly uniform marginals. The shared Thorp bundle is included as a separate supporting target. The manuscript presents a mathematical argument; the attached goal currently has status Open, so the requested contribution is a Lean proof of the displayed formal target.

Difficulty

Near-uniformity alone does not enforce the marginal identities. The exponent improvement must hold even for highly uneven nonnegative row entries.

Formalization scope

The law has nonnegative real masses summing to one. Its distance from the uniform 1/241/241/24 law is strictly less than the selected ε\varepsilonε, and row norms use division by four. No explicit value for the existential exponent or radius is imposed.

The shared definitions are supplied by FourRowPermanent, ThorpRemaining. The target uses Lean 4.33.1 with the pinned Mathlib environment. Contributions should preserve the existing statement and develop reusable supporting lemmas in its definitions.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, A strict four-row permanent inequality and permutation moments, preprint, September 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying Lean statement. Pinned source.
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CombinatoricsProbability·Captain: marwahaha

Polynomial vacuum representations and bridge mass for honeycomb walksOpen Problem

Motivation

Critical self-avoiding walks have weights balanced between exponential path growth and decay. The source studies bridge-length scaling; the available target establishes summability of the bridge sums used to define these quantities. The source is OpenAI's September 2026 manuscript.

Setting

A honeycomb bridge is a self-avoiding vertex list crossing a strip from a fixed initial port to any terminal port on the opposite layer. A path with LLL vertices has critical weight λL\lambda^LλL, with λ=(2cos⁡(π/8))−1\lambda=(2\cos(\pi/8))^{-1}λ=(2cos(π/8))−1.

Formalization targets

∑γw(γ)<∞,∑γL(γ)w(γ)<∞(h≥1),\sum_{\gamma}w(\gamma)<\infty,\qquad\sum_{\gamma}L(\gamma)w(\gamma)<\infty\qquad(h\ge1),γ∑​w(γ)<∞,γ∑​L(γ)w(γ)<∞(h≥1),

For every integer h ≥ 1, six families of sums over self-avoiding bridge paths in a honeycomb strip are absolutely summable. Vertices of the honeycomb lattice are of two kinds, up(i,j) and down(i,j) with integer i and j, and the layer of a vertex is its second index j; an up vertex (i,j) is adjacent to the down vertices (i,j−1), (i,j) and (i−1,j), and adjacency is symmetric. A bridge path of height h is a list of distinct vertices, consecutive ones adjacent, starting at up(0,0), ending at some down(i,h−1), with every vertex in layers 0 through h−1. Its weight is λ^L, where L is the number of vertices and λ = 1/(2cos(π/8)) is the critical activity, and its first-length weight is L·λ^L. Let bridgeMass(h) be the total weight of all bridge paths. A path is confined if every vertex has horizontal coordinate (i + j/2 for up vertices, i + j/2 + 1/2 for down vertices) of absolute value at most h(log h)², and confinedMass(h) is the total weight of confined paths. The theorem asserts summability over all bridge paths of the weight, of the first-length weight, and of the first-length weight divided by bridgeMass(h), and summability over confined paths of the weight, of the first-length weight, and of the first-length weight divided by confinedMass(h). The proof is admitted in the source, not established here.

The goal is OAI.PolynomialVacuumBridge.Corridor.finite_bridge_sums.

Significance

The full formal statement gives six summability assertions, including normalized first-length weights and their corridor-confined counterparts. These are prerequisites for interpreting bridge masses and mean lengths. The manuscript presents a mathematical argument; the attached goal currently has status Open, so the requested contribution is a Lean proof of the displayed formal target.

Difficulty

Each strip has unbounded horizontal extent and admits paths of arbitrarily large length. Finite strip height therefore does not by itself make the path family finite.

Formalization scope

The length convention counts vertices. Confinement means horizontal coordinate bounded by h(log⁡h)2h(\log h)^2h(logh)2. The target proves summability, without asserting the manuscript’s h4/3+o(1)h^{4/3+o(1)}h4/3+o(1) asymptotic law. Normalized terms use the masses defined by tsum.

The shared definitions are supplied by HoneycombBridgeFiniteness. The target uses Lean 4.33.1 with the pinned Mathlib environment. Contributions should preserve the existing statement and develop reusable supporting lemmas in its definitions.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Polynomial vacuum representations and bridge mass for honeycomb walks, preprint, September 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying Lean statement. Pinned source.
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CombinatoricsProbability·Captain: marwahaha

Integral and fractional expectation thresholds are equivalentOpen Problem

Motivation

An increasing property of a random set can be certified by small subsets. Fractional certificates allow weight to be spread across many subsets, so comparing them with ordinary certificates measures the cost of removing this relaxation. The source is OpenAI's September 2026 manuscript.

Setting

A cover is a family of generators such that every member of the increasing family contains a generator. A generator of size sss costs psp^sps. An ordinary cover and a fractional cover both have budget 1/21/21/2; a fractional cover assigns weights in [0,1][0,1][0,1] and supplies total weight at least one inside each member. The expectation thresholds qqq and qfq_fqf​ are suprema of feasible parameters in [0,1][0,1][0,1].

Formalization targets

qf(F)≤25⋅5124 q(F).q_f(\mathcal F)\le 25\cdot512^4\,q(\mathcal F).qf​(F)≤25⋅5124q(F).

For a finite nonempty ground type α and a family F of subsets of α that is nonempty, is not the entire power set, and is increasing (any superset of a member of F is again in F), the fractional threshold qf(F) is at most 25·512⁴ times the integral threshold q(F). Here q(F) is the supremum of those p in [0,1] for which F is small: some family G of sets covers F, meaning every H in F contains a member of G, with total cost Σ_{S∈G} p^{|S|} at most 1/2. The fractional threshold qf(F) is the analogous supremum of p in [0,1] for which there is a weight function g from subsets of α to [0,1] such that every H in F has Σ_{S⊆H} g(S) ≥ 1 and the fractional cost Σ_S g(S)·p^{|S|} is at most 1/2.

The goal is OAI.TalagrandThreshold.talagrand_expectation_threshold_equivalence.

Significance

The comparison gives a dimension-independent bound with the same budget on both sides. It isolates certificate rounding from the separate question of locating the random-set threshold. The manuscript presents a mathematical argument; the attached goal currently has status Open, so the requested contribution is a Lean proof of the displayed formal target.

Difficulty

Replacing fractional weights independently can lose control of covering every member simultaneously. The constant must be independent of both ground-set size and the sizes of weighted sets.

Formalization scope

The ground type is finite and nonempty, and the family is nonempty, proper, and increasing. Costs are finite real sums and thresholds are real suprema. The exact constant in the published goal is retained; the objective is this inequality, not an unspecified equivalent comparison.

The shared definitions are supplied by TalagrandExpectationThreshold. The target uses Lean 4.33.1 with the pinned Mathlib environment. Contributions should preserve the existing statement and develop reusable supporting lemmas in its definitions.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Integral and fractional expectation thresholds are equivalent, preprint, September 2026. Manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying Lean statement. Pinned source.
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CombinatoricsGraph Theory·Captain: marwahaha

A proof of Seymour’s second-neighborhood conjectureOpen Problem

Motivation

An oriented graph may have very uneven outdegrees, yet the second-neighborhood conjecture asks for one vertex whose new two-step reach is at least its immediate outdegree. The source manuscript presents the surrounding research claim.

Setting

An oriented graph is a loopless asymmetric relation r on a finite nonempty vertex type. First neighbors satisfy r(v,w). Second neighbors are vertices w distinct from v, not already first neighbors, but reached by some directed path v→u→w.

Formalization target

Prove that some vertex v satisfies

∣N1+(v)∣≤∣N2+(v)∣.|N_1^+(v)|\le|N_2^+(v)|.∣N1+​(v)∣≤∣N2+​(v)∣.

Every second-neighborhood vertex is counted once, irrespective of how many two-step paths reach it.

The selected formal target is OAI.SeymourSecondNeighborhood.exists_goodVertex.

Significance and status

The statement covers all finite oriented graphs, including disconnected graphs and graphs whose underlying undirected graph is not complete. The published target is currently Open; the manuscript's argument and a checked Lean proof are separate deliverables.

Difficulty

Counting length-two walks overcounts repeated endpoints and may include first neighbors. The conclusion concerns the set of vertices at directed distance exactly two.

Formalization scope

The formal relation need not be supplied with decidability; the finite sets are formed classically. Looplessness and asymmetry are explicit hypotheses, and the vertex type is finite and nonempty. GoodVertex is exactly the finite-cardinality comparison.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, A proof of Seymour’s second-neighborhood conjecture, preprint, 2026. Pinned manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying formal statements, commit adc7f1241b42. Goal source.
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CombinatoricsDiscrete Geometry·Captain: marwahaha

A classification of finite Euclidean Ramsey configurationsOpen Problem

Motivation

Euclidean Ramsey theory asks which finite shapes must occur monochromatically in a sufficiently high dimension. The scale is fixed, so an algebraic criterion must capture exact distances rather than approximate similarity. The source manuscript presents the surrounding research claim.

Setting

A Ramsey configuration a=(aᵢ) has a monochromatic congruent copy under every finite coloring in some dimension depending on the number of colors. Let F be the rational field generated by all coordinates, B=F⊗ℚF, and pᵢ=(1,aᵢ) the augmented coordinate vectors. Multiplication m:B→F sends x⊗y to xy.

Formalization target

For an injective configuration of at least two points affinely spanning ℝᵈ with d≥1, prove

Ramsey⁡(a)  ⟺  FieldCriterion⁡(a).\operatorname{Ramsey}(a)\iff\operatorname{FieldCriterion}(a).Ramsey(a)⟺FieldCriterion(a).

The criterion asks for a matrix P over B with (pᵢ⊗1)ᵀP(1⊗pᵢ)=0 for every i and m(P_{αβ})=δ_{αβ} on the coordinate-coordinate block.

The selected formal target is OAI.EuclideanRamsey.classification.

Significance and status

The criterion is necessary and sufficient for the stated configurations. Available companion targets describe spherical necessity, positive classes and concrete non-Ramsey circle configurations. The published target is currently Open; the manuscript's argument and a checked Lean proof are separate deliverables.

Difficulty

Applying m to the tensor identity loses information because multiplication need not be injective. Equality in the tensor ring, and arbitrary colorings without measurability, are essential.

Formalization scope

The goal uses real Euclidean coordinates and the exact generated intermediate field over ℚ. Congruence preserves all pairwise distances at their original scale. All published companion references are retained as separate groups because they repeat Ramsey definitions. Milestones state their own hypotheses and do not identify every spherical set as Ramsey.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, A classification of finite Euclidean Ramsey configurations, preprint, 2026. Pinned manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying formal statements, commit adc7f1241b42. Goal source.
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Graph TheoryMarkov Chain·Captain: marwahaha

Polynomial mixing of the switch chain for every graphical degree sequenceOpen Problem

Motivation

Sampling a graph with a prescribed degree vector requires moving among realizations without changing degrees. The switch chain performs local edge replacements and asks whether these suffice for rapid global mixing. The source manuscript presents the surrounding research claim.

Setting

States are simple undirected labeled graphs realizing a graphical vector d on n≥4 vertices. The lazy switch chain stays put with probability one half and otherwise proposes one ordered replacement between distinct perfect matchings on four vertices, rejecting invalid proposals.

Formalization target

Prove

τTV(1/4)≤2n8,\tau_{TV}(1/4)\le2n^8,τTV​(1/4)≤2n8,

with mixing time zero for a singleton state space. When more than one state exists, prove the spectral-gap lower bound 1/(24n²·binom(n,4)).

The selected formal target is OAI.Problem315.switch_chain_main.

Significance and status

The goal covers every graphical degree sequence under the stated degree bound, without regularity or density restrictions. Connectivity and explicit exponential total-variation decay are available supporting targets. The published target is currently Open; the manuscript's argument and a checked Lean proof are separate deliverables.

Difficulty

Connectivity gives eventual communication but no polynomial rate. The estimate must be uniform across degree vectors and initial graphs.

Formalization scope

The kernel is defined by exact counts of four-vertex proposals, and total variation is the finite half-ℓ₁ distance from uniform measure. The main theorem contains the singleton case explicitly. The manuscript’s exact sampler is not an additional published target here.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Polynomial mixing of the switch chain for every graphical degree sequence, preprint, 2026. Pinned manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying formal statements, commit adc7f1241b42. Goal source.
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AnalysisTheoretical Computer Science·Captain: marwahaha

Tree Constructions for the l1 Distortion of Binary Edit DistanceOpen Problem

Motivation

Embedding edit distance into ℓ₁ would permit algorithms and geometric tools for that normed space. Distortion lower bounds quantify the loss any such representation must incur. The source manuscript presents the surrounding research claim.

Setting

Edit distance is the least number of unit insertions, deletions and substitutions, with unrestricted intermediate word lengths. For a finite equal-length binary set W, c₁(W) is the infimum over all injective maps into the full real sequence space ℓ₁ of the product of the two worst distance ratios.

Formalization target

Find an absolute c>0 and d₀ such that for every d≥d₀ there are 1≤n≤d and at least two binary words of length n with

c1(W)≥exp⁡ ⁣(clog⁡d log⁡log⁡d).c_1(W)\ge\exp\!\left(c\sqrt{\log d\,\log\log d}\right).c1​(W)≥exp(clogdloglogd​).

The selected formal target is OAI.TreeEdit.binary_lower_bound.

Significance and status

The witness exists for every sufficiently large length cap. The target bounds distortion against every injective ℓ₁ embedding, not only a particular algorithm. The published target is currently Open; the manuscript's argument and a checked Lean proof are separate deliverables.

Difficulty

A bad map is not a lower bound for the infimum over all maps. The finite family must force distortion uniformly while preserving its common binary word length.

Formalization scope

The chosen target uses Word Bool n and Finset witnesses. A companion binary_torus formulation is retained as a reference to the same lower-bound endpoint. Its independent source group repeats edit-distance declarations and is not combined into one import. No companion upper embedding theorem is attached.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Tree Constructions for the l1 Distortion of Binary Edit Distance, preprint, 2026. Pinned manuscript.
  • OpenAI, accompanying formal statements, commit adc7f1241b42. Goal source.
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Discrete GeometryFunctional Analysis·Captain: wurtle

Counterexamples to the duality conjecture for metric entropyResearch Paper

Motivation

Covering numbers measure the size of a set at a given scale: N(A,B)N(A,B)N(A,B) is the least number of translates of BBB needed to cover AAA. Their logarithms, the metric entropy, appear across approximation theory, operator theory (entropy numbers of compact operators), probability (Dudley's bound) and learning theory. A basic question in asymptotic geometric analysis is how metric entropy behaves under duality: if KKK is hard to cover by LLL, is the polar body L∘L^\circL∘ equally hard to cover by K∘K^\circK∘? The duality conjecture for metric entropy, originating in Pietsch's 1972 work on operator ideals, predicts that the two quantities agree up to universal constants, independently of the dimension.

