Chapter 245 Paper Published, Million Dollar Prize [Subscribe]

"It took so long to finish writing the Hodge conjecture paper, but this will satisfy the expectations of mathematicians around the world."

Thursday, August 2014, 8, Editorial Board Meeting of Acta Mathematica Sinica Headquarters.

Ma Zhiming, who had just returned from the International Congress of Mathematicians, was immediately filled with a surprised smile when he heard the good news from Xu Yuan, and he quickly answered.

The discussion on the Hodge conjecture is still ongoing in the mathematical community, especially the International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute, which have successively announced that the results of the proof process are valid.

This greatly stimulated the nerves of mathematicians, and they were all excited that the world's difficult mathematical problems had been solved.

At the same time, it also established Xu Yuan's status as a master of mathematics.

In this case, what everyone is most looking forward to is undoubtedly the paper proving the Hodge conjecture.

After all, for most mathematicians, due to their limited level, it is difficult to understand the proof process alone.

“Now that the proof process has been completed, it is not difficult to write a paper.”

Xu Yuan smiled and said, "I hope that the publication of this paper will significantly increase the impact factor of our Journal of Mathematics."

“Strive to become a top academic journal in the field of mathematics.”

He is full of confidence in the Journal of Mathematics and speaks with confidence.

Ma Zhiming took over the conversation and echoed: "That's for sure."

Previously, because Xu Yuan faded out of the mathematics community and even did not publish any new academic papers for a long time, the influence of the Journal of Mathematics declined and it was getting further and further away from the four top journals in the mathematics community.

But it's fine now.

The paper proving the Hodge conjecture published in the Journal of Mathematics will surely be subscribed by mathematicians around the world.

By then, a substantial increase in the impact factor will be necessary.

It depends on whether it can exceed the impact factors of the four top mathematics journals.

"This paper will be published soon, and I believe no one will be able to disprove it."

"According to the current situation, the one million US dollars reward offered by the Clay Mathematics Institute should be guaranteed. It just depends on when they will officially pay out the reward."

"In addition, the school and the Mathematics Council will also award a prize of 5 million."

"You deserve this."

Ma Zhiming said this to Xu Yuan again at this time, and he couldn't help feeling mixed emotions.

If it were in the past, he would not even dare to imagine the changes in the domestic mathematics community.

What won him the Fields Medal? He solved a difficult mathematical problem in the world and made the Acta Mathematica Sinica a top mathematics journal.

But all these things became reality for Xu Yuan.

Especially considering Xu Yuan’s age, it feels unreal.

Xu Yuan didn't think about what Ma Zhiming was thinking at the moment. After hearing these words, he fell into deep thought.

From the million-dollar space award some time ago to the half-million-dollar prize for publishing in Nature, it has now been proven that Hodges's prize is as high as five million.

Add to that the million dollars promised by the Clay Mathematics Institute, and it has to be said that this is indeed a terrifying number.

This once again proves what he often said, knowledge is wealth.

Continuous withdrawals are possible.

As for this matter, Xu Yuan did not shirk any responsibility and just nodded in the end.

It is worth mentioning that Xu Yuan’s paper has not been reviewed.

Even the editorial board doesn’t even bother to look at it and goes straight to the publication stage.

no way.

Xu Yuan's papers represent the authority in the mathematics community.

Even the International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute failed to find loopholes in the proof.

How can they be qualified to review?

Perhaps because they want to see the rise of Acta Mathematica Sinica in the field of mathematics as soon as possible, Ma Zhiming and his team are very efficient.

It was just the beginning of September when the latest issue was released to the world.

The cover is Xu Yuan's proof of Hodge's conjecture.

Once the news spread, mathematics departments of universities both at home and abroad were the first to order the journal.

……

University of California Los Angeles.

Professor's office.

In the morning, Terence Tao sat in a chair, holding a pen and writing mathematical formulas on the draft paper on the desk.

But his brows were still furrowed, and it was obvious that things were not going well.

If there were other mathematicians here, they would definitely be able to see that the steps on the draft paper were exactly the proof steps of the Hodge conjecture.

He was called the Mozart of mathematics by the academic community in his twenties, and he was undoubtedly proud of being a mathematical genius.

But in front of Xu Yuan, there was no trace of this pride left.

Therefore, when he learned that Xu Yuan had proved the Hodge conjecture, he was shocked at first and then quickly calmed down.

It seemed as if Xu Yuan's proof of Hodge's conjecture was a normal thing and there was nothing surprising about it.

He himself didn't even realize it, but Xu Yuan's figure had unknowingly become so tall in his heart.

Although he was not good at algebraic geometry and topology, faced with the temptation of the world's difficult mathematical problems, he finally chose to plunge into the research and verification of Xu Yuan's proof steps.

