Christopher Voll, PhD (cantab)

CV at work

Welcome to this page.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Christopher Voll

Fakultät für Mathematik
Universität Bielefeld
Postfach 100131
D-33501 Bielefeld
Germany
Telephone: 0049-521-1065025
Telephone (secretary Ms N. Nopto): 0049-521-1065021
Email: surname at math dot uni minus bielefeld dot de

I also maintain a research affiliation with Mathematics at the University of Southampton, UK.

Elsevier boycott

I joined a number of researchers - more than 11.600 as of 16 May 2012 - in boycotting Elsevier, the academic publisher; see The Cost of Knowledge for background.

Kolloquium

I coordinate the Mathematisches Kolloquium at Bielefeld.

CV

Click here for a 3-page CV.

Research

My research interests are centred around asymptotic group theory, in particular arithmetic and analytic properties of zeta functions associated to infinite groups and rings. These are Dirichlet generating functions encoding arithmetic data about groups and rings, such as the numbers of finite index subobjects or finite-dimensional irreducible representations. The study of these zeta functions may be seen as a non-commutative analogue to the theory of the Dedekind zeta function of a number field, enumerating finite index ideals in the number field's ring of integers. This young subject area lies on the crossroads of infinite group and ring theory, algebraic geometry and combinatorics. I have written "A newcomer's guide to zeta functions of groups and rings", see here.

I welcome enquiries about possible PhD projects from suitably qualified candidates. I am also happy to consider sponsoring postdoc applications, e.g. under the Marie Curie Actions.

Papers (submitted for publication)

  1. Arithmetic groups, base change, and representation growth, with N. Avni, B. Klopsch and U. Onn, arxiv
  2. Enumerating classes and characters of p-groups, with E. A. O'Brien, arxiv
  3. Representation zeta functions of nilpotent groups and generating functions for Weyl groups of type B, with A. Stasinski, arxiv

Book chapters

  1. A newcomer's guide to zeta functions of groups and rings, in B. Klopsch, N. Nikolov, C. Voll, Lectures on profinite topics in group theory, editor D. Segal, London Mathematical Society Student Texts 77, Cambridge University Press, 2011, see CUP, also arxiv
  2. Zeta functions of groups - singular pfaffians, in Essays in Geometric Group Theory, editor N. S. N. Sastry, Ramanujan Mathematical Society Lecture Notes Series, No. 9, 2009, see also arxiv

Papers (published or accepted for publication)

  1. Representation zeta functions of compact p-adic analytic groups and arithmetic groups, with N. Avni, B. Klopsch and U. Onn, arxiv, to appear in Duke Math. J.
  2. Representation zeta functions of some compact p-adic analytic groups, with N. Avni, B. Klopsch and U. Onn, arxiv, in Contemporary Mathematics 566 (2012)
  3. Functional equations for zeta functions of groups and rings, Ann. Math. 172 (2010), 1181--1218, pdf, arxiv
  4. On representation zeta functions of groups and a conjecture of Larsen-Lubotzky, with N. Avni, B. Klopsch and U. Onn, C. R. Math. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 348 (2010), 363--367, arxiv
  5. Enumerating finite class-2-nilpotent groups on 2 generators, C. R. Math. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 347 (2009), 1347-1350 arxiv
  6. Zeta function of 3-dimensional p-adic Lie algebras, with B. Klopsch, Math. Z. 263, No. 1 (2009), 195--210, pdf, arxiv
  7. Igusa-type functions associated to finite formed spaces and their functional equations, with B. Klopsch, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 361 (2009), 4405--4436, pdf, arxiv
  8. Counting subgroups in a family of nilpotent semidirect products, Bull. London Math. Soc., No. 38 (2006), 743--752, pdf, arxiv
  9. Normal subgroup growth in free class-2-nilpotent groups, Math. Ann. 332, No. 1 (2005), 67--79, pdf, arxiv
  10. Functional equations for local normal zeta functions of nilpotent groups, with an appendix by A. Beauville, Geom. Func. Anal. (GAFA) 15 (2005), 274--295, pdf, arxiv
  11. Zeta functions of groups and enumeration in Bruhat-Tits buildings, Amer. J. Math. 126 (2004), 1005--1032, pdf, arxiv

Grants

Research group

I am involved in the South England Profinite Groups Meetings, a Joint Research Group supported by an LMS Scheme 3 grant. For information on the next meeting click here.

Meetings organised

Postdocs

PhD students

Teaching (in German)

Sommersemester 2012

Wintersemester 2011/12

Last updated: 22 May 2012