Timeline

  • 1972. Pietsch formulates the duality problem for entropy numbers of operators.
  • 1987. König and Milman compare the nnn-th roots of the two covering numbers, which on the logarithmic scale allows an additive error proportional to nnn (doi:10.1007/BFb0078138).
  • 1989. Bourgain, Pajor, Szarek and Tomczak-Jaegermann prove entropy-number comparisons under geometric and regularity assumptions, with rank-dependent losses (doi:10.1007/BFb0090048).
  • 2004. Artstein, Milman and Szarek prove the conjecture when one body is a Euclidean ball (hence an ellipsoid) (doi:10.4007/annals.2004.159.1313); Artstein, Milman, Szarek and Tomczak-Jaegermann prove universal duality for convexified packing and state the dimension-free conjecture as Conjecture 1 (doi:10.1007/s00039-004-0486-3).
  • 2007. E. Milman obtains a comparison for arbitrary symmetric bodies with logarithmic losses in scale and entropy (doi:10.1007/s00020-006-1479-4).
  • 2022. Hu, Peale and Reingold relate dual covering numbers to sample complexity in learning theory (PMLR v167).

The source of this mission is an OpenAI preprint dated September 24, 2026, which disproves the dimension-free conjecture.

Setting

Work in Rn\mathbb R^nRn with the standard pairing ⟨x,y⟩=∑ixiyi\langle x,y\rangle=\sum_i x_iy_i⟨x,y⟩=∑i​xi​yi​. A convex body is a compact convex set with nonempty interior; it is origin-symmetric if K=−KK=-KK=−K. Its polar is

K∘={y∈Rn: ⟨x,y⟩≤1 for all x∈K}.K^\circ=\{y\in\mathbb R^n:\ \langle x,y\rangle\le1\ \text{for all }x\in K\}.K∘={y∈Rn: ⟨x,y⟩≤1 for all x∈K}.

For bounded AAA and a body BBB, the covering number N(A,B)N(A,B)N(A,B) is the least MMM such that A⊆⋃j=1M(cj+B)A\subseteq\bigcup_{j=1}^M(c_j+B)A⊆⋃j=1M​(cj​+B) for some c1,…,cM∈Rnc_1,\dots,c_M\in\mathbb R^nc1​,…,cM​∈Rn (centres need not lie in AAA). Logarithms are natural. Let L=[−1,1]nL=[-1,1]^nL=[−1,1]n be the cube; its polar L∘L^\circL∘ is the cross-polytope.

The duality conjecture asks for absolute constants a,b≥1a,b\ge1a,b≥1 such that, for every nnn and all origin-symmetric convex bodies K,L⊂RnK,L\subset\mathbb R^nK,L⊂Rn,

1blog⁡N(L∘,aK∘) ≤ log⁡N(K,L) ≤ blog⁡N(L∘,a−1K∘).\frac1b\log N(L^\circ,aK^\circ)\ \le\ \log N(K,L)\ \le\ b\log N(L^\circ,a^{-1}K^\circ).b1​logN(L∘,aK∘) ≤ logN(K,L) ≤ blogN(L∘,a−1K∘).

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 1.1

For every a,b≥1a,b\ge1a,b≥1 there are n≥1n\ge1n≥1 and an origin-symmetric convex body K⊂RnK\subset\mathbb R^nK⊂Rn such that, with L=[−1,1]nL=[-1,1]^nL=[−1,1]n,

log⁡N(K,L) > b log⁡N(L∘, a−1K∘).\log N(K,L)\ >\ b\,\log N\bigl(L^\circ,\ a^{-1}K^\circ\bigr).logN(K,L) > blogN(L∘, a−1K∘).

The Lean statement OAI.MetricEntropyDuality.exists_entropy_duality_counterexample_with_covers is open on the platform.

Significance

The theorem shows that the upper inequality of the conjecture fails for every proposed pair of constants, so the two-sided conjecture has a negative answer, even when one body is a cube. It also separates ordinary covering entropy from convexified-packing entropy, for which Artstein–Milman–Szarek–Tomczak-Jaegermann proved universal duality (Corollary 5.1 of the source). Dimension-dependent results (König–Milman, E. Milman) remain compatible with the counterexample, which shows that some dependence on dimension or structure is unavoidable.

The result is stated in an OpenAI preprint; it has not been peer reviewed, and no machine-checked proof exists. The counterexample is explicit and finite-dimensional, which makes a full formalization realistic.

Difficulty

The known positive cases (Euclidean balls, ellipsoids, bounded K-convexity) suggest the conjecture is true, and the obvious candidate bodies, products and cubes, satisfy it. A counterexample needs a body whose primal entropy against the cube is large while the polar side is small; the paper reduces this to a finite matrix with entries in [0,1][0,1][0,1] whose rows are pairwise 111-separated in the sup norm while the absolutely convex hull of its columns admits a small uniform approximation list. Producing such matrices requires partition structures over finite fields with uniform control over all row coordinates, and the entropy gap must beat every fixed bbb after the scale change a−1a^{-1}a−1.

Formalization scope

  • Space: RealSpace (Fin n) = Fin n → ℝ with pairing the standard dot product; cube is [−1,1]n[-1,1]^n[−1,1]n; polar K uses ≤1\le1≤1.
  • Covers A B centers means every x∈Ax\in Ax∈A has some centre cjc_jcj​ with x−cj∈Bx-c_j\in Bx−cj​∈B; coveringNumber is the sInf of the admissible MMM. The statement includes Coverable side conditions, which only certify that both infima are over nonempty sets.
  • IsSymmetricConvexBody = compact, convex, x∈K  ⟺  −x∈Kx\in K\iff -x\in Kx∈K⟺−x∈K, nonempty interior.
  • The scale enters as a⁻¹ • polar K; logs are Real.log of natural numbers cast to reals.

A complete development needs support functions and polarity, elementary covering-number bounds, finite-field polynomial zero bounds (Schwartz–Zippel), and the matrix-to-body conversion. The covering-number and polarity layer is reusable for other convex-geometry missions. Contributions formalizing Lemma 2.1 (matrix-to-body conversion), Proposition 3.2 (uniform compression) and Proposition 4.3 (partitions with separated rows) are welcome.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Counterexamples to the duality conjecture for metric entropy, preprint, September 24, 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/Counterexamples-to-the-duality-conjecture-for-metric-entropy-September-24-2026/main.pdf
  • S. Artstein, V. Milman, S. J. Szarek, Duality of metric entropy, Ann. of Math., 2004. https://doi.org/10.4007/annals.2004.159.1313
  • S. Artstein, V. Milman, S. Szarek, N. Tomczak-Jaegermann, On convexified packing and entropy duality, Geom. Funct. Anal., 2004. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00039-004-0486-3
  • H. König, V. D. Milman, On the covering numbers of convex bodies, GAFA Seminar, 1987. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0078138
  • J. Bourgain, A. Pajor, S. J. Szarek, N. Tomczak-Jaegermann, On the duality problem for entropy numbers of operators, GAFA Seminar, 1989. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0090048
  • E. Milman, A remark on two duality relations, Integral Equations Operator Theory, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00020-006-1479-4
  • J. T. Schwartz, Fast probabilistic algorithms for verification of polynomial identities, J. ACM, 1980. https://doi.org/10.1145/322217.322225
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AnalysisFunctional Analysis·Captain: wurtle

Fixed Points of Nonexpansive Maps in Reflexive Banach SpacesResearch Paper

Motivation: the fixed point property in reflexive spaces

A map FFF is nonexpansive if ∥F(a)−F(b)∥≤∥a−b∥\|F(a)-F(b)\|\le\|a-b\|∥F(a)−F(b)∥≤∥a−b∥. Unlike strict contractions, nonexpansive maps need not have fixed points: on a bounded set, existence depends on the geometry of the norm. A Banach space has the fixed point property (FPP) if every nonexpansive self-map of every nonempty closed bounded convex subset has a fixed point. Since the mid-1960s, whether every reflexive Banach space has the FPP in its given norm has been one of the central open questions of metric fixed point theory. Many sufficient geometric conditions are known, but none of them covers all reflexive spaces. In fixed point theory, the question has been listed as unresolved as recently as 2026 (Nourouzi 2026).

Timeline

  • 1965 — Browder and Göhde prove the FPP for uniformly convex spaces (Browder 1965; Göhde 1965). Kirk proves it for weakly compact convex sets with normal structure, in particular for closed bounded convex sets with normal structure in reflexive spaces (Kirk 1965).
  • 1974–1975 — Bruck's common fixed point theorems for commuting families and compact convex semigroups (Bruck 1974; Bruck 1975).
  • 1975–1976 — The Goebel–Karlovitz lemma on approximate fixed point sequences in minimal invariant sets (Goebel 1975; Karlovitz 1976). Karlovitz also shows that a norm on ℓ2\ell_2ℓ2​ without normal structure still has the FPP, so normal structure is not necessary.
  • 1981 — Alspach constructs a weakly compact convex subset of L1[0,1]L_1[0,1]L1​[0,1] with a fixed-point-free nonexpansive self-map, so weak compactness alone is insufficient in general Banach spaces (Alspach 1981). Maurey proves the FPP for reflexive subspaces of L1L^1L1 (Maurey 1981).
  • 1985 — Lin proves the weak FPP for spaces with a 111-unconditional basis (Lin 1985).
  • 2006 — García-Falset, Llorens-Fuster and Mazcuñán-Navarro prove the FPP for uniformly nonsquare spaces (JFA 2006); another proof is due to Dowling, Randrianantoanina and Turett (JFA 2008).
  • 2009 — Domínguez Benavides shows that every reflexive space admits an equivalent norm with the FPP (JMAA 2009). Changing the norm changes which maps are nonexpansive, so this does not settle the question for the original norm.
  • 2019, 2021 — Hanebaly proposes proofs of the original-norm assertion (JP J. Fixed Point Theory Appl. 2019; preprint 2021). Later literature, such as Nourouzi (2026), still treats the question as unresolved.
  • 2026 — An OpenAI preprint, Fixed Points of Nonexpansive Maps in Reflexive Banach Spaces (OpenAI Math Release, September 24, 2026), claims a proof for every real reflexive Banach space. It has not been peer reviewed, and the claim has not been formally verified.

Setting

Let XXX be a real Banach space and X∗∗X^{**}X∗∗ its continuous bidual. The canonical map J:X→X∗∗J:X\to X^{**}J:X→X∗∗, J(x)(φ)=φ(x)J(x)(\varphi)=\varphi(x)J(x)(φ)=φ(x), is always a linear isometry, and XXX is reflexive if JJJ is surjective. A subset C⊆XC\subseteq XC⊆X is taken nonempty, closed in the norm topology, bounded and convex. A map F:C→CF:C\to CF:C→C is nonexpansive in the given norm of XXX, and a fixed point is a point a∈Ca\in Ca∈C with F(a)=aF(a)=aF(a)=a.

In Lean, reflexivity is the definition CanonicallyReflexive X, which says that NormedSpace.inclusionInDoubleDual ℝ X is surjective.

Formalization targets

Goal: reflexive spaces have the fixed point property (Theorem 1.1)

X real reflexive Banach, C⊆X nonempty, closed, bounded, convex, ∥F(a)−F(b)∥≤∥a−b∥  ∀a,b∈C ⟹ ∃ a∈C: F(a)=a.X \text{ real reflexive Banach},\ C\subseteq X \text{ nonempty, closed, bounded, convex},\ \|F(a)-F(b)\|\le\|a-b\|\ \ \forall a,b\in C \ \Longrightarrow\ \exists\, a\in C:\ F(a)=a.X real reflexive Banach, C⊆X nonempty, closed, bounded, convex, ∥F(a)−F(b)∥≤∥a−b∥  ∀a,b∈C ⟹ ∃a∈C: F(a)=a.

This is exactly Theorem 1.1 of the source. The goal is published on the platform with status Open: no machine-checked proof exists yet.

Significance

The result itself. The theorem answers the reflexive-space fixed point problem for the given norm, with no extra geometric assumption (uniform convexity, normal structure, unconditional bases, uniform nonsquareness). With Bruck's 1974 theorem it gives the source's Corollary 1.2: for every commuting family of nonexpansive self-maps of CCC, the common fixed point set is nonempty and is a nonexpansive retract of CCC. Alspach's example shows that reflexivity cannot be weakened to weak compactness of CCC in an arbitrary Banach space.

Formalizing it. Earlier proposed proofs of the same assertion exist, and the literature has not reached a consensus, so a machine-checked proof would give unusual certainty on a disputed question. The proof relies on the minimal invariant set reduction (Zorn's lemma and weak compactness), the Goebel–Karlovitz lemma, compact semigroups of nonexpansive maps (an Ellis-type idempotent), and a tree construction with weighted telescoping estimates. Mathlib has the bidual, the weak topology, and Banach–Alaoglu, but most of the fixed-point-theoretic layer has to be built.

Difficulty

The classical route reduces a hypothetical counterexample to a minimal invariant weakly compact convex set KKK of diameter one. By the Goebel–Karlovitz lemma, every approximate fixed point sequence in KKK is asymptotically diametral. Normal-structure arguments then find a point whose radius is strictly below the diameter. In a general reflexive space there is no such geometric gain, and Karlovitz's example shows that normal structure is not necessary for the conclusion. Alspach's L1L_1L1​ example shows that compactness of CCC and nonexpansiveness alone cannot produce the contradiction: the proof has to use reflexivity of the whole space (weak compactness of the unit ball of span⁡‾(K−K)\overline{\operatorname{span}}(K-K)span​(K−K)), not just of the domain. A further obstacle is that FFF is nonlinear, so convex combinations of approximate fixed points are not mapped to convex combinations of their images.

Formalization scope

  • XXX is any real normed space with CompleteSpace X, and reflexivity is surjectivity of NormedSpace.inclusionInDoubleDual ℝ X (the continuous bidual). Completeness also follows from reflexivity, so including it is harmless. The scalar field is R\mathbb RR; complex spaces enter as real spaces.
  • CCC is a Set X with Nonempty, IsClosed (norm topology), Bornology.IsBounded and Convex ℝ. FFF is a function on the subtype C → C, and nonexpansiveness is stated in the original norm of XXX, not in an equivalent norm.
  • The conclusion is the existence of a fixed point ∃ a : C, F a = a. Every hypothesis is satisfiable, so the statement is not vacuous: a trivial CCC is excluded only by nonemptiness, as in the source.
  • Infrastructure needed: the minimal invariant set reduction, the Goebel–Karlovitz lemma, compact right-topological semigroups of maps and idempotents (Ellis), and weak compactness in reflexive spaces. These would serve other fixed-point formalizations, for example Kirk's and Browder–Göhde's theorems, which are not formalized in Mathlib.

