Chapter 67 Confirming the Reviewer [Fourth update, please subscribe]

While Xu Yuan was waiting for a reply from the editorial board of the Annals of Mathematics, time passed quickly and it was the end of September.

After two weeks of professional course study, everyone has completely adapted to the rhythm of university life. However, because the National Day holiday is approaching, everyone's faces are still filled with anticipation and joy.

Tuesday, September 2003, 9, in the men’s dormitory of Bauhinia Apartment.

Li Zhenya and Wang Haitao were packing up, preparing to go back home for a few days during the holiday.

After packing it, he couldn't help but turn around and ask Xu Yuan.

"Xu Yuan, do you really want to stay?"

"My family is in the provincial capital, so it's not convenient to go back. I can stay at school and read books in the library."

In response to Li Zhenya's question, Xu Yuan replied in a deep voice that he had already arranged his seven-day holiday in an orderly manner.

He had called home earlier and learned that the store in the provincial capital had been delivered and his parents were busy renovating it there. In addition, the house would not be officially delivered until next year, so it would not be very convenient to live there and he would not be able to help much even if he went back.

Besides, his parents didn't let him go back even though they were on the phone, fearing that his studies would be affected by family matters.

Xu Yuan was not worried about this, after all, his sister Xu Ying could do a lot of things during the holidays.

Instead, he had to review his undergraduate mathematics courses and go to the Department of Engineering Mechanics from time to time.

Since he was rarely seen in the Department of Engineering Mechanics, he had almost become a celebrity among teachers of various subjects, and they would check to see if he was there before every class.

So he wanted to take advantage of the National Day holiday to stay in the library to review the professional courses from his freshman and sophomore years of undergraduate studies to get credits, and then take the examination for the Department of Engineering Mechanics.

Try to obtain a double bachelor's degree within two years, otherwise it would be a waste of time.

What's more, he can enter deep learning state at any time and review with relatively high efficiency.

"That's why Brother Yuan is so outstanding. The two of us who always miss home are destined to have little future." Wang Haitao took over the conversation and said self-deprecatingly with a simple smile on his face.

After saying that, he raised his eyes and looked at Liu Yang lying on the bed and asked the same question.

"What about you, Liu Yang, are you going to stay in school or go home?"

"My family is from Yanjing, and I can go to the library with Brother Yuan during the day." Liu Yang thought for a moment and said affirmatively.

He had originally planned to go home, but he heard that Xu Yuan would stay in the library for the next seven days.

He immediately adjusted his plan.

Decided to go to the library with Xu Yuan to review research materials.

After all, the distance between him and Xu Yuan was getting farther and farther. If he didn't follow closely, he wouldn't even be able to see his back.

"Then I'll leave the dormitory to you guys. I'll bring you some local specialties when school starts."

After Li Zhenya finished speaking, he didn't waste any more time and was the first to put on his bag and leave the dormitory.

Wang Haitao followed closely behind.

They all buy train tickets in advance, and in order not to miss the train they often choose to arrive at the station a long time in advance.

The dormitory, which originally accommodated four people, suddenly seemed much emptier with two people missing, and it became quiet in an instant.

At this time, Xu Yuan took out his mobile phone from his trouser pocket, pressed the OK button to light up the screen, and saw that it was still early for dinner, so he stood up and prepared to go to the library.

"Liu Yang."

"I'm going to the library for a while, are you coming?"

After making up his mind, he did not forget to ask Liu Yang if he wanted to join him.

Since Liu Yang decided not to go home, he naturally would not miss the opportunity to go to the library to review with Xu Yuan. Upon hearing this, he immediately used his hands and feet to quickly climb down from the bed.

"Wait for me."

Then the two of them took the things they needed, locked the dormitory door, and set off for the school library.

……

This was not Xu Yuan’s first visit to the library, but he felt deeply moved every time.

All I can say is that no matter it is weekends or holidays, the library is always the place with the most people.

You have to know that this was when the army of postgraduate entrance examination candidates had not yet formed.

With the help of his student card, Xu Yuan went upstairs and went straight to the science building, where he found some books on probability theory and statistics.

Sit in an empty seat and study carefully.

These are all courses for the first semester of the sophomore year. Since the Mathematical Olympiad basically does not involve relative algebraic geometry, it is relatively unfamiliar. If you want to have a solid enough mathematical foundation, you cannot do without familiarity.

Otherwise, if you cannot apply it flexibly, it will be a waste of brain storage space even if you remember it in your mind.

It is worth mentioning that Liu Yang and Xu Yuan did not sit together.

He found some journal articles in the field of mathematics and sat down at an empty seat at the next table to read them.

The two of them don't bother each other.

that's it.

In the next few days, Xu Yuan's itinerary was very fixed, basically going to the dormitory, cafeteria and library.

