In this paper we construct a $\mathbb{Q}$-linear tannakian category $\mathsf{MEM}_{1}$ of universal mixed elliptic motives over the moduli space ${\mathcal{M}}_{1,1}$ of elliptic curves. It contains $\mathsf{MTM}$, the category of mixed Tate motives unramified over the integers. Each object of $\mathsf{MEM}_{1}$ is an object of $\mathsf{MTM}$ endowed with an action of $\text{SL}_{2}(\mathbb{Z})$ that is compatible with its structure. Universal mixed elliptic motives can be thought of as motivic local systems over ${\mathcal{M}}_{1,1}$ whose fiber over the tangential base point $\unicode[STIX]{x2202}/\unicode[STIX]{x2202}q$ at the cusp is a mixed Tate motive. The basic structure of the tannakian fundamental group of $\mathsf{MEM}$ is determined and the lowest order terms of a set (conjecturally, a minimal generating set) of relations are deduced from computations of Brown. This set of relations includes the arithmetic relations, which describe the ‘infinitesimal Galois action’. We use the presentation to give a new and more conceptual proof of the Ihara–Takao congruences.

We give an algebraic description of the structure of the analytic universal cover of a complex abelian variety which suffices to determine the structure up to isomorphism. More generally, we classify the models of theories of ‘universal covers’ of rigid divisible commutative finite Morley rank groups.

Given an $n$-dimensional variety $Z$ with rational singularities, we conjecture that if $f:Y\rightarrow Z$ is a resolution of singularities whose reduced exceptional divisor $E$ has simple normal crossings, then

$$\begin{eqnarray}\displaystyle R^{n-1}f_{\ast }\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA}_{Y}(\log E)=0. & & \displaystyle \nonumber\end{eqnarray}$$

$Z$

$D$

$n$

$X$

$\mathscr{O}_{X}(\ast D)$

$n-3$

In this paper, we develop three different subjects. We study and prove alternative versions of Hrushovski’s ‘stabilizer theorem’, we generalize part of the basic theory of definably amenable NIP groups to $\text{NTP}_{2}$ theories, and finally, we use all this machinery to study groups with f-generic types definable in bounded pseudo real closed fields.

We construct a weak Hilbert space that is a twisted Hilbert space.

Let $Y$ be an abelian variety over a subfield $k\subset \mathbb{C}$ that is of finite type over $\mathbb{Q}$. We prove that if the Mumford–Tate conjecture for $Y$ is true, then also some refined integral and adelic conjectures due to Serre are true for $Y$. In particular, if a certain Hodge-maximality condition is satisfied, we obtain an adelic open image theorem for the Galois representation on the (full) Tate module of $Y$. We also obtain an (unconditional) adelic open image theorem for K3 surfaces. These results are special cases of a more general statement for the image of a natural adelic representation of the fundamental group of a Shimura variety.

We show that the image of the Abel–Jacobi map admits functorially a model over the field of definition, with the property that the Abel–Jacobi map is equivariant with respect to this model. The cohomology of this abelian variety over the base field is isomorphic as a Galois representation to the deepest part of the coniveau filtration of the cohomology of the projective variety. Moreover, we show that this model over the base field is dominated by the Albanese variety of a product of components of the Hilbert scheme of the projective variety, and thus we answer a question of Mazur. We also recover a result of Deligne on complete intersections of Hodge level 1.

The minimal ramification problem may be considered as a quantitative version of the inverse Galois problem. For a nontrivial finite group $G$, let $m(G)$ be the minimal integer $m$ for which there exists a $G$-Galois extension $N/\mathbb{Q}$ that is ramified at exactly $m$ primes (including the infinite one). So, the problem is to compute or to bound $m(G)$.

In this paper, we bound the ramification of extensions $N/\mathbb{Q}$ obtained as a specialization of a branched covering $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}:C\rightarrow \mathbb{P}_{\mathbb{Q}}^{1}$. This leads to novel upper bounds on $m(G)$, for finite groups $G$ that are realizable as the Galois group of a branched covering. Some instances of our general results are:

$$\begin{eqnarray}1\leqslant m(S_{k})\leqslant 4\quad \text{and}\quad n\leqslant m(S_{k}^{n})\leqslant n+4,\end{eqnarray}$$

$n,k>0$

$S_{k}$

$k$

$S_{k}^{n}$

$n$

$S_{k}$

$m(G^{n})$

$n\rightarrow \infty$

$G$

Our methods are based on sieve theory results, in particular on the Green–Tao–Ziegler theorem on prime values of linear forms in two variables, on the theory of specialization in arithmetic geometry, and on finite group theory.

The motivic Hilbert zeta function of a variety $X$ is the generating function for classes in the Grothendieck ring of varieties of Hilbert schemes of points on $X$. In this paper, the motivic Hilbert zeta function of a reduced curve is shown to be rational.

We give a formula relating the order of the Brauer group of a surface fibered over a curve over a finite field to the order of the Tate–Shafarevich group of the Jacobian of the generic fiber. The formula implies that the Brauer group of a smooth and proper surface over a finite field is a square if it is finite.

We study the derived Hall algebra of the partially wrapped Fukaya category of a surface. We give an explicit description of the Hall algebra for the disk with $m$ marked intervals and we give a conjectural description of the Hall algebras of all surfaces with enough marked intervals. Then we use a functoriality result to show that a graded version of the HOMFLY-PT skein relation holds among certain arcs in the Hall algebras of general surfaces.