Selected references

  • F. E. Browder, Nonexpansive nonlinear operators in a Banach space, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 54 (1965), 1041–1044. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.54.4.1041
  • D. Göhde, Zum Prinzip der kontraktiven Abbildung, Math. Nachr. 30 (1965), 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1002/mana.19650300312
  • W. A. Kirk, A fixed point theorem for mappings which do not increase distances, Amer. Math. Monthly 72 (1965), 1004–1006. https://doi.org/10.2307/2313345
  • R. E. Bruck, Jr., A common fixed point theorem for a commuting family of nonexpansive mappings, Pacific J. Math. 53 (1974), 59–71. https://msp.org/pjm/1974/53-1/pjm-v53-n1-p05-p.pdf
  • K. Goebel, On the structure of minimal invariant sets for nonexpansive mappings, Ann. Univ. Mariae Curie-Skłodowska Sect. A 29 (1975), 73–77. https://www.bc.umcs.pl/Content/31033/PDF/czas4050_29_1975_9.pdf
  • L. A. Karlovitz, Existence of fixed points of nonexpansive mappings in a space without normal structure, Pacific J. Math. 66 (1976), 153–159. https://doi.org/10.2140/pjm.1976.66.153
  • D. E. Alspach, A fixed point free nonexpansive map, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 82 (1981), 423–424. https://doi.org/10.2307/2043954
  • B. Maurey, Points fixes des contractions de certains faiblement compacts de L1L^1L1, Séminaire d'analyse fonctionnelle (1980–1981), Exposé VIII. https://www.numdam.org/item/SAF_1980-1981____A8_0/
  • P.-K. Lin, Unconditional bases and fixed points of nonexpansive mappings, Pacific J. Math. 116 (1985), 69–76. https://doi.org/10.2140/pjm.1985.116.69
  • J. García-Falset, E. Llorens-Fuster and E. M. Mazcuñán-Navarro, Uniformly nonsquare Banach spaces have the fixed point property for nonexpansive mappings, J. Funct. Anal. 233 (2006), 494–514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfa.2005.09.002
  • T. Domínguez Benavides, A renorming of some nonseparable Banach spaces with the Fixed Point Property, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 350 (2009), 525–530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmaa.2008.02.049
  • K. Nourouzi, Reflexivity of Hilbert K(H)K(H)K(H)-modules and fixed-point property for nonexpansive mappings, J. Math. 2026, Article ID 6311273. https://doi.org/10.1155/jom/6311273
  • OpenAI, Fixed Points of Nonexpansive Maps in Reflexive Banach Spaces, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 24, 2026 (Theorem 1.1, p. 1). https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/Fixed-Points-of-Nonexpansive-Maps-in-Reflexive-Banach-Spaces-September-24-2026/paper.pdf
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The complete Crouzeix theorem: optimal similarity and a common positive boundary representationResearch Paper

Motivation

For a square matrix AAA, the spectrum alone does not control the size of p(A)p(A)p(A): a nonzero nilpotent matrix has spectrum {0}\{0\}{0} yet ∥A∥>0\|A\|>0∥A∥>0. The numerical range W(A)={u∗Au: ∥u∥=1}W(A)=\{u^*Au:\ \|u\|=1\}W(A)={u∗Au: ∥u∥=1} is a compact convex set containing the spectrum (Toeplitz–Hausdorff), and it does retain enough information. Crouzeix's conjecture (2004) asserts that for every polynomial ppp,

∥p(A)∥≤2max⁡z∈W(A)∣p(z)∣,\|p(A)\|\le 2\max_{z\in W(A)}|p(z)|,∥p(A)∥≤2z∈W(A)max​∣p(z)∣,

i.e. that W(A)W(A)W(A) is a 222-spectral set; the constant 222 would be optimal. Such bounds are used to estimate matrix functions in numerical linear algebra (for example GMRES convergence through Faber polynomials) and in operator theory. The complete version asks for the same constant when the polynomial has m×mm\times mm×m matrix coefficients, uniformly in mmm; by Paulsen's theorem this is equivalent to similarity of the conformal disk image of AAA to a contraction with condition number at most 222.

Background

  • 1918–1919 — Toeplitz and Hausdorff prove convexity of the numerical range (Math. Z. 1918, Math. Z. 1919).
  • 1972, 1984 — Arveson's dilation theory (Acta Math. 128, 1972) and Paulsen's similarity theorem (Proc. AMS 92, 1984) relate complete contractivity, dilations and similarity.
  • 1999 — Delyon and Delyon's positive integral representations (Bull. SMF 1999).
  • 2004 — Crouzeix formulates the constant-two question (IEOT 2004); 2007 — he proves a universal complete bound 11.0811.0811.08 (JFA 2007).
  • 2006 — Badea, Crouzeix and Delyon obtain the complete constant 222 for 2×22\times22×2 matrices (Math. Z. 2006).
  • 2017–2018 — Crouzeix and Palencia prove the complete bound 1+21+\sqrt21+2​ (SIMAX 2017); Ransford and Schwenninger simplify the argument (SIMAX 2018).
  • 2026 — Scalar (m=1m=1m=1) constant-two proofs appear in preprints of Jin, Lorist–Schwenninger (arXiv:2608.03841) and Luo; Åhag, Czyż and Virtanen prove the complete inequality for base matrices of order at most three (arXiv:2608.27346).
  • September 2026 — Two OpenAI preprints claim the complete inequality in all dimensions: a structural proof via an optimal similarity and a common positive boundary density, extended to all bounded Hilbert-space operators (source), and a direct coefficient proof for matrices (source).

This mission asks for a formal proof of the complete Crouzeix inequality for all bounded operators on complex Hilbert spaces, with its sharpness, as stated in Corollary 6.3 of an OpenAI preprint dated September 23, 2026 (source), together with the preprint's structural theorems as milestones. The preprint has not been peer reviewed and its claims have not been independently verified; on the platform the Lean goal is open.

Setting

For A∈Mn(C)A\in M_n(\mathbb C)A∈Mn​(C) (n≥1n\ge1n≥1) let W(A)={u∗Au:u∈Cn, u∗u=1}W(A)=\{u^*Au: u\in\mathbb C^n,\ u^*u=1\}W(A)={u∗Au:u∈Cn, u∗u=1}. A matrix polynomial of degree ddd with coefficient size m≥1m\ge1m≥1 is P(z)=∑k=0dBkzkP(z)=\sum_{k=0}^dB_kz^kP(z)=∑k=0d​Bk​zk with Bk∈Mm(C)B_k\in M_m(\mathbb C)Bk​∈Mm​(C). Its evaluation at AAA is

P[A]=∑k=0dAk⊗Bk ∈Mn(C)⊗Mm(C),P[A]=\sum_{k=0}^d A^k\otimes B_k\ \in M_n(\mathbb C)\otimes M_m(\mathbb C),P[A]=k=0∑d​Ak⊗Bk​ ∈Mn​(C)⊗Mm​(C),

with the base space first. All norms are Euclidean operator norms. For m=1m=1m=1 this is the usual p(A)p(A)p(A).

For a bounded operator AAA on a complex Hilbert space H≠{0}\mathcal H\neq\{0\}H={0}, W(A)={⟨x,Ax⟩:∥x∥=1}W(A)=\{\langle x,Ax\rangle:\|x\|=1\}W(A)={⟨x,Ax⟩:∥x∥=1} and K=W(A)‾K=\overline{W(A)}K=W(A)​; P[A]=∑kAk⊗BkP[A]=\sum_kA^k\otimes B_kP[A]=∑k​Ak⊗Bk​ acts on H⊗Cm\mathcal H\otimes\mathbb C^mH⊗Cm. A bounded open convex Ω⊂C\Omega\subset\mathbb CΩ⊂C is admissible if its boundary is a regular real-analytic Jordan curve. For such Ω⊃W(A)\Omega\supset W(A)Ω⊃W(A) (AAA a matrix) with interior conformal map f:Ω→Df:\Omega\to\mathbb Df:Ω→D, put T=f(A)T=f(A)T=f(A) and

κ2=min⁡{τ: I⪯H⪯τI, T∗HT⪯H for some H=H∗}.\kappa^2=\min\{\tau:\ I\preceq H\preceq\tau I,\ T^*HT\preceq H\ \text{for some } H=H^*\}.κ2=min{τ: I⪯H⪯τI, T∗HT⪯H for some H=H∗}.

Formalization targets

Milestone: geometry of the numerical range (Corollary 6.3, p. 16, first assertion)

For H≠{0}\mathcal H\neq\{0\}H={0}, K=W(A)‾K=\overline{W(A)}K=W(A)​ is compact and convex and contains spec⁡(A)\operatorname{spec}(A)spec(A).

Milestone: the zero space (Corollary 6.3, p. 16, case H={0}\mathcal H=\{0\}H={0})

If H={0}\mathcal H=\{0\}H={0}, the numerical range is empty, every polynomial, holomorphic and rational evaluation is 000, and the corresponding inequalities read 0≤00\le00≤0 (with the supremum over the empty set taken to be 000).

Milestone: optimal metric and common positive representation (Lemma 1.1, Theorems 1.2–1.3, p. 2)

For admissible Ω\OmegaΩ conformal coordinates exist; for every n≥1n\ge1n≥1 and A∈Mn(C)A\in M_n(\mathbb C)A∈Mn​(C) with W(A)⊂ΩW(A)\subset\OmegaW(A)⊂Ω, the problem defining κ2\kappa^2κ2 is strictly feasible with attained minimum 1≤κ2≤41\le\kappa^2\le41≤κ2≤4; for a minimizer HHH, S=H1/2S=H^{1/2}S=H1/2 satisfies ∥S∥∥S−1∥=κ≤2\|S\|\|S^{-1}\|=\kappa\le2∥S∥∥S−1∥=κ≤2 and D=Sf(A)S−1D=Sf(A)S^{-1}D=Sf(A)S−1 is a contraction with ρ(D)<1\rho(D)<1ρ(D)<1; and one continuous Λ:T→Mn(C)\Lambda:\mathbb T\to M_n(\mathbb C)Λ:T→Mn​(C) with Λ⪰0\Lambda\succeq0Λ⪰0, ∫Λ dσ=I\int\Lambda\,d\sigma=I∫Λdσ=I represents v[SAS−1]=∫Λ(t)⊗v(G(t)) dσ(t)v[SAS^{-1}]=\int\Lambda(t)\otimes v(G(t))\,d\sigma(t)v[SAS−1]=∫Λ(t)⊗v(G(t))dσ(t) for every mmm and every MmM_mMm​-valued vvv holomorphic near Ω‾\overline\OmegaΩ, giving ∥v[A]∥≤κmax⁡Ω‾∥v∥\|v[A]\|\le\kappa\max_{\overline\Omega}\|v\|∥v[A]∥≤κmaxΩ​∥v∥.

Milestone: the matrix inequality (Corollary 6.1, p. 15)

For all n,m≥1n,m\ge1n,m≥1, d≥0d\ge0d≥0, A∈Mn(C)A\in M_n(\mathbb C)A∈Mn​(C), Bk∈Mm(C)B_k\in M_m(\mathbb C)Bk​∈Mm​(C): ∥P[A]∥≤2max⁡W(A)∥P∥\|P[A]\|\le2\max_{W(A)}\|P\|∥P[A]∥≤2maxW(A)​∥P∥, and no smaller universal constant works.

Goal: Corollary 6.3 (p. 16)

For every complex Hilbert space H\mathcal HH (no separability assumption) and A∈B(H)A\in B(\mathcal H)A∈B(H): if H≠{0}\mathcal H\neq\{0\}H={0} then KKK is compact, convex, contains the spectrum, and for every m≥1m\ge1m≥1

∥P[A]∥≤2sup⁡W(A)∥P∥=2max⁡K∥P∥,∥F[A]∥≤2max⁡K∥F∥,∥R[A]∥≤2max⁡K∥R∥\|P[A]\|\le 2\sup_{W(A)}\|P\|=2\max_K\|P\|,\qquad \|F[A]\|\le2\max_K\|F\|,\qquad \|R[A]\|\le 2\max_K\|R\|∥P[A]∥≤2W(A)sup​∥P∥=2Kmax​∥P∥,∥F[A]∥≤2Kmax​∥F∥,∥R[A]∥≤2Kmax​∥R∥

for matrix polynomials PPP, matrix functions FFF holomorphic on an open U⊇KU\supseteq KU⊇K (holomorphic functional calculus), and matrix rational functions RRR with poles off KKK; if H={0}\mathcal H=\{0\}H={0} the degenerate statements above hold; and the constant 222 is optimal.

Significance

The result itself. It resolves the complete Crouzeix conjecture in its operator formulation, independent of the Hilbert space, the coefficient size and the degree: W(A)‾\overline{W(A)}W(A)​ is a complete 222-spectral set for every bounded operator. The structural theorems give more than the inequality: an optimal similarity, attained, with condition number at most 222, and one positive boundary density that represents every matrix-valued analytic evaluation simultaneously. These are the objects predicted abstractly by Paulsen's and Arveson's theorems, constructed here explicitly. A companion OpenAI preprint gives an independent direct proof of the matrix inequality.

Formalizing it. Mathlib has bounded operators, the holomorphic functional calculus is only partially available, and conformal mapping of analytic Jordan domains is absent. A complete development needs the Riemann mapping theorem with boundary extension, semidefinite optimization over Hermitian matrices, Haar integration on the circle, and a finite-compression argument for nonseparable spaces.

Difficulty

Two obstacles stand out. First, the passage from the scalar to the complete inequality: scalar proofs exploit commutativity that fails for matrix coefficients, so a structure valid for every coefficient size at once is needed; here it is the optimal metric chosen before any test function. Proving κ≤2\kappa\le2κ≤2 for that metric requires an endpoint extremal pair (Proposition 2.2, p. 6) and an ordered density comparison (Lemma 5.1, p. 14). Second, the passage from matrices to arbitrary operators: the numerical range of a compression lies in W(A)W(A)W(A), but one must show every vector of H⊗Cm\mathcal H\otimes\mathbb C^mH⊗Cm and its image under P[A]P[A]P[A] live in a finite-dimensional compression, and treat holomorphic and rational calculi through contour integrals around the closed numerical range.