In addition to improving my own math skills, I also do this for the sake of feeling proud.

You should know that Xu Yuan, who was originally a researcher of number theory, was able to prove the Hodge conjecture related to algebraic geometry and topology.

He also believed that he could complete the argument.

Although during this period, he heard the International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute announce the success of the proof.

Still didn't give up and stop.

Always use your own method to analyze the proof process.

This also benefited him a lot.

However, there are also many bottlenecks, and sometimes it can get stuck in one place for half a day.

I can't keep up with Xu Yuan's thinking at all.

“It is incredible to combine so many branches of mathematics, even mixing in the Abelian terms of quantum mechanics.”

"He can complete such a complex proof by himself. He is indeed a recognized genius in the mathematics community."

“This proof process is worth my continued study.”

After a while, Tao Zhexuan paused, his eyes still on the draft paper on the desk.

He murmured secretly with a complicated expression.

Just as he was thinking about this, a sudden knock on the door outside the office caught his attention.

After adjusting his mood, he raised his gaze and looked towards the door.

"Please come in."

The voice just fell.

Suddenly, a blond man walked in, holding a rolled-up journal in his hand, with an expression of surprise and smile on his face.

When Terence Tao saw an acquaintance, he immediately smiled and greeted him.

"Bagufu, why did you come to me suddenly?"

Bagfu, who is an old colleague of Terence Tao, did not keep the answer in suspense when asked.

He immediately raised the journal in his hand and said, "The latest issue of the Journal of Mathematics published a paper proving the Hodge conjecture. I brought it here because I thought you would be very interested in it." He did not hide the confidence on his face when he said this.

Terence Tao has been focusing on the proof process recently and doesn't know much about information from the outside world.

Apparently it was not clear that the relevant paper had been published.

"It has been published, so soon?"

"It's really fast, but considering Xu's style, it seems normal."

Bagev explained to Tao with a smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, he added: "This journal is very popular in the academic community now."

“The impact factors of journals are also growing rapidly.”

“It won’t be long before its popularity surpasses that of the other four major mathematics journals.”

"That's true. It's their fault for not being able to produce such an excellent paper." Terence Tao nodded in agreement.

Knowing the future landscape of the mathematics community, I’m afraid it’s really going to change.

However, he did not discuss the matter too much, and then turned his attention to the journal in Bagev's hand.

"Hurry up and throw the journal in your hand to me. I'm already looking forward to the detailed contents."

He is currently researching the proof steps of the Hodge conjecture, but has hit a bottleneck and is unable to keep up with the pace.

With more detailed assistance from the entire paper, he can solve the problem.

Bagev naturally knew Terence Tao very well, so he certainly wouldn't waste too much time hearing this.

He immediately walked over and put the journal on the desk.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he changed the subject and added two more sentences.

"Although the International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute have both announced that Xu Yuan has proved the conclusion of the Hodge conjecture, there are still many mathematicians in the mathematics community conducting research."

“Try to find loopholes in it and disprove the proof.”

"Maybe you can, Terry."

Tao Zhexuan looked up and met the other person's serious gaze, but for a moment he didn't know how to answer.

For mathematicians, if they can disprove Xu Yuan's proof at this time, they will quickly become famous in the mathematics community.

It is indeed sought after by many mathematicians.

He had a relatively good understanding of Xu Yuan's mathematical level, and his ability was definitely above his.

It is not easy to disprove Xu Yuan's proof process.

Moreover, among Xu Yuan’s many academic papers, it is no exaggeration to say that not a single one has been falsified.

As for the proof process, the International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute have already supported it.

The probability of overthrowing them is basically zero.

of course.

If he really found something wrong during the research process.

It will definitely be announced to the mathematics community as soon as possible.

The thought lingered here, and he answered, "I still agree with the views of the International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute. Xu did prove the Hodge conjecture, a world-renowned mathematical problem."

“I studied this paper just to gain something for myself.”

"It's hard to imagine that there is such a perverted talent as Xu in the mathematics world. Maybe he will solve several other difficult problems in the world in the future." Bagev straightened up and thought thoughtfully about the image of Xu Yuan in his mind.

Terence Tao: "Who can tell what will happen in the future?"

Having said that, Bagfu didn't waste any more time. He responded and made a gesture to leave.

"Then I won't disturb you."

Tao Zhexuan looked at Bagev's figure until he completely disappeared from his sight.

Then he focused on the journal in front of him. As he turned the cover, at the front was the entire detailed paper on the Hodge conjecture.

Soon he was completely immersed in it, absorbing the knowledge in the paper like a sponge.

-

The scene comes to the Clay Mathematics Institute.

