# Calculation of an Orbital Integral

Posted by Jason Polak on 25. August 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: algebraic-geometry, number-theory · Tags: ,

In the Arthur-Selberg trace formula and other formulas, one encounters so-called ‘orbital integrals’. These integrals might appear forbidding and abstract at first, but actually they are quite concrete objects. In this post we’ll look at an example that should make orbital integrals seem more friendly and approachable. Let $k = \mathbb{F}_q$ be a finite field and let $F = k( (t))$ be the Laurent series field over $k$. We will denote the ring of integers of $F$ by $\mathfrak{o} := k[ [t]]$ and the valuation $v:F^\times\to \mathbb{Z}$ is normalised so that $v(t) = 1$.

Let $G$ be a reductive algebraic group over $\mathfrak{o}$. Orbital integrals are defined with respect to some $\gamma\in G(F)$. Often, $\gamma$ is semisimple, and regular in the sense that the orbit $G\cdot\gamma$ has maximal dimension. One then defines for a compactly supported smooth function $f:G(F)\to \mathbb{C}$ the orbital integral
$$\Ocl_\gamma(f) = \int_{I_\gamma(F)\backslash G(F)} f(g^{-1}\gamma g) \frac{dg}{dg_\gamma}.$$
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# Graphing the Mandelbrot Set

Posted by Jason Polak on 13. June 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: analysis, elementary · Tags: , ,

A class of fractals known as Mandelbrot sets, named after Benoit Mandelbrot, have pervaded popular culture and are now controlling us. Well, perhaps not quite, but have you ever wondered how they are drawn? Here is an approximation of one:

From now on, Mandelbrot set will refer to the following set: for any complex number $c$, consider the function $f:\mathbb{C}\to\mathbb{C}$ defined by $f_c(z) = z^2 + c$. We define the Mandelbrot set to be the set of complex numbers $c\in\mathbb{C}$ such that the sequence of numbers $f_c(0), f_c(f_c(0)),f_c(f_c(f_c(0))),\dots$ is bounded.
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