Formalization scope

  • H is any type with InnerProductSpace ℂ H and CompleteSpace H; operators are H →L[ℂ] H. The amplification H⊗Cm\mathcal H\otimes\mathbb C^mH⊗Cm is the completion of the algebraic tensor product, and Ak⊗BkA^k\otimes B_kAk⊗Bk​ is the completed TensorProduct.mapL.
  • supNorm S F = sSup (insert 0 (‖F ·‖ '' S)), so the supremum over an empty set is 000, matching the convention of Corollary 6.3.
  • Holomorphic evaluation is defined by a contour integral over a CalculusContour around KKK inside UUU; the goal asserts such contours exist and that the evaluation is contour-independent. Rational evaluation inverts aeval A denom; the goal asserts these denominators are units and that the rational evaluation agrees with the holomorphic one.
  • SharpConstant is witnessed by a 2×22\times22×2 matrix with sup⁡W∣P∣=1\sup_{W}|P|=1supW​∣P∣=1 and ∥P[A]∥=2\|P[A]\|=2∥P[A]∥=2.
  • The structural milestone also includes, as an extra conjunct, that the open unit disk is admissible.

Two further published supporting statements are included as items but not milestones: existence of a finite-dimensional compression representing a given vector (a step in the proof of Corollary 6.3) and invertibility of rational denominators (the well-definedness part of the rational calculus).

Selected references

  • OpenAI, The complete Crouzeix theorem: optimal similarity and a common positive boundary representation, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 23, 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/The-complete-Crouzeix-theorem-September-23-2026/paper.pdf
  • OpenAI, A direct proof of the complete Crouzeix inequality, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 26, 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/A-direct-proof-of-the-complete-Crouzeix-inequality-September-26-2026/paper.pdf
  • V. I. Paulsen, Completely bounded homomorphisms of operator algebras, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 92 (1984), 225–228.
  • W. Arveson, Subalgebras of C-algebras II*, Acta Math. 128 (1972), 271–308.
  • M. Crouzeix, Bounds for analytical functions of matrices, Integral Equations Operator Theory 48 (2004), 461–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00020-002-1188-6
  • M. Crouzeix, Numerical range and functional calculus in Hilbert space, J. Funct. Anal. 244 (2007), 668–690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfa.2006.10.013
  • M. Crouzeix, C. Palencia, The numerical range is a (1+2)(1+\sqrt2)(1+2​)-spectral set, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 38 (2017), 649–655. https://doi.org/10.1137/17M1116672
  • T. Ransford, F. L. Schwenninger, Remarks on the Crouzeix–Palencia proof that the numerical range is a (1+2)(1+\sqrt2)(1+2​)-spectral set, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 39 (2018), 342–345. https://doi.org/10.1137/17M1143757
  • C. Badea, M. Crouzeix, B. Delyon, Convex domains and K-spectral sets, Math. Z. 252 (2006), 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00209-005-0857-y
  • B. Delyon, F. Delyon, Generalization of von Neumann's spectral sets and integral representation of operators, Bull. Soc. Math. France 127 (1999), 25–41. https://doi.org/10.24033/bsmf.2340
  • E. Lorist, F. L. Schwenninger, A solution to Crouzeix's conjecture, arXiv:2608.03841 (2026). https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.03841v2
  • P. Åhag, R. Czyż, J. Virtanen, The complete Crouzeix conjecture in dimension three and the Clouâtre–Ostermann–Ransford conjecture, arXiv:2608.27346 (2026). https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27346v4
  • O. Toeplitz, Das algebraische Analogon zu einem Satze von Fejér, Math. Z. 2 (1918), 187–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01212904
  • F. Hausdorff, Der Wertvorrat einer Bilinearform, Math. Z. 3 (1919), 314–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01292610
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AnalysisFunctional AnalysisLinear algebra·Captain: wurtle

A direct proof of the complete Crouzeix inequalityResearch Paper

Motivation

For a square matrix AAA, the spectrum alone does not control the size of p(A)p(A)p(A): a nonzero nilpotent matrix has spectrum {0}\{0\}{0} yet ∥A∥>0\|A\|>0∥A∥>0. The numerical range W(A)={u∗Au: ∥u∥=1}W(A)=\{u^*Au:\ \|u\|=1\}W(A)={u∗Au: ∥u∥=1} is a compact convex set containing the spectrum (Toeplitz–Hausdorff), and it does retain enough information. Crouzeix's conjecture (2004) asserts that for every polynomial ppp,

∥p(A)∥≤2max⁡z∈W(A)∣p(z)∣,\|p(A)\|\le 2\max_{z\in W(A)}|p(z)|,∥p(A)∥≤2z∈W(A)max​∣p(z)∣,

i.e. that W(A)W(A)W(A) is a 222-spectral set; the constant 222 would be optimal. Such bounds are used to estimate matrix functions in numerical linear algebra (for example GMRES convergence through Faber polynomials) and in operator theory. The complete version asks for the same constant when the polynomial has m×mm\times mm×m matrix coefficients, uniformly in mmm; by Paulsen's theorem this is equivalent to similarity of the conformal disk image of AAA to a contraction with condition number at most 222.

Background

  • 1918–1919 — Toeplitz and Hausdorff prove convexity of the numerical range (Math. Z. 1918, Math. Z. 1919).
  • 1972, 1984 — Arveson's dilation theory (Acta Math. 128, 1972) and Paulsen's similarity theorem (Proc. AMS 92, 1984) relate complete contractivity, dilations and similarity.
  • 1999 — Delyon and Delyon's positive integral representations (Bull. SMF 1999).
  • 2004 — Crouzeix formulates the constant-two question (IEOT 2004); 2007 — he proves a universal complete bound 11.0811.0811.08 (JFA 2007).
  • 2006 — Badea, Crouzeix and Delyon obtain the complete constant 222 for 2×22\times22×2 matrices (Math. Z. 2006).
  • 2017–2018 — Crouzeix and Palencia prove the complete bound 1+21+\sqrt21+2​ (SIMAX 2017); Ransford and Schwenninger simplify the argument (SIMAX 2018).
  • 2026 — Scalar (m=1m=1m=1) constant-two proofs appear in preprints of Jin, Lorist–Schwenninger (arXiv:2608.03841) and Luo; Åhag, Czyż and Virtanen prove the complete inequality for base matrices of order at most three (arXiv:2608.27346).
  • September 2026 — Two OpenAI preprints claim the complete inequality in all dimensions: a structural proof via an optimal similarity and a common positive boundary density, extended to all bounded Hilbert-space operators (source), and a direct coefficient proof for matrices (source).

This mission asks for a formal proof of the complete Crouzeix inequality for matrices, with its sharpness, as stated in Theorem 1.1 of an OpenAI preprint dated September 26, 2026 (source). The preprint has not been peer reviewed and its claims have not been independently verified; on the platform the Lean goal is open.

Setting

For A∈Mn(C)A\in M_n(\mathbb C)A∈Mn​(C) (n≥1n\ge1n≥1) let W(A)={u∗Au:u∈Cn, u∗u=1}W(A)=\{u^*Au: u\in\mathbb C^n,\ u^*u=1\}W(A)={u∗Au:u∈Cn, u∗u=1}. A matrix polynomial of degree ddd with coefficient size m≥1m\ge1m≥1 is P(z)=∑k=0dBkzkP(z)=\sum_{k=0}^dB_kz^kP(z)=∑k=0d​Bk​zk with Bk∈Mm(C)B_k\in M_m(\mathbb C)Bk​∈Mm​(C). Its evaluation at AAA is

P[A]=∑k=0dAk⊗Bk ∈Mn(C)⊗Mm(C),P[A]=\sum_{k=0}^d A^k\otimes B_k\ \in M_n(\mathbb C)\otimes M_m(\mathbb C),P[A]=k=0∑d​Ak⊗Bk​ ∈Mn​(C)⊗Mm​(C),

with the base space first. All norms are Euclidean operator norms. For m=1m=1m=1 this is the usual p(A)p(A)p(A).

Formalization targets

Milestone: the inequality (Theorem 1.1, p. 1, first assertion)

For all n,m≥1n,m\ge1n,m≥1, d≥0d\ge0d≥0, A∈Mn(C)A\in M_n(\mathbb C)A∈Mn​(C) and B0,…,Bd∈Mm(C)B_0,\dots,B_d\in M_m(\mathbb C)B0​,…,Bd​∈Mm​(C),

∥∑k=0dAk⊗Bk∥ ≤ 2max⁡z∈W(A)∥∑k=0dBkzk∥.\Bigl\|\sum_{k=0}^dA^k\otimes B_k\Bigr\|\ \le\ 2\max_{z\in W(A)}\Bigl\|\sum_{k=0}^dB_kz^k\Bigr\| .​k=0∑d​Ak⊗Bk​​ ≤ 2z∈W(A)max​​k=0∑d​Bk​zk​.

Milestone: sharpness (Theorem 1.1, p. 1, second assertion)

If the inequality holds with a constant ccc in place of 222 for all n,m,d,A,Bn,m,d,A,Bn,m,d,A,B, then c≥2c\ge2c≥2.

Goal: Theorem 1.1 (p. 1)

Both assertions together: the constant 222 is valid and no smaller universal constant is.

Significance

The result itself. It settles the complete Crouzeix conjecture in its matrix formulation, uniformly in the base dimension nnn, the coefficient size mmm and the degree, including matrices whose numerical range is a point or a segment. The scalar case m=1m=1m=1 had recently been proved by other authors and the complete case was known only for n≤3n\le3n≤3; a scalar argument need not survive matrix amplification because coefficient matrices do not commute. Equivalently, the numerical range is a complete 222-spectral set for every matrix, which via Paulsen's theorem gives a similarity of condition number at most 222 making the conformal disk image of AAA a contraction. A companion OpenAI preprint gives a separate structural proof and extends the bound to all bounded operators on Hilbert spaces.

Formalizing it. The proof uses exterior conformal maps of analytic convex domains, Faber-type coefficients, a positive double-layer kernel, and a 2×22\times22×2 block positivity argument; Section 4 then approximates an arbitrary numerical range by analytic convex domains. A formal proof would provide numerical ranges, Faber polynomials and conformal collars in Lean, all reusable in matrix analysis. No machine-checked proof of any constant-222 Crouzeix bound is known.

Difficulty

The naive approach through the spectrum fails for non-normal matrices, and the classical Crouzeix–Palencia method (a positive double-layer potential plus a Cauchy transform of conjugate data) loses a factor and yields 1+21+\sqrt21+2​. To reach 222 in the complete setting, the argument must keep both multiplication orders FGFGFG and GFGFGF of matrix-valued test functions, since the coefficients do not commute. The preprint chooses a top singular pair (x,y)(x,y)(x,y) of F[A]F[A]F[A], represents three functionals through the resolvent, and must show that the resulting coefficient weights (one on the constant term, one half on the others) match exactly the Fourier weights of the diagonal compressions (Section 2, Proposition 2.2, p. 5; Theorem 3.2, p. 6). Degenerate numerical ranges with empty interior require a separate approximation step (Lemma 4.1, p. 9).

Formalization scope

  • Matrices are Matrix (Fin n) (Fin n) ℂ with the L2 operator norm (Matrix.Norms.L2Operator). The numerical range is the set of ⟨x,Ax⟩\langle x, Ax\rangle⟨x,Ax⟩ over unit vectors of EuclideanSpace ℂ (Fin n).
  • Coefficients are B : Fin (d+1) → Matrix (Fin m) (Fin m) ℂ; the evaluation is ∑kAk⊗KronBk\sum_k A^k\otimes_{\mathrm{Kron}}B_k∑k​Ak⊗Kron​Bk​ indexed by Fin n × Fin m, base factor first.
  • rangeMaximum A B is the sSup of ∥P(z)∥\|P(z)\|∥P(z)∥ over W(A)W(A)W(A). Since n≥1n\ge1n≥1, W(A)W(A)W(A) is nonempty and compact, so this is the true maximum; UniversalBound C quantifies over all n,m≥1n,m\ge1n,m≥1, all ddd, all AAA and BBB.
  • The goal OAI.CompleteCrouzeix.main is UniversalBound 2 ∧ ∀ C, UniversalBound C → 2 ≤ C. The two milestones state the same two clauses in the DirectCrouzeix namespace, whose definitions are identical in content.
  • No normality, invertibility or nonempty-interior hypothesis is imposed on AAA.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, A direct proof of the complete Crouzeix inequality, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 26, 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/A-direct-proof-of-the-complete-Crouzeix-inequality-September-26-2026/paper.pdf
  • OpenAI, The complete Crouzeix theorem: optimal similarity and a common positive boundary representation, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 23, 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/The-complete-Crouzeix-theorem-September-23-2026/paper.pdf
  • M. Crouzeix, Bounds for analytical functions of matrices, Integral Equations Operator Theory 48 (2004), 461–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00020-002-1188-6
  • M. Crouzeix, Numerical range and functional calculus in Hilbert space, J. Funct. Anal. 244 (2007), 668–690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfa.2006.10.013
  • M. Crouzeix, C. Palencia, The numerical range is a (1+2)(1+\sqrt2)(1+2​)-spectral set, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 38 (2017), 649–655. https://doi.org/10.1137/17M1116672
  • T. Ransford, F. L. Schwenninger, Remarks on the Crouzeix–Palencia proof that the numerical range is a (1+2)(1+\sqrt2)(1+2​)-spectral set, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 39 (2018), 342–345. https://doi.org/10.1137/17M1143757
  • C. Badea, M. Crouzeix, B. Delyon, Convex domains and K-spectral sets, Math. Z. 252 (2006), 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00209-005-0857-y
  • B. Delyon, F. Delyon, Generalization of von Neumann's spectral sets and integral representation of operators, Bull. Soc. Math. France 127 (1999), 25–41. https://doi.org/10.24033/bsmf.2340
  • E. Lorist, F. L. Schwenninger, A solution to Crouzeix's conjecture, arXiv:2608.03841 (2026). https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.03841v2
  • P. Åhag, R. Czyż, J. Virtanen, The complete Crouzeix conjecture in dimension three and the Clouâtre–Ostermann–Ransford conjecture, arXiv:2608.27346 (2026). https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27346v4
  • O. Toeplitz, Das algebraische Analogon zu einem Satze von Fejér, Math. Z. 2 (1918), 187–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01212904
  • F. Hausdorff, Der Wertvorrat einer Bilinearform, Math. Z. 3 (1919), 314–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01292610
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Information TheoryMathematical PhysicsQuantum Information·Captain: wurtle

The entropy photon-number inequalityResearch Paper

Motivation

Shannon's entropy power inequality bounds the entropy of a sum of independent random vectors below by the entropies of the summands; it is a basic tool for classical Gaussian channel capacities. In optical communication, addition is replaced by passive mixing of bosonic modes at a beam splitter. Guha, Erkmen and Shapiro conjectured the sharp bosonic analogue, the entropy photon-number inequality (EPnI), stated in terms of the photon number of the thermal state with the same entropy (ITA 2008). If true, it settles the minimum output entropy of thermal attenuators at fixed input entropy and the capacity regions of bosonic broadcast and wiretap channels, which had been reduced to this inequality (PRA 2007).