As for Liu Yang, he did accompany her, but sometimes he went home at night and did not stay in the dormitory.

at the same time.

Just as Xu Yuan's daily life was becoming more fulfilling, on the other side of the ocean at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, the editorial board members of the Annals of Mathematics were busy as usual.

We screen submissions from all over the world to find high-quality papers.

The paper can only be officially published after passing the review of at least three authoritative reviewers.

It is precisely because of its reputation and prestige, as well as its unique and rigorous review mechanism, that the Annals of Mathematics has become a top journal in the field of mathematics. As the editor-in-chief of the editorial board, Holt checks the manuscripts that are sent to his mailbox every day after preliminary screening by the review editors.

He will then conduct cross-examination with authoritative reviewers to ultimately determine the quality of the paper.

Perhaps it was because there had been no high-quality papers coming into view recently that made Holt a little irritable.

He paused in his work briefly and stood up, looking unhappy, after being disturbed by the sound of rain drops hitting the window.

“I hate rainy days.”

He vented to himself outside, then walked to the coffee machine and made himself a cup of coffee.

After I calmed down a little, I went back to the computer to continue reviewing the manuscript.

"Are these review editors all idiots? They actually sent a paper of this quality to my mailbox."

Unfortunately, I was quite dissatisfied after reading several papers in a row.

The complaints never stopped.

It was not until he saw a paper titled "Proof of the Interval Problem between Infinite Carmichael Numbers" that he felt his eyes light up.

"Has any mathematician tried to prove the Carmichael number interval problem after such a long time?"

He muttered something to himself and immediately started to look it up carefully.

When the infinite number of Carmichael numbers was first proved, many mathematicians tried to solve the unfinished interval problem, but in the end they did not make any substantial progress.

In the following years, the number of mathematicians willing to try to study this problem gradually decreased.

After all, there are too many unresolved problems in mathematics, and the interval problem of Carmichael numbers is not very well-known, so naturally not many mathematicians will continue to devote their energy to it.

I didn't expect that someone would challenge this question again today.

And judging from the title and the confidence in submitting the paper to the Annals of Mathematics, it seems that it is really possible to prove it.

Deep down, Holt naturally hoped that it would be a high-quality paper, so that its publication would help improve the impact factor of the Annals of Mathematics. The quality of the journal's content has indeed declined in recent times.

They urgently need a high-quality paper to serve as the face of the journal.

However, the exact content of the paper will only be known after the reviewers complete the cross-review and confirmation.

As time passed, the expression on Holt's face was gradually replaced by surprise.

Straighten up immediately after reading the entire paper.

"This is a very good paper. I think I should find some experts in number theory to review it."

Although he was not very good at number theory, he felt based on his experience that this was a very valuable paper and that if nothing unexpected happened, the problem of the intervals between infinite Carmichael numbers would be solved.

But due to the review mechanism of the Annals of Mathematics, he had to find several reviewers to read the paper.

The thought stayed here, and I immediately started thinking about the right candidate.

The first choice is naturally the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the founder of the Annals of Mathematics.

You should know that there are quite a few mathematicians in the institute.

"Professor Deligne's main research area is algebraic geometry, but he also has deep insights into number theory and topology, and he would certainly be able to identify the proof method used in this paper."

As soon as a suitable candidate emerged in his mind, Holt printed out the paper and prepared to go to Professor Deligne's office.

But just as he put the printed paper into his briefcase, he suddenly thought of a more suitable candidate.

"correct."

"Why don't I go to Professor Pomerance, the prover of the infinite number of Carmichael numbers?"

"That's a really good idea."

As he said this, a smile of surprise suddenly appeared on his face, and he felt proud of his own cleverness.

Among the three professors who have proved the problem of infinite Carmichael numbers, Pomerance is a professor of mathematics at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

It’s touching to think that nine years later, I let the other party see this paper that solves the spacing problem.

"Looks like I'll have to go to Dartmouth College."

Having made up his mind, Holt did not delay any further and set off after explaining the situation to the editorial board.

-

When Pomerance and two other mathematicians submitted their papers, Holt was not yet the editor-in-chief of the Annals of Mathematics, so his relationship with Pomerance was not particularly friendly and familiar.

However, after arriving at Dartmouth College, he successfully met the other party with the help of the Annals of Mathematics.

"Mr. Holt, how can I help you?"

Pomerance, whose hair was almost silver, took the initiative to ask Holt in front of him.

Holt didn't dare to waste the opportunity and quickly took out the paper from the briefcase he carried with him.

He explained: "Professor Pomerance, I have a paper here that I believe you will like very much."

"paper?"

Although Pomerance was a little confused when he heard this, he still reached out and took the paper.

Before he lowered his eyes to take a closer look, Holt's voice sounded in his ears again.

"This paper proves the problem of spacing between infinite Carmichael numbers that you failed to solve nine years ago."

……

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(End of this chapter)