After they announced the results of their proof of the Hodge conjecture to the outside world, indicating that Xu Yuan's conclusion was valid.

Research is still ongoing in the institute, and absolute mathematical rigor must be ensured.

After all, this question involves a one million dollar prize, and it would be difficult to issue it before it is really confirmed.

Otherwise, as soon as the prize money is announced, someone in the mathematics community will find an error to disprove the Hodge conjecture.

That scene was embarrassing.

As an authoritative organization in the mathematical community, they certainly don't want this to happen.

You should know that when Perelman proved the Poincare conjecture, it took him a long time to argue and finally decided to award him a million-dollar prize.

But in the end, Perelman not only refused to accept the award, but also chose to give up the Fields Medal in Mathematics.

So after the Hodge conjecture paper was published in the Journal of Mathematics, they started a new round of verification.

With a more detailed paper, it will be easier to argue.

At the same time, the accuracy is higher.

At this time, Wells was not idle either. He expressed his opinion at the institute's seminar, hoping to determine the million-dollar prize as soon as possible.

"The complete paper on the Hodge conjecture has been published. In addition to the International Mathematical Union announcing the conclusion, many university mathematics departments have also publicly stated that the Hodge conjecture has been successfully proven and solved."

“I think Xu Yuan should be awarded a prize as soon as possible to reward his contributions to mathematical research.”

In the conference room of the Clay Mathematics Institute, Wells spoke first, and his tone was very firm.

Xu Yuan did not disappoint his expectations and allowed him to witness with his own eyes the complete solution of the Hodge conjecture.

Then he must also do his best to help Xu Yuan get the million-dollar bonus he deserves as soon as possible.

Otherwise, it would take another four years to wait until the next International Congress of Mathematicians, and the opportunity would be lost.

The key is that it will also undermine the authority of their Clay Mathematics Institute.

I am afraid that in the future, few people will study the world’s difficult mathematical problems, and I don’t know when they can be completely solved.

Although he had many misunderstandings about Xu Yuan, it turned out that Xu Yuan's mathematical talent was indeed very strong, and the time it took to prove the Hodge conjecture was completely beyond his expectations.

At this research pace, and considering that Xu Yuan is still very young, there is a high probability that he will solve another difficult mathematical problem in the world.

If I could see one more difficult mathematical problem solved before the end of my life.

Then there will be no regrets.

To achieve this, we must first ensure that Xu Yuan is willing to continue proving the world's difficult mathematical problems.

After all, Xu Yuan had faded out of the mathematics community long before the Hodge conjecture was proved.

The only solution he could think of was to prove the world's most difficult mathematical problems and get the bonus.

But there were people in the meeting room who obviously disagreed with Wells' proposal and immediately took over the conversation and raised their objections.

“I think this is inappropriate. Even if Xu proves the Hodge conjecture, he has to reach the proof cycle before he can be awarded the prize.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone else echoed him.

"There are many people in the mathematics community who are still arguing, and no one knows whether there are any problems with the paper, so the awarding of the prize should be postponed."

"I think we should wait."

"agree."

"Mathematics should be rigorous, and we also want to ensure the accuracy of the proof of the Hodge conjecture."

……

Wells listened to the attitudes of the people at the scene and was not surprised at all.

It was as if he had already guessed this outcome.

But he obviously had no intention of giving up. After the meeting room became quiet again, he started to speak again.

"I think you all need to recognize the fact that of the seven Millennium Prize puzzles, two of them have now been proven to be solved, but we have paid out zero prize money."

"This seriously undermines the authority of our Clay Mathematics Institute."

"Xu Yuan proved that Hodge's conjecture must be correct. Rather than delaying the award for a few years, it is better to award it now."

“Perhaps he can also prove other difficult mathematical problems and thoroughly promote the research and development of mathematics.”

Perhaps Wells' words touched everyone, and the meeting room remained silent at this moment.

He seemed to be thinking seriously about Wells's proposal.

So much so that no decision was made.

At this time, as the Clay Mathematics Institute was working on a million-dollar prize, tension was shrouded in the Annals of Mathematics.

After the official publication of the Hodge conjecture paper, the influence of the Journal of Mathematics skyrocketed.

Not only did the impact factor increase rapidly, but the key point was that it surpassed the Annals of Mathematics for the first time.

In other words, if we only consider the impact factor, Acta Mathematica Sinica is one of the top four journals in the mathematics field.

The Annals of Mathematics has fallen to fifth place.

This is undoubtedly an unacceptable shame for the Annals of Mathematics.

But the angriest person must be Holt, the editor-in-chief of the Annals of Mathematics.

After all, the honor that the Annals of Mathematics has inherited for so long will be destroyed in his hands.

Unfortunately, at this moment, they have no way to increase the impact factor of the Annals of Mathematics in a short period of time.