This mission asks for a formal proof of the EPnI for finite-energy inputs in any finite number of modes, as stated in an OpenAI preprint dated September 24, 2026 (source). The preprint has not been peer reviewed and its claims have not been independently verified; on the platform the Lean goal is open.

Background

  • 1948–1965 — Shannon introduces entropy power; Stam (1959) and Blachman (IEEE IT 1965) prove the entropy power inequality.
  • 2004 — Capacity of the pure-loss bosonic channel (PRL 2004) and the minimum-output-entropy conjecture (PRA 2004).
  • 2007–2008 — Guha, Shapiro and Erkmen relate broadcast capacity to a minimum-output-entropy conjecture; Guha, Erkmen and Shapiro state the EPnI.
  • 2011 — Special cases (one-mode number-diagonal inputs) by Das, Sharma and Muthukrishnan (arXiv:1107.2365).
  • 2014 — König and Smith prove a quantum entropy power inequality, including S(ρC)≥ηS(ρA)+(1−η)S(ρB)S(\rho_C)\ge\eta S(\rho_A)+(1-\eta)S(\rho_B)S(ρC​)≥ηS(ρA​)+(1−η)S(ρB​) (IEEE IT 2014); De Palma, Mari and Giovannetti prove the exponential form eS(ρC)/n≥ηeS(ρA)/n+(1−η)eS(ρB)/ne^{S(\rho_C)/n}\ge\eta e^{S(\rho_A)/n}+(1-\eta)e^{S(\rho_B)/n}eS(ρC​)/n≥ηeS(ρA​)/n+(1−η)eS(ρB​)/n (Nat. Photonics 2014).
  • 2015 — Giovannetti, Holevo and García-Patrón solve the Gaussian optimizer conjecture for unconstrained minimum output entropy (CMP 2015).
  • 2016–2018 — De Palma, Trevisan and Giovannetti settle one-mode constrained problems (IEEE IT 2017; PRL 2017); De Palma and Trevisan give a rigorous finite-energy conditional EPI (CMP 2018).
  • September 2026 — The OpenAI preprint claims the two-input EPnI for all finite-energy inputs (Theorem 1.1, p. 2).

Setting

An nnn-mode bosonic system has Fock space ℓ2(Nn)\ell^2(\mathbb N^n)ℓ2(Nn) with number basis ∣k⟩|k\rangle∣k⟩, k∈Nnk\in\mathbb N^nk∈Nn. A state is a positive trace-one operator ρ\rhoρ; it has finite energy if Tr⁡ρ∑jaj†aj=∑k(k1+⋯+kn)⟨k∣ρ∣k⟩<∞\operatorname{Tr}\rho\sum_ja_j^\dagger a_j=\sum_k(k_1+\dots+k_n)\langle k|\rho|k\rangle<\inftyTrρ∑j​aj†​aj​=∑k​(k1​+⋯+kn​)⟨k∣ρ∣k⟩<∞. The von Neumann entropy is S(ρ)=−Tr⁡ρlog⁡ρS(\rho)=-\operatorname{Tr}\rho\log\rhoS(ρ)=−Trρlogρ (natural log). The thermal entropy per mode is

g(t)=(t+1)log⁡(t+1)−tlog⁡t,t≥0,g(t)=(t+1)\log(t+1)-t\log t,\qquad t\ge0,g(t)=(t+1)log(t+1)−tlogt,t≥0,

increasing from 000 to ∞\infty∞, and the entropy photon number of ρ\rhoρ is N(ρ)=g−1(S(ρ)/n)N(\rho)=g^{-1}(S(\rho)/n)N(ρ)=g−1(S(ρ)/n), the mean photon number per mode of the product thermal state with the same entropy. For independent inputs ρA,ρB\rho_A,\rho_BρA​,ρB​ and transmissivity 0≤η≤10\le\eta\le10≤η≤1, the beam-splitter output ρC\rho_CρC​ is the reduced state of the modes cj=η aj+1−η bjc_j=\sqrt\eta\,a_j+\sqrt{1-\eta}\,b_jcj​=η​aj​+1−η​bj​ after passive mixing of ρA⊗ρB\rho_A\otimes\rho_BρA​⊗ρB​. No independence among the modes within either input is assumed.

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 1.1 (p. 2)

For every finite n≥1n\ge1n≥1, every pair of finite-energy nnn-mode states ρA,ρB\rho_A,\rho_BρA​,ρB​ and every 0≤η≤10\le\eta\le10≤η≤1,

g−1 ⁣(S(ρC)n) ≥ η g−1 ⁣(S(ρA)n)+(1−η) g−1 ⁣(S(ρB)n).g^{-1}\!\Bigl(\frac{S(\rho_C)}n\Bigr)\ \ge\ \eta\,g^{-1}\!\Bigl(\frac{S(\rho_A)}n\Bigr)+(1-\eta)\,g^{-1}\!\Bigl(\frac{S(\rho_B)}n\Bigr).g−1(nS(ρC​)​) ≥ ηg−1(nS(ρA​)​)+(1−η)g−1(nS(ρB​)​).

Thermal inputs with a common mean photon number within each port give equality.

Significance

The result itself. The EPnI is sharper than the exponential quantum entropy power inequality when the two input entropies differ, which is exactly the regime needed for constrained minimum output entropy. The preprint derives the exact minimum output entropy at fixed input entropy for every tensor power of an identical thermal attenuator, with inputs entangled across modes (Corollary 1.2, p. 2), and the exact capacity region of the degraded two-receiver pure-loss broadcast channel (Corollary 7.1, p. 26), completing the converse of Guha, Shapiro and Erkmen.

Formalizing it. The statement involves infinite-dimensional Fock space, trace-class positive operators, continuous functional calculus for the entropy, and the partial trace after a passive unitary. The Lean development builds these concretely in the number basis. A formal proof would give machine-checked infrastructure for quantum entropy on infinite-dimensional spaces, which Mathlib currently lacks. No machine-checked version of any quantum entropy power inequality is known.

Difficulty

Heat-flow (quantum Fisher information) proofs give the linear and exponential bounds, but these are attained only for equal entropies and do not recover the thermal comparison at unequal entropy levels. The preprint instead minimizes a regularized functional over pairs of inputs and must show that minimizers are thermal. This requires an interpolation theorem for diagonal form comparisons (Theorem 3.1, p. 8), attainment and Gibbs regularity of minimizers in infinite dimensions (Lemma 4.1, Proposition 4.2, pp. 15–16), a component entropy-Hessian estimate, and a stationarity identity whose cancellation forces convergence to thermal inputs (Section 6). Compactness relies on the finite-energy hypothesis; without it entropies can be infinite.

Formalization scope

  • Fock n is lp (fun _ : Fin n → ℕ => ℂ) 2. A State is a positive bounded operator whose diagonal in the number basis sums (HasSum) to 111.
  • FiniteEnergy ρ is summability of ∑k∣k∣ ⟨k∣ρ∣k⟩\sum_k|k|\,\langle k|\rho|k\rangle∑k​∣k∣⟨k∣ρ∣k⟩.
  • entropy ρ is the sum of diagonal entries of cfc(−tlog⁡t)(ρ)\mathrm{cfc}(-t\log t)(\rho)cfc(−tlogt)(ρ); for finite-energy states it is finite, so the tsum is the true entropy.
  • gInv s = sInf {t ≥ 0 | s ≤ g t}, the inverse of ggg on [0,∞)[0,\infty)[0,∞).
  • IsBeamSplitterOutput η ρA ρB ρC requires every number-basis entry of ρC\rho_CρC​ to be the (convergent) partial-trace sum of the explicitly given beam-splitter coefficients applied to ρA⊗ρB\rho_A\otimes\rho_BρA​⊗ρB​; the inputs are arbitrary density matrices, so internal entanglement is allowed.
  • The hypotheses are satisfiable (e.g. vacuum or thermal inputs) and the conclusion is the inequality as stated.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, The entropy photon-number inequality, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 24, 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/The-entropy-photon-number-inequality-September-24-2026/paper.pdf
  • S. Guha, B. I. Erkmen, J. H. Shapiro, The entropy photon-number inequality and its consequences, ITA Workshop 2008, 128–130. https://doi.org/10.1109/ITA.2008.4601037
  • S. Guha, J. H. Shapiro, B. I. Erkmen, Classical capacity of bosonic broadcast communication and a minimum output entropy conjecture, Phys. Rev. A 76 (2007), 032303. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.76.032303
  • R. König, G. Smith, The entropy power inequality for quantum systems, IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 60 (2014), 1536–1548. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIT.2014.2298436
  • G. De Palma, A. Mari, V. Giovannetti, A generalization of the entropy power inequality to bosonic quantum systems, Nat. Photonics 8 (2014), 958–964. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.252
  • G. De Palma, D. Trevisan, The conditional entropy power inequality for bosonic quantum systems, Comm. Math. Phys. 360 (2018), 639–662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00220-017-3082-8
  • V. Giovannetti, A. S. Holevo, R. García-Patrón, A solution of Gaussian optimizer conjecture for quantum channels, Comm. Math. Phys. 334 (2015), 1553–1571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00220-014-2150-6
  • V. Giovannetti, S. Guha, S. Lloyd, L. Maccone, J. H. Shapiro, H. P. Yuen, Classical capacity of the lossy bosonic channel: the exact solution, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 (2004), 027902. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.027902
  • C. E. Shannon, A mathematical theory of communication, Bell Syst. Tech. J. 27 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1538-7305.1948.tb00917.x
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AlgebraGroup Theory·Captain: wurtle

The Kervaire theorem for groupsResearch Paper

Motivation

Given a group AAA, adjoin one new generator ttt and impose one relation w=1w=1w=1, where www is a word in ttt and elements of AAA. Can the result collapse to the trivial group when AAA is nontrivial? The Kervaire conjecture says no. It arose from Kervaire's 1965 characterization of high-dimensional knot groups, which involves groups normally generated by a single element, and it is one of the best-known problems about equations over groups: when does an equation w(t)=1w(t)=1w(t)=1 with coefficients in AAA have a solution in some group containing AAA?

Timeline

  • 1962. Gerstenhaber and Rothaus prove that nonsingular systems of equations over finite groups are solvable in finite overgroups, using unitary groups and degree theory (doi:10.1073/pnas.48.9.1531); this gives the result for residually finite groups.
  • 1965. Kervaire characterizes high-dimensional knot groups (doi:10.24033/bsmf.1624); the group-theoretic Kervaire problem is traced to this setting.
  • 1983. Howie studies equations of length three over groups (doi:10.1017/S0013091500028108).
  • 1993. Klyachko proves unimodular injectivity for torsion-free groups (doi:10.1080/00927879308824692).
  • 2005. Klyachko records the reduction showing that universal nontriviality is equivalent to unimodular injectivity (doi:10.1007/s10469-005-0023-y).
  • 2008. Pestov records the extension to hyperlinear groups (doi:10.2178/bsl/1231081461).
  • 2012. Klyachko and Lurye prove injectivity for arbitrary coefficient groups after imposing wm=1w^m=1wm=1, m≥2m\ge2m≥2 (doi:10.1016/j.jpaa.2011.06.020).
  • 2017. Klyachko and Thom develop new topological methods for equations over groups (doi:10.2140/agt.2017.17.331).
  • 2024–2026. Kawauchi publishes a proposed resolution via ribbon sphere-links; Chen gives a new proof of the torsion-free case via the complexity of surfaces (arXiv:2302.09811).

The source of this mission, an OpenAI preprint dated September 24, 2026, proves unimodular coefficient injectivity for every group by a route through spectral phase and a fixed-space theorem for unitary matrices.

Setting

Let AAA be a group, ⟨t⟩≅Z\langle t\rangle\cong\mathbb Z⟨t⟩≅Z, and H=A∗⟨t⟩H=A*\langle t\rangleH=A∗⟨t⟩ the free product. Let p:H→Zp:H\to\mathbb Zp:H→Z be the homomorphism that kills AAA and sends ttt to 111; p(w)p(w)p(w) is the exponent sum of ttt in www. A word w∈Hw\in Hw∈H is unimodular if p(w)=±1p(w)=\pm1p(w)=±1. Write ⟨ ⁣⟨w⟩ ⁣⟩H\langle\!\langle w\rangle\!\rangle_H⟨⟨w⟩⟩H​ for the normal closure of www in HHH. The coefficient map is the composite

A↪H↠H/⟨ ⁣⟨w⟩ ⁣⟩H.A\hookrightarrow H\twoheadrightarrow H/\langle\!\langle w\rangle\!\rangle_H.A↪H↠H/⟨⟨w⟩⟩H​.

Its injectivity is equivalent to solvability of w(t)=1w(t)=1w(t)=1 over AAA: there is an overgroup B⊇AB\supseteq AB⊇A and b∈Bb\in Bb∈B with w(b)=1w(b)=1w(b)=1.

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 1.1

∀A, ∀w∈A∗⟨t⟩ with p(w)=±1:A⟶(A∗⟨t⟩)/⟨ ⁣⟨w⟩ ⁣⟩H is injective.\forall A,\ \forall w\in A*\langle t\rangle\ \text{with}\ p(w)=\pm1:\qquad A\longrightarrow (A*\langle t\rangle)/\langle\!\langle w\rangle\!\rangle_H\ \text{is injective}.∀A, ∀w∈A∗⟨t⟩ with p(w)=±1:A⟶(A∗⟨t⟩)/⟨⟨w⟩⟩H​ is injective.

The Lean statement OAI.Kervaire.coefficient_injective is open on the platform.

Significance

Theorem 1.1 immediately gives the Kervaire conjecture (Corollary 1.2): if A≠1A\ne1A=1 then (A∗⟨t⟩)/⟨ ⁣⟨w⟩ ⁣⟩≠1(A*\langle t\rangle)/\langle\!\langle w\rangle\!\rangle\ne1(A∗⟨t⟩)/⟨⟨w⟩⟩=1 for every www, since for p(w)=d≠±1p(w)=d\ne\pm1p(w)=d=±1 the quotient maps onto Z/dZ\mathbb Z/d\mathbb ZZ/dZ. It proves the unimodular case of the stronger Kervaire–Laudenbach conjecture with no hypothesis on AAA: no torsion-freeness, residual finiteness, hyperlinearity or countability. The paper's companion work extends the method to nonsingular systems of equations (Howie's conjecture).

The result is proved in an OpenAI preprint; it has not been peer reviewed, and no machine-checked proof exists. The statement is short and entirely algebraic, which makes it an attractive formalization target; Mathlib already provides free products and normal closures.

Difficulty

The classical Gerstenhaber–Rothaus argument solves the equation in a unitary group and needs AAA to embed in (an ultraproduct of) unitary groups, which is not known for arbitrary groups. Torsion in AAA blocks the diagrammatic and topological arguments that work in the torsion-free case. A proof for every group therefore needs a representation available for all groups (the left regular representation, with its faithful finite trace) together with an argument that does not rely on finite-dimensional approximation of AAA.

Formalization scope

  • The free product is Monoid.Coprod A (Multiplicative ℤ); the exponent sum is Multiplicative.toAdd (Monoid.Coprod.snd w).
  • Unimodular w is exponentSum w = 1 ∨ exponentSum w = -1.
  • The quotient is by Subgroup.normalClosure {w}, and coefficientMap w is the quotient map composed with Monoid.Coprod.inl.
  • No hypothesis is placed on AAA; the group may live in any universe.

A complete development needs the group von Neumann algebra of AAA (or at least its trace), the spectral phase of unitaries and its subadditivity, a degree computation on a compact manifold of unitaries with fixed kkk-planes, and corner-labelled planar diagrams with Euler-characteristic estimates. Contributions formalizing Corollary 1.2 from Theorem 1.1, Lemma 2.1 (subadditivity of spectral phase) and Lemma 3.1 (fixed-space lemma) are welcome.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, The Kervaire theorem for groups, preprint, September 24, 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/The-Kervaire-Theorem-for-Groups-September-24-2026/The-Kervaire-Theorem-for-Groups-September-24-2026.pdf
  • M. A. Kervaire, Les nœuds de dimensions supérieures, Bull. Soc. Math. France, 1965. https://doi.org/10.24033/bsmf.1624
  • M. Gerstenhaber, O. S. Rothaus, The solution of sets of equations in groups, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1962. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.48.9.1531
  • A. A. Klyachko, A funny property of sphere and equations over groups, Comm. Algebra, 1993. https://doi.org/10.1080/00927879308824692
  • A. A. Klyachko, The Kervaire–Laudenbach conjecture and presentations of simple groups, Algebra and Logic, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10469-005-0023-y
  • A. A. Klyachko, D. E. Lurye, Relative hyperbolicity and similar properties of one-generator one-relator relative presentations with powered unimodular relator, J. Pure Appl. Algebra, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpaa.2011.06.020
  • V. G. Pestov, Hyperlinear and sofic groups: a brief guide, Bull. Symb. Log., 2008. https://doi.org/10.2178/bsl/1231081461
  • A. Klyachko, A. Thom, New topological methods to solve equations over groups, Algebr. Geom. Topol., 2017. https://doi.org/10.2140/agt.2017.17.331
  • L. Chen, The Kervaire conjecture and the minimal complexity of surfaces, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., 2026. https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.09811
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Mathematical LogicModel Theory·Captain: wurtle

A CH obstruction to a prescribed categoricity thresholdResearch Paper

Motivation: categoricity transfer beyond first-order logic

A class of structures is categorical in a cardinal λ\lambdaλ if it has exactly one model of size λ\lambdaλ up to isomorphism. Morley's theorem (1965) says that a complete first-order theory in a countable language categorical in one uncountable cardinal is categorical in all of them. Abstract elementary classes (AECs), introduced by Shelah in the 1970s, axiomatize classes of structures with a well-behaved notion of strong substructure (closure under isomorphism, coherence, unions of chains, a Löwenheim–Skolem number) without requiring first-order axiomatizability; they cover classes defined in infinitary logics and many classes of modules. Shelah's categoricity conjecture for AECs, in its eventual form, asks whether categoricity in one sufficiently large cardinal transfers to all sufficiently large cardinals. A sharper, prescribed-threshold form names the threshold explicitly: with H(K)=ℶ(2LS(K))+H(K)=\beth_{(2^{\mathrm{LS}(K)})^+}H(K)=ℶ(2LS(K))+​ (the Hanf number for existence of arbitrarily large models), categoricity in some λ≥H(K)\lambda\ge H(K)λ≥H(K) should imply categoricity in every μ≥H(K)\mu\ge H(K)μ≥H(K). Deciding which form holds is a central question in non-elementary model theory.

Timeline

  • 1965 — Morley proves the categoricity theorem for countable first-order theories (Trans. AMS 1965).
  • 1970s — Shelah introduces abstract elementary classes (see the survey of Boney–Vasey 2017, §2).
  • 1990 — Hart and Shelah show categoricity in Lω1,ωL_{\omega_1,\omega}Lω1​,ω​ can stop at ℵk\aleph_kℵk​ while holding for ℵ0,…,ℵk−1\aleph_0,\dots,\aleph_{k-1}ℵ0​,…,ℵk−1​, using finite-support group constructions (Israel J. Math. 1990).
  • 1999 — Shelah proves categoricity transfer for AECs with amalgamation and records H(K)H(K)H(K) as the existence bound (APAL 1999).
  • 2016 — Kolesnikov and Lambie-Hanson study Hanf numbers for amalgamation of coloring classes (JSL 2016).
  • 2017 — Vasey proves downward transfer from a successor cardinal ≥H(K)\ge H(K)≥H(K) under amalgamation and tameness (APAL 2017).
  • 2021 — Grossberg distinguishes the prescribed-bound and eventual forms of the conjecture (A Course in Model Theory I, draft, Ch. 2 §4).
  • 2022–2023 — Espíndola announces a proof of eventual categoricity and, for arbitrary AECs, a transfer at the prescribed bound via accessible categories (arXiv:1906.09169, arXiv:2301.13167).
  • 2024 — Šaroch and Trlifaj state the prescribed-threshold formulation with both endpoints included (Bull. LMS 2024, §2.3).
  • 2026 — An OpenAI preprint, A CH obstruction to a prescribed categoricity threshold (OpenAI Math Release, September 24, 2026), claims that under CH there is an AEC with LS(K)=ℵ0\mathrm{LS}(K)=\aleph_0LS(K)=ℵ0​, categorical on a tail but with two nonisomorphic models at H(K)=ℶω2H(K)=\beth_{\omega_2}H(K)=ℶω2​​; this conflicts with the transfer claimed in Espíndola 2023 (Theorem 4.1). The preprint has not been peer reviewed and its theorem is not formally verified.

Setting

Work with relational structures in a finitary relational language LLL (a set of relation symbols, each with a finite arity). An abstract elementary class is a class KKK of LLL-structures with a relation M⪯KNM\preceq_K NM⪯K​N ("strong substructure") such that: ⪯K\preceq_K⪯K​ is a partial order on KKK refining substructure; KKK and ⪯K\preceq_K⪯K​ are closed under isomorphism; coherence holds (M0⊆M1M_0\subseteq M_1M0​⊆M1​, M0⪯KM2M_0\preceq_K M_2M0​⪯K​M2​, M1⪯KM2M_1\preceq_K M_2M1​⪯K​M2​ imply M0⪯KM1M_0\preceq_K M_1M0​⪯K​M1​); unions of ⪯K\preceq_K⪯K​-chains are in KKK, are ⪯K\preceq_K⪯K​-extensions of each member, and are ⪯K\preceq_K⪯K​-below any common strong extension (Tarski–Vaught chain axioms); and there is a Löwenheim–Skolem number LS(K)≥ℵ0+∣L∣\mathrm{LS}(K)\ge\aleph_0+|L|LS(K)≥ℵ0​+∣L∣, the least θ\thetaθ such that every subset AAA of a model MMM lies in some N⪯KMN\preceq_K MN⪯K​M with ∣N∣≤∣A∣+θ|N|\le|A|+\theta∣N∣≤∣A∣+θ.

KKK is categorical in μ\muμ if it has a model of size μ\muμ and any two models of size μ\muμ are isomorphic. The beth numbers are ℶ0=ℵ0\beth_0=\aleph_0ℶ0​=ℵ0​, ℶα+1=2ℶα\beth_{\alpha+1}=2^{\beth_\alpha}ℶα+1​=2ℶα​ and suprema at limits. CH is 2ℵ0=ℵ12^{\aleph_0}=\aleph_12ℵ0​=ℵ1​.

Formalization targets

Goal: the CH counterexample (Theorem 1.1)

Assume CH. There is a countable finitary relational language LLL and an AEC KKK in LLL such that

LS(K)=ℵ0,ℶω2=H(K)=ℶ(2ℵ0)+,\mathrm{LS}(K)=\aleph_0,\qquad \beth_{\omega_2}=H(K)=\beth_{(2^{\aleph_0})^+},LS(K)=ℵ0​,ℶω2​​=H(K)=ℶ(2ℵ0​)+​,

KKK has two nonisomorphic models of cardinality ℶω2\beth_{\omega_2}ℶω2​​, and, with Λ=ℶ(2ℵ1)+\Lambda=\beth_{(2^{\aleph_1})^+}Λ=ℶ(2ℵ1​)+​,

K is categorical in every cardinal μ≥Λ.K\ \text{is categorical in every cardinal } \mu\ge\Lambda .K is categorical in every cardinal μ≥Λ.

Hence Λ+>H(K)\Lambda^+>H(K)Λ+>H(K) is a categoricity cardinal from which downward transfer to H(K)H(K)H(K) fails, while eventual categoricity holds for this KKK. The goal statement is published on the platform with status Open: no machine-checked proof exists yet.

Significance

The result itself. Combined with Gödel's relative consistency of CH, the theorem shows that, if ZFC is consistent, the prescribed-threshold form of Shelah's categoricity conjecture is not provable in ZFC (Corollary 6.1 of the source). The example has no amalgamation or joint embedding, which explains why transfer theorems that assume these properties are unaffected, and it is compatible with qualitative eventual categoricity. It also bears directly on a published claim of transfer at the prescribed bound for arbitrary AECs.

Formalizing it. Because the result contradicts a claimed theorem in the literature, an independent machine check is especially valuable. The formal statement verifies every AEC axiom explicitly, not just the two cardinal-arithmetic conclusions. Mathlib has cardinal and ordinal arithmetic, beth numbers and ZFC sets; the AEC framework built here would be reusable for further formal work in non-elementary model theory.

Difficulty

Most known non-transfer examples (Hart–Shelah) fail categoricity at small cardinals; here the failure must happen exactly at the Hanf-type bound ℶω2\beth_{\omega_2}ℶω2​​ while categoricity holds on a tail, with LS(K)=ℵ0\mathrm{LS}(K)=\aleph_0LS(K)=ℵ0​. One must build two nonisomorphic models at ℶω2\beth_{\omega_2}ℶω2​​ and simultaneously rule out any two nonisomorphic models above Λ\LambdaΛ, without appealing to a general eventual-categoricity theorem. All AEC axioms — in particular coherence and smoothness of unions of arbitrary directed chains — must survive the exceptional sets used to separate models, which is where naive constructions break.

Formalization scope

  • Structures are RelModel L with carrier a ZFSet (so cardinalities are cardinals of genuine sets in universe u) and relations indexed by arity; L:N→L:\mathbb N\toL:N→ Type with ΣnLn\Sigma_n L_nΣn​Ln​ countable.
  • ClassData packages a predicate of objects and a strong-substructure relation; IsAEC lists the axioms above, including invariance under isomorphisms compatible with inclusion, coherence, and the union axioms for chains indexed by any nonzero ordinal.
  • HasLSNumber ℵ₀ asserts both that ℵ0\aleph_0ℵ0​ is a Löwenheim–Skolem bound and that it is the least one.
  • hanf κ = beth (succ (2^κ)).ord, endpoint = beth (ω_2), tailThreshold = beth (succ (2^{ℵ₁})).ord. The equality endpoint = hanf ℵ₀ is part of the goal (it follows from CH).
  • Categorical μ includes existence of a model of size μ\muμ; TwoModels asks for two nonisomorphic models of the given size.
  • CH is a hypothesis of the theorem, in the same universe; the consistency corollary is not part of the goal.

Selected references

  • M. Morley, Categoricity in power, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. (1965). https://doi.org/10.1090/S0002-9947-1965-0175782-0
  • K. Gödel, The consistency of the axiom of choice and of the generalized continuum-hypothesis, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA (1938). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.24.12.556
  • B. Hart and S. Shelah, Categoricity over P for first order T or categoricity for φ∈L_{ω1ω} can stop at ℵ_k while holding for ℵ_0,…,ℵ_{k−1}, Israel J. Math. (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02807869
  • S. Shelah, Categoricity for abstract classes with amalgamation, Ann. Pure Appl. Logic (1999). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-0072(98)00016-5
  • S. Vasey, Downward categoricity from a successor inside a good frame, Ann. Pure Appl. Logic (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apal.2016.10.003
  • W. Boney and S. Vasey, A survey on tame abstract elementary classes, 2017. https://arxiv.org/abs/1512.00060
  • A. Kolesnikov and C. Lambie-Hanson, The Hanf number for amalgamation of coloring classes, J. Symb. Logic (2016). https://doi.org/10.1017/jsl.2015.48
  • J. Šaroch and J. Trlifaj, Deconstructible abstract elementary classes of modules and categoricity, Bull. London Math. Soc. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1112/blms.13172
  • C. Espíndola, A complete classification of categoricity spectra of accessible categories with directed colimits, preprint, 2023. https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.13167
  • OpenAI, A CH obstruction to a prescribed categoricity threshold, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 24, 2026 (source of the goal; Theorem 1.1, p. 2). https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/A-CH-Obstruction-to-a-Prescribed-Categoricity-Threshold-September-24-2026/paper.pdf
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A Sharp Threshold Bound for Monotone Graph PropertiesResearch Paper

Motivation: how sharp is the threshold of a graph property?

Many questions about random graphs ask when a property — connectivity, containing a triangle, having a perfect matching — appears in the Erdős–Rényi random graph G(n,p)G(n,p)G(n,p), where each of the (n2)\binom n2(2n​) possible edges is present independently with probability ppp. For an increasing property the probability μp(P)\mu_p(\mathcal P)μp​(P) rises from 000 to 111 as ppp grows, and the threshold width measures how quickly: the length of the interval of ppp over which μp(P)\mu_p(\mathcal P)μp​(P) climbs from ε\varepsilonε to 1−ε1-\varepsilon1−ε. Friedgut and Kalai showed in 1996 that symmetry alone forces every such transition to be narrow, and conjectured the optimal universal width. This question links probabilistic combinatorics with the Fourier analysis of Boolean functions, and the influence inequalities developed for it are now standard tools in theoretical computer science and statistical physics.