The only viable way out is to lower the impact factor of the Journal of Mathematics.

To this end, he deliberately used his connections and gathered a number of outstanding mathematicians.

Their only task was to study Xu Yuan's paper proving the Hodge conjecture.

However, the purpose of their research is to falsify.

It really surprised Xu Yuan that he could prove the Hodge conjecture in a short time.

But at the same time, he believed that this proof would certainly not be perfect.

As long as you look carefully, you will definitely find problems in the paper. Once the relevant news is announced, the influence of the Journal of Mathematics will surely drop drastically.

However, things did not always go as planned. Despite the efforts of so many mathematicians, no loopholes in the paper could be found.

"How's it going, everyone? Did you find anything out of place?"

In the report room of the editorial board of the Annals of Mathematics, Holt had just finished dealing with daily matters related to the journal and could not wait to run here to check the situation.

I want to hear the answer I want from the other person.

But as the saying goes, ideals are beautiful but reality is cruel, this happened almost the moment he finished speaking.

I heard the voice of a mathematician next to me.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Holt, but Xu's paper is very rigorous and I can't find any mistakes at all."

When Holt heard this, his face suddenly darkened, but he still managed to control his emotions.

The next second, he asked again, "Is there no problem at all in the complicated steps?"

The other mathematicians at the scene also spoke the truth and basically all praised Xu Yuan.

"As you said, Mr. Holt, there is indeed no problem with the entire proof process."

“I prefer to call this paper a work of art.”

"Through the conditions given in the paper, algebraic geometry and topology have successfully established a certain connection. No one can erase Xu's contribution to the development of mathematics."

"We should be happy that such mathematicians have emerged in the mathematics community."

"The International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute are much stronger than us. They both recognized Xu's proof of the Hodge conjecture. How could we possibly disprove it?"

The words of the mathematicians present were like sharp thorns, constantly breaking through Holt's psychological defenses.

The key is that he couldn't find any reason to refute.

After all, it's all true.

Faced with such a result, he had to admit that he had failed.

And it failed completely.

As a result, the Annals of Mathematics dropped to fifth place in the field of mathematics.

In the final analysis, we can only say that Xu Yuan has created too many miracles. In particular, relying on his own mathematical strength, he has made the Acta Mathematica Sinica, an unknown journal in the mathematics community, grow into one of the four top journals in the field of mathematics.

From this perspective, it seems that the loss of Annals of Mathematics is not unfair.

In addition, based on the current growth rate of the impact factor of the Journal of Mathematics, it is estimated that it will not be long before the rankings of the other three top mathematics journals will also decline.

By then, no one will be able to laugh at anyone else.

The thought stayed here, and Holt found himself becoming more open-minded.

Since the power of individuals and the Annals of Mathematics cannot prevent the arrival of a new era of mathematics.

Then relax and accept it.

With his mind working quickly, he calmed down completely, and then said to the mathematician inside:

"Since it has been confirmed that Xu Yuan has proved the Hodge conjecture, there is no need to continue the argument. Thank you for your hard work during this period."

In fact, even if there was no invitation from the Annals of Mathematics, as mathematicians they would still try to prove the Hodge conjecture.

Being concentrated together has actually greatly improved efficiency.

So the mathematicians present didn't say much, just said goodbye and left one after another.

In the end, Holt was left alone sitting on the chair, looking a little desolate and decadent.

It's like an eggplant hit by frost, wilted.

Since the Annals of Mathematics did not make any public statements on this occasion, it made few appearances at this grand event in the mathematics community.

Just when the mathematics community was about to sink into obscurity, the Clay Mathematics Institute suddenly spoke out publicly.

He announced that he would personally go to Yanjing in four months to present Xu Yuan with a US$1 million reward provided by the institute.

As for the next few months, if anyone can find a way to prove the problems in the paper, they can still submit it to the Clay Mathematics Institute for research. As long as it is confirmed to be falsified, it will not be issued again.

Apparently Wells's persistence paid off at the Clay Mathematics Institute meeting.

However, as soon as the relevant news reached the country, everyone had already started congratulating Xu Yuan in advance.

After all, in the eyes of netizens, if even the International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute failed to find the error, how could others in the mathematics community do it?

This million-dollar prize is already in Xu Yuan's pocket.

"The Clay Mathematics Institute was so happy this time. They must have been overwhelmed by Xu Shen's mathematical prowess."

"That's a lot of bonuses. I finally understand that knowledge is wealth."

“It’s true that knowledge is wealth, but unfortunately most people don’t have the password to withdraw money.”

"Jincheng sent a congratulatory message!"

"Do you think it's possible for Master Xu to solve a few more problems in the future and try to take all the prize money?"

……

(End of this chapter)