Timeline

  • 1981 — Russo's formula (the Margulis–Russo identity) expresses ddpμp(P)\frac{d}{dp}\mu_p(\mathcal P)dpd​μp​(P) as a total influence (Russo 1981).
  • 1988 — Kahn, Kalai and Linial prove that every balanced Boolean function has a coordinate of influence Ω(log⁡N/N)\Omega(\log N/N)Ω(logN/N) (KKL, FOCS 1988).
  • 1992 — Bourgain, Kahn, Kalai, Katznelson and Linial extend the influence theorem to product measures (BKKKL, Israel J. Math. 1992).
  • 1996 — Friedgut and Kalai prove that every monotone graph property on nnn vertices has threshold width at most Clog⁡(1/(2ε))/log⁡nC\log(1/(2\varepsilon))/\log nClog(1/(2ε))/logn (Theorem 1.1) and conjecture the bound with (log⁡n)2(\log n)^2(logn)2 in the denominator (Conjecture 1.2) (Friedgut–Kalai, Proc. AMS 1996). The property of containing a clique of order proportional to log⁡n\log nlogn shows (log⁡n)−2(\log n)^{-2}(logn)−2 would be optimal.
  • 1997 — Bourgain and Kalai, using the action of the symmetry group on sets of coordinates, obtain width Cη,ε(log⁡n)−2+ηC_{\eta,\varepsilon}(\log n)^{-2+\eta}Cη,ε​(logn)−2+η for every η>0\eta>0η>0 (Bourgain–Kalai, GAFA 1997).
  • 2020 — Kelman, Kindler, Lifshitz, Minzer and Safra prove, at p=1/2p=1/2p=1/2, the graph-symmetric influence bound I1/2(f)≥c (log⁡n)2(log⁡log⁡n)−2Var⁡1/2(f)I_{1/2}(f)\ge c\,(\log n)^2(\log\log n)^{-2}\operatorname{Var}_{1/2}(f)I1/2​(f)≥c(logn)2(loglogn)−2Var1/2​(f) (KKLMS, GAFA 2020).
  • 2022 — Friedgut surveys the influence method (ICM 2022).
  • 2026 — An OpenAI preprint, A Sharp Threshold Bound for Monotone Graph Properties (OpenAI Math Release, September 25, 2026), claims the conjectured bound with explicit constant 2192^{19}219. The preprint has not been peer reviewed and its theorem is not formally verified.

Setting

Fix an integer n≥2n\ge2n≥2 and let En=([n]2)E_n=\binom{[n]}{2}En​=(2[n]​) be the set of unordered pairs of vertices. A graph configuration is a map x:En→{0,1}x:E_n\to\{0,1\}x:En​→{0,1} (in Lean GraphConfig n := GraphEdge n → Bool, where GraphEdge n is the type of 2-element subsets of Fin n). A Boolean function fff on configurations is

  • vertex invariant if f(π⋅x)=f(x)f(\pi\cdot x)=f(x)f(π⋅x)=f(x) for every permutation π\piπ of the vertices, where π\piπ acts on edges by relabelling endpoints;
  • increasing if x≤yx\le yx≤y edgewise and f(x)=1f(x)=1f(x)=1 imply f(y)=1f(y)=1f(y)=1;
  • nontrivial if it takes both values.

For p∈Rp\in\mathbb Rp∈R the graph mean is μp(f)=∑x∏epxe(1−p)1−xe f(x)\mu_p(f)=\sum_x \prod_{e} p^{x_e}(1-p)^{1-x_e}\, f(x)μp​(f)=∑x​∏e​pxe​(1−p)1−xe​f(x), the probability that G(n,p)G(n,p)G(n,p) has the property when p∈[0,1]p\in[0,1]p∈[0,1]. For 0<a<10<a<10<a<1 the quantile is

pa(f)=inf⁡{p∈[0,1]: μp(f)≥a}.p_a(f)=\inf\{p\in[0,1]:\ \mu_p(f)\ge a\}.pa​(f)=inf{p∈[0,1]: μp​(f)≥a}.

Formalization targets

Goal: the Friedgut–Kalai sharp-threshold conjecture (Theorem 1.1)

For every n≥2n\ge2n≥2, every vertex-invariant, increasing, nontrivial fff, and every 0<ε<1/20<\varepsilon<1/20<ε<1/2,

p1−ε(f)−pε(f) ≤ 219(log⁡n)2 log⁡12ε.p_{1-\varepsilon}(f)-p_\varepsilon(f)\ \le\ \frac{2^{19}}{(\log n)^2}\,\log\frac{1}{2\varepsilon}.p1−ε​(f)−pε​(f) ≤ (logn)2219​log2ε1​.

The constant 2192^{19}219 is the source's explicit choice and is not claimed to be sharp; the content is the order (log⁡n)−2(\log n)^{-2}(logn)−2 with linear dependence on log⁡(1/(2ε))\log(1/(2\varepsilon))log(1/(2ε)). The goal statement is published on the platform with status Open: no machine-checked proof exists yet.

Significance

The result itself. The bound is uniform over all monotone graph properties and is of optimal order in nnn for fixed ε\varepsilonε, as the clique example of Friedgut and Kalai shows. It settles the exponent question left open between the (log⁡n)−1(\log n)^{-1}(logn)−1 bound of 1996 and the (log⁡n)−2+η(\log n)^{-2+\eta}(logn)−2+η bound of 1997. The driving estimate in the source, Theorem 1.2 (variance is at most 217(log⁡n)−22^{17}(\log n)^{-2}217(logn)−2 times total influence, for every 0<p<10<p<10<p<1 and without monotonicity), is a graph-symmetric influence inequality of independent interest; it removes the (log⁡log⁡n)2(\log\log n)^2(loglogn)2 loss of the 2020 bound and holds at every bias.

Formalizing it. A formal proof would certify a universal statement over all graph properties with an explicit constant. The supporting library — Fourier–Walsh analysis on biased product spaces, pivotal influences, the Margulis–Russo derivative formula, and random restrictions — is reusable for other threshold and influence results, none of which are currently formalized in Mathlib in this form.

Difficulty

The classical route bounds the derivative ddpμp\frac{d}{dp}\mu_pdpd​μp​ from below through the largest influence, using only that the symmetry group acts transitively on edges; transitivity alone cannot give better than (log⁡n)−1(\log n)^{-1}(logn)−1, because there are transitive families (on non-graph coordinate sets) whose thresholds are that wide. Reaching (log⁡n)−2(\log n)^{-2}(logn)−2 requires using the vertex structure of the symmetry group, and the bound must hold uniformly for every bias p∈(0,1)p\in(0,1)p∈(0,1), including very small ppp where hypercontractive estimates degrade. Influence estimates at p=1/2p=1/2p=1/2 alone do not suffice, since a width bound requires control throughout the transition interval.

Formalization scope

  • Configurations are GraphEdge n → Bool; the measure is the explicit finite sum graphMean p f with product weights ppp or 1−p1-p1−p; logarithms are natural (Real.log).
  • graphQuantile a f is sInf of {p∈[0,1]:μp(f)≥a}\{p\in[0,1]:\mu_p(f)\ge a\}{p∈[0,1]:μp​(f)≥a}. For a nontrivial increasing fff, μ1(f)=1\mu_1(f)=1μ1​(f)=1, so this set is nonempty and the infimum is not a junk value; the hypotheses NontrivialGraphProperty and 0<ε<1/20<\varepsilon<1/20<ε<1/2 exclude the degenerate cases.
  • The theorem quantifies over all n≥2n\ge 2n≥2, all such fff, and all real ε∈(0,1/2)\varepsilon\in(0,1/2)ε∈(0,1/2); no asymptotic or "sufficiently large nnn" assumption is used.
  • Needed infrastructure: biased Fourier expansion on {0,1}En\{0,1\}^{E_n}{0,1}En​, influences and the Russo derivative formula, the action of SnS_nSn​ on edges, and integration of a differential inequality for the quantile. Contributions formalizing Theorem 1.2 (variance–influence) or Russo's formula separately are welcome as stepping stones.

Selected references

  • E. Friedgut and G. Kalai, Every monotone graph property has a sharp threshold, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 124 (1996), 2993–3002. https://doi.org/10.1090/S0002-9939-96-03732-X
  • J. Bourgain and G. Kalai, Influences of variables and threshold intervals under group symmetries, Geom. Funct. Anal. 7 (1997), 438–461. https://doi.org/10.1007/s000390050015
  • J. Kahn, G. Kalai and N. Linial, The influence of variables on Boolean functions, FOCS 1988, 68–80. https://doi.org/10.1109/SFCS.1988.21923
  • J. Bourgain, J. Kahn, G. Kalai, Y. Katznelson and N. Linial, The influence of variables in product spaces, Israel J. Math. 77 (1992), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02808010
  • L. Russo, On the critical percolation probabilities, Z. Wahrsch. Verw. Gebiete 56 (1981), 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00535742
  • E. Kelman, G. Kindler, N. Lifshitz, D. Minzer and M. Safra, Towards a proof of the Fourier–entropy conjecture?, Geom. Funct. Anal. 30 (2020), 1097–1138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00039-020-00544-2
  • E. Friedgut, KKL's influence on me, Proc. ICM 2022, Vol. 6, 4568–4581. https://doi.org/10.4171/ICM2022/78
  • OpenAI, A Sharp Threshold Bound for Monotone Graph Properties, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 25, 2026 (source of the goal; Theorem 1.1, p. 1). https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/A-Sharp-Threshold-Bound-for-Monotone-Graph-Properties-September-25-2026/paper.pdf
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The circulant Hadamard conjectureResearch Paper

Motivation

A Hadamard matrix of order nnn is an n×nn\times nn×n matrix with entries ±1\pm1±1 whose rows are mutually orthogonal, HHT=nInHH^{\mathsf T}=nI_nHHT=nIn​. Such matrices are extremal for Hadamard's determinant bound and are used throughout coding theory, experimental design and signal processing. Imposing a circulant structure, where every row is a cyclic shift of the first, links the problem to cyclic difference sets and to binary sequences with ideal periodic autocorrelation. The order-4 example with first row (−1,1,1,1)(-1,1,1,1)(−1,1,1,1) is easy to find; the circulant Hadamard conjecture, traditionally attributed to Ryser (1963), asserts that apart from the trivial order 1 there are no others.

The question is closely tied to Barker sequences, binary sequences with the smallest possible aperiodic autocorrelations, which are used as radar pulse-compression codes. Only lengths 2,3,4,5,7,11,132,3,4,5,7,11,132,3,4,5,7,11,13 are known, and the long-standing Barker-sequence conjecture says there are no others.

Timeline

  • 1961. Turyn and Storer prove that Barker sequences of odd length greater than 13 do not exist, and relate even-length Barker sequences to vanishing periodic autocorrelations (doi:10.1090/S0002-9939-1961-0125026-2).
  • 1963. Ryser's monograph Combinatorial Mathematics records the circulant Hadamard problem (doi:10.5948/UPO9781614440147).
  • 1965. Turyn, using cyclotomic character sums, shows that any order greater than four must be 4u24u^24u2 with uuu odd and not a prime power (doi:10.2140/pjm.1965.15.319).
  • 1999–2016. B. Schmidt's field descent (doi:10.1090/S0894-0347-99-00298-2) and the work of Leung and Schmidt (2005, 2012, 2016) give much stronger arithmetic restrictions (doi:10.1007/s10623-011-9493-1, doi:10.1016/j.jcta.2015.11.005).
  • 2016. Schmidt and Willms give a new proof of the odd-length Barker classification (doi:10.1007/s10623-015-0104-4).
  • 2017. Logan and Mossinghoff exclude all but 4,489 candidate orders 4<n≤4⋅10304<n\le4\cdot10^{30}4<n≤4⋅1030 using double Wieferich prime pairs.
  • 2024. Steinerberger shows that approximately orthogonal sign circulants exist in every order (doi:10.1007/s10623-024-01430-w), so the exact equality is essential.

Several complete proofs have been claimed (Oh-Hashi 2016, Orozco López 2019, Morris 2023, Gallardo 2024, Manjhi–Kumar 2025). The source of this mission is an OpenAI preprint dated September 23, 2026, which proves the conjecture by an argument with cyclotomic character values over the group ring Z[i][Cu2]\mathbb Z[i][C_{u^2}]Z[i][Cu2​].

Setting

A real n×nn\times nn×n matrix HHH is circulant if there is a function h:Z/nZ→Rh:\mathbb Z/n\mathbb Z\to\mathbb Rh:Z/nZ→R with Hij=h(j−i)H_{ij}=h(j-i)Hij​=h(j−i), indices taken modulo nnn. It is a sign Hadamard matrix if every entry is 111 or −1-1−1 and

HHT=n In.HH^{\mathsf T}=n\,I_n.HHT=nIn​.

For a circulant sign matrix with first row hhh, the periodic autocorrelations are Ph(t)=∑jhjhj+tP_h(t)=\sum_{j}h_jh_{j+t}Ph​(t)=∑j​hj​hj+t​; the Hadamard condition says Ph(t)=0P_h(t)=0Ph​(t)=0 for 1≤t<n1\le t<n1≤t<n.

A Barker sequence of length nnn is a∈{−1,1}na\in\{-1,1\}^na∈{−1,1}n with aperiodic autocorrelations

Ca(t)=∑j=0n−t−1ajaj+t,∣Ca(t)∣≤1(1≤t<n).C_a(t)=\sum_{j=0}^{n-t-1}a_ja_{j+t},\qquad |C_a(t)|\le1\quad(1\le t<n).Ca​(t)=j=0∑n−t−1​aj​aj+t​,∣Ca​(t)∣≤1(1≤t<n).

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 1.1

For n≥1:∃ a real circulant Hadamard matrix of order n  ⟺  n∈{1,4}.\text{For } n\ge1:\quad \exists\ \text{a real circulant Hadamard matrix of order } n\iff n\in\{1,4\}.For n≥1:∃ a real circulant Hadamard matrix of order n⟺n∈{1,4}.

The Lean statement OAI.CirculantHadamard.exists_iff_order_one_or_four is open on the platform.

Milestone: Corollary 1.2, even case

a∈{−1,1}n Barker, n≥1 even ⟹ n∈{2,4}.a\in\{-1,1\}^n\ \text{Barker},\ n\ge1\ \text{even}\ \Longrightarrow\ n\in\{2,4\}.a∈{−1,1}n Barker, n≥1 even ⟹ n∈{2,4}.

Combined with the classical odd-length classification, this gives the Barker length list {2,3,4,5,7,11,13}\{2,3,4,5,7,11,13\}{2,3,4,5,7,11,13}.

Significance

Theorem 1.1 closes a problem open since the early 1960s and, through the even-length reduction, completes the classification of Barker-sequence lengths. Equivalently, it shows that cyclic difference sets with parameters (4u2, 2u2−u, u2−u)(4u^2,\,2u^2-u,\,u^2-u)(4u2,2u2−u,u2−u) exist only for u=1u=1u=1. It also explains, in a single statement, the computational evidence of Logan and Mossinghoff and the arithmetic restrictions of Turyn and of Leung–Schmidt.

The result is proved in an OpenAI preprint that has not been peer reviewed; given the number of earlier claimed proofs, an independent machine-checked proof would be especially valuable. No formal proof of either statement exists; the formalization would also produce reusable group-ring and cyclotomic machinery.

Difficulty

The orthogonality condition is a norm equation hh∗=nhh^*=nhh∗=n in the group ring Z[Cn]\mathbb Z[C_n]Z[Cn​], and every character sends hhh to a cyclotomic integer of absolute value n\sqrt nn​. Classical arguments use such character values one at a time, through factorization of ideals in cyclotomic fields, and stop at the case n=4u2n=4u^2n=4u2 with uuu odd and divisible by several primes. The obstruction must combine information from all prime divisors of uuu simultaneously and use the fact that the coefficients are signs, not arbitrary integers; norm equations alone do have solutions at these orders.

Formalization scope

  • RealMatrix n := Matrix (Fin n) (Fin n) ℝ; IsCirculant H asks for h : Fin n → ℝ with H i j = h (j - i), where subtraction in Fin n is modular.
  • IsSignHadamard H is entrywise IsSign (equal to 111 or −1-1−1) together with H * H.transpose = (n : ℝ) • 1.
  • The goal assumes 0 < n, matching the paper's "positive integer nnn".
  • The Barker milestone uses integer sequences Fin n → ℤ with IsSign entries and aperiodic h k = Σ_{j<n-k} h_j h_{j+k}, bounded by 111 in absolute value for 0<k<n0<k<n0<k<n.

A complete development needs group rings of finite cyclic groups, characters and cyclotomic integers, localization at primes above ppp, and Kronecker's theorem that an algebraic integer all of whose conjugates have absolute value one is a root of unity. Contributions formalizing Proposition 2.2 (the order restriction n=4u2n=4u^2n=4u2, uuu odd), Lemma 3.1 (character comparison) and Proposition 3.4 (alternating character products are roots of unity of odd order) are welcome.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, The circulant Hadamard conjecture, preprint, September 23, 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/The-circulant-Hadamard-conjecture-September-23-2026/paper.pdf
  • H. J. Ryser, Combinatorial Mathematics, Carus Mathematical Monographs, 1963. https://doi.org/10.5948/UPO9781614440147
  • R. J. Turyn, Character sums and difference sets, Pacific J. Math., 1965. https://doi.org/10.2140/pjm.1965.15.319
  • R. Turyn, J. Storer, On binary sequences, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 1961. https://doi.org/10.1090/S0002-9939-1961-0125026-2
  • B. Schmidt, Cyclotomic integers and finite geometry, J. Amer. Math. Soc., 1999. https://doi.org/10.1090/S0894-0347-99-00298-2
  • K. H. Leung, B. Schmidt, New restrictions on possible orders of circulant Hadamard matrices, Des. Codes Cryptogr., 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10623-011-9493-1
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Algorithmic Game TheoryLinear algebraOperations Research·Captain: mikedeng1

Flows and Decompositions of Games: Harmonic and Potential Games 4: Changing Only the Nonstrategic Component Makes the Pure Nash Equilibria Coincide with the Pareto Optimal ProfilesResearch Paper

Motivation

A finite strategic game can be changed in ways that no player can detect strategically. Adding to player mmm's utility any function that does not depend on player mmm's own strategy leaves every unilateral comparison "is strategy aaa better for me than strategy bbb, given what the others do?" unchanged, so it leaves every best response and every pure Nash equilibrium unchanged. Such changes are not irrelevant, however: they move the payoff levels, and therefore change which outcomes are efficient.

Candogan, Menache, Ozdaglar and Parrilo (arXiv:1005.2405; Math. Oper. Res. 36(3), 2011, DOI 10.1287/moor.1110.0500) make this precise. They decompose every finite game uniquely into a potential component, a harmonic component and a nonstrategic component (their Theorem 4.1). The first two determine all pairwise comparisons; the third determines nothing about equilibria. Section 5.3 of the paper asks what the third component can do to efficiency, and answers with Theorem 5.9: by changing only the nonstrategic component, the pure Nash equilibria of a game can be made to coincide exactly with its Pareto optimal profiles. This mission formalizes that result.

The question matters wherever a designer can transfer payoffs without altering incentives (for instance side payments to a player that depend only on the other players' actions): the theorem says such transfers can always align equilibrium with efficiency, provided an equilibrium exists.

Setting

There is a finite set M\mathcal MM of players. Player mmm has a finite nonempty set EmE^mEm of strategies; a strategy profile is p=(pm)m∈M∈E=∏mEmp = (p^m)_{m\in\mathcal M} \in E = \prod_m E^mp=(pm)m∈M​∈E=∏m​Em, and (qm,p−m)(q^m, p^{-m})(qm,p−m) denotes ppp with player mmm's strategy replaced by qmq^mqm. A game is a family of utilities u=(um)mu = (u^m)_mu=(um)m​, um:E→Ru^m : E \to \mathbb Rum:E→R.

Two profiles are mmm-comparable if they differ, and differ only in player mmm's strategy. The game graph has node set EEE and an edge between every pair of profiles that are mmm-comparable for some mmm. On this graph:

  • C0C_0C0​ is the space of functions E→RE \to \mathbb RE→R with ⟨φ,ψ⟩0=∑pφ(p)ψ(p)\langle \varphi, \psi\rangle_0 = \sum_p \varphi(p)\psi(p)⟨φ,ψ⟩0​=∑p​φ(p)ψ(p);
  • C1C_1C1​ is the space of edge flows XXX (X(p,q)=−X(q,p)X(p,q) = -X(q,p)X(p,q)=−X(q,p) on edges, 000 off edges) with ⟨X,Y⟩1=12∑(p,q)X(p,q)Y(p,q)\langle X, Y\rangle_1 = \tfrac12\sum_{(p,q)} X(p,q)Y(p,q)⟨X,Y⟩1​=21​∑(p,q)​X(p,q)Y(p,q), summed over ordered adjacent pairs;
  • δ0:C0→C1\delta_0 : C_0 \to C_1δ0​:C0​→C1​, (δ0φ)(p,q)=φ(q)−φ(p)(\delta_0\varphi)(p,q) = \varphi(q) - \varphi(p)(δ0​φ)(p,q)=φ(q)−φ(p) on edges, is the combinatorial gradient;
  • Dm:C0→C1D_m : C_0 \to C_1Dm​:C0​→C1​ is the same difference restricted to mmm-comparable pairs, and Du=∑mDmumD u = \sum_m D_m u^mDu=∑m​Dm​um. For mmm-comparable p,qp,qp,q, (Du)(p,q)=um(q)−um(p)(Du)(p,q) = u^m(q) - u^m(p)(Du)(p,q)=um(q)−um(p): DDD records the game's pairwise comparisons.

Games form the space C0MC_0^MC0M​ with the inner product ∑m⟨um,vm⟩0\sum_m\langle u^m, v^m\rangle_0∑m​⟨um,vm⟩0​. With †\dagger† the Moore–Penrose pseudoinverse for these inner products, the potential and harmonic components of a game are

uP=D†δ0δ0†Du,uH=D†(I−δ0δ0†)Du,u_{\mathcal P} = D^\dagger\delta_0\delta_0^\dagger D u, \qquad u_{\mathcal H} = D^\dagger(I - \delta_0\delta_0^\dagger) D u ,uP​=D†δ0​δ0†​Du,uH​=D†(I−δ0​δ0†​)Du,

and the nonstrategic component is what remains. A profile ppp is a pure Nash equilibrium of uuu if um(qm,p−m)≤um(p)u^m(q^m, p^{-m}) \le u^m(p)um(qm,p−m)≤um(p) for all mmm and qmq^mqm, and it is Pareto optimal (Definition 5.3) if no profile qqq has um(q)≥um(p)u^m(q) \ge u^m(p)um(q)≥um(p) for all mmm and uk(q)>uk(p)u^k(q) > u^k(p)uk(q)>uk(p) for some kkk.

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 5.9

For every game uuu that has a pure Nash equilibrium there is a game uˉ\bar uuˉ with

uˉP=uP,uˉH=uH,{p:p pure NE of uˉ}={p:p Pareto optimal in uˉ}.\bar u_{\mathcal P} = u_{\mathcal P},\qquad \bar u_{\mathcal H} = u_{\mathcal H},\qquad \{p : p \text{ pure NE of } \bar u\} = \{p : p \text{ Pareto optimal in } \bar u\}.uˉP​=uP​,uˉH​=uH​,{p:p pure NE of uˉ}={p:p Pareto optimal in uˉ}.

The statement is existential and fixes nothing about uˉ\bar uuˉ beyond its potential and harmonic components; it asserts the full equality of the two sets, not one inclusion.

Milestones

  1. §5.3, p. 32. Games with the same potential and harmonic components have the same pure Nash equilibria.
  2. Lemma 5.4. For every game uuu there is a game u^\hat uu^ with u^P=uP\hat u_{\mathcal P} = u_{\mathcal P}u^P​=uP​, u^H=uH\hat u_{\mathcal H} = u_{\mathcal H}u^H​=uH​, and u^m(p)=0\hat u^m(p) = 0u^m(p)=0 for every player mmm at every pure Nash equilibrium ppp of uuu.

Significance

The result. The nonstrategic component has no influence on the pairwise comparisons, and hence on equilibria, yet Theorem 5.9 shows that it controls efficiency completely: whenever a pure equilibrium exists, some choice of it makes every equilibrium Pareto optimal and every Pareto optimal profile an equilibrium. Read the other way, two games that are strategically indistinguishable can have opposite efficiency properties, so any efficiency statement about a class of games (a price-of-anarchy bound, for instance) must depend on more than the strategic structure. The paper also uses Lemma 5.4 as a normalisation: the payoff levels at equilibria are a free parameter of the nonstrategic component.

Formalizing it. The theorem has a short proof on paper, but the proof works with the pairwise comparisons, whereas the statement is about the components uPu_{\mathcal P}uP​, uHu_{\mathcal H}uH​ defined through pseudoinverses. Connecting the two requires the identities of the decomposition: that uP+uH=D†Duu_{\mathcal P} + u_{\mathcal H} = D^\dagger D uuP​+uH​=D†Du and that DD†D=DD D^\dagger D = DDD†D=D. The mission therefore produces a machine-checked link between the linear-algebraic decomposition of games and their equilibrium sets, which other results of the paper (and of the literature on near-potential games) also need. To the best of our knowledge, none of these statements has been formalized before; the result itself is proved in the paper.

Difficulty

The construction on pp. 31–33 is explicit, so the difficulty is not finding uˉ\bar uuˉ but keeping two descriptions of "differ only in the nonstrategic component" consistent. The statement uses the component maps; the proof checks pointwise that um(p)−um(q)=uˉm(p)−uˉm(q)u^m(p) - u^m(q) = \bar u^m(p) - \bar u^m(q)um(p)−um(q)=uˉm(p)−uˉm(q) for mmm-comparable p,qp, qp,q. Passing from the second to the first needs the pseudoinverse identities for DDD and δ0\delta_0δ0​ with respect to the specific inner products of C0MC_0^MC0M​ and C1C_1C1​; a naive argument that treats D†D^\daggerD† as an inverse fails because DDD has a large kernel. A second point is the case analysis in the definition of uˉ\bar uuˉ: whether a profile is mmm-comparable to an equilibrium must be shown independent of which of two mmm-comparable profiles is examined, and the case where a non-equilibrium profile is mmm-comparable to an equilibrium for every player mmm needs the separate argument of p. 33.

Formalization scope

Players form a finite type ι with decidable equality; strategy sets E m are finite, nonempty and have decidable equality. A game is an element of PiLp 2 (fun _ => EuclideanSpace ℝ (∀ k, E k)), i.e. C0MC_0^MC0M​ with the unweighted sum inner product of Section 4; the weighted inner product of Section 6 is not used. C1C_1C1​ carries the inner product with the factor 12\tfrac1221​. The pseudoinverse is defined directly (Mathlib has none) as the inverse of LLL on (ker⁡L)⊥(\ker L)^\perp(kerL)⊥ composed with the orthogonal projection onto the range. Pure Nash equilibrium is AGT.IsPureNash from the published agt_games bundle; Pareto optimality is Definition 5.3, stated for a plain utility function.

Added hypothesis. The paper leaves implicit that GGG has a pure Nash equilibrium, and the goal carries it as a hypothesis. It is necessary: every finite game has a Pareto optimal profile (a maximizer of ∑mum\sum_m u^m∑m​um), while a game without pure equilibria, such as matching pennies, has none in any game with the same potential and harmonic components, so the set equality would fail. The paper's proof uses an equilibrium in the step "deviation to a NE increases the payoff of at least one player". Lemma 5.4 needs no such hypothesis.

"Same potential and harmonic components" is stated as equality of the two component maps of Theorem 4.1, never as membership of u−uˉu - \bar uu−uˉ in ker⁡D\ker DkerD; the two are equivalent only through the decomposition theorem. Without condition (i) the goal would be trivial (take uˉ\bar uuˉ constant, so that every profile is both an equilibrium and Pareto optimal), so condition (i) is what makes the statement nontrivial.

Needed infrastructure: the Penrose identities for the pseudoinverse; DD†D=DD D^\dagger D = DDD†D=D; the fact that DuDuDu determines each DmumD_m u^mDm​um (the mmm-comparable edge sets for different mmm are disjoint); and the explicit constructions of u^\hat uu^ and uˉ\bar uuˉ. The pseudoinverse lemmas and the "same comparisons, same equilibria" bridge are reusable throughout the series. Proofs of the milestones, of the bridge in either direction, and of the Penrose identities are welcome as separate contributions.

Selected references

  • O. Candogan, I. Menache, A. Ozdaglar, P. A. Parrilo, Flows and Decompositions of Games: Harmonic and Potential Games, arXiv:1005.2405v2, 2010. https://arxiv.org/abs/1005.2405 — journal version: Mathematics of Operations Research 36(3):474–503, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1287/moor.1110.0500
  • D. Monderer, L. S. Shapley, Potential Games, Games and Economic Behavior 14(1):124–143, 1996. https://doi.org/10.1006/game.1996.0044
  • R. Penrose, A generalized inverse for matrices, Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 51(3):406–413, 1955. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305004100030401
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