From child prodigy to chief scientist

Chapter 94 To be honest, this was Xu Xiao's suggestion.

This time, Dong Yi did not directly construct a self-dual complex, but adopted a completely new approach. He first constructed a weakly dual complex, and then used functors in stable domains for iteration to improve duality.

Upon seeing this method, Yuan Jiyang couldn't help but feel a sense of inspiration.

Because this method looks very "geometric," even Yuan Jiyang had never seen such a solution in a similar problem.

For problems like these that are essentially pure algebra, it's indeed difficult to think of trying methods other than algebra.

After careful consideration, Yuan Jiyang realized that the D8 structure was indeed very suitable for this layered construction method.

Because the dihedral group D8 inherently possesses both algebraic and geometric properties.

From an algebraic perspective, it is an 8th-order finite 2 group with standard group operations and representation structures.

Geometrically speaking, it is a symmetric group of regular quadrilaterals, and naturally possesses a hierarchical structure of normal subgroups.

However, pure algebra researchers would subconsciously only focus on its algebraic properties and completely ignore its geometric layering properties.

After spending some more time reviewing the proof process, Yuan Jiyang's expression was one of satisfaction, even disbelief.

He knew Dong Yi had a strong talent for mathematics, but he didn't expect it to be this high.

Even Yuan Jiyang himself might not have been able to come up with such a creative way of proving his ideas.

"Dong Yi, I've finished reading it. The proof you used later was indeed very ingenious, highly original, and the proof process was very complete, with no logical problems whatsoever."

Yuan Jiyang usually has very strict requirements for students' papers and rarely gives such high praise.

However, he couldn't find any fault with Dong Yi's work; at most, there was room for improvement in the writing of the paper.

Upon hearing Yuan Jiyang's evaluation, Dong Yi was pleased, but he still honestly revealed the secret behind it.

"Professor Yuan—to be honest, this line of reasoning was actually first proposed by Xu Xiao."

"Huh? What did you say? Xu Xiao?"

Dong Yi's words caught Yuan Jiyang off guard, and he found it hard to imagine any connection between Xu Xiaohui and Dong Yi's research topic.

Although the two of them have been living together recently, Xu Xiao only came to Yenching University to audit classes in advance, and in principle, she would not get involved in a doctoral project.

Even if Xu Xiao learned about the research topic Dong Yi was working on for some reason, it's unlikely that she would actually offer any valuable advice.

No matter what, Xu Xiao's math skills are only equivalent to those of a second or third-year university student. Even though he has completed a research project on his own, he has not systematically learned all the knowledge required for an undergraduate degree in mathematics.

Dong Yi's research topic is considered one of the most difficult among doctoral students in the Mathematics Department of Yenching University.

Seeing the puzzled look on Yuan Jiyang's face, Dong Yi explained to Yuan Jiyang the events of the past few days in detail.

Having learned the whole story, Yuan Jiyang realized that this must be the truth.

Yuan Jiyang was still somewhat disappointed that Dong Yi had not solved the problem independently.

But at the same time, this also brought him another piece of news that shocked him even more—

Xu Xiao's abilities continue to evolve rapidly, and he is now able to solve problems that even the Doctor couldn't solve.

Although this is only one problem in the whole project, it is also the most challenging one, posing a more rigorous test to the students' research abilities.

If this trend continues, Xu Xiao might soon be able to independently research topics worthy of top journals.

"Dong Yi, you still need to strengthen your awareness of confidentiality regarding your research projects."

Once you actually start doing scientific research in the future, you will have to keep your research a closely guarded secret, even from your closest friends and family.

"Teacher Yuan, this is indeed my fault, and I will definitely pay more attention to it in the future."

After giving Dong Yi this instruction, Yuan Jiyang did not criticize him excessively in this matter.

After all, it was his own idea to send Xu Xiao there, and it would be hard for anyone else to imagine that Xu Xiao could actually solve such a complex problem.

Subsequently, Yuan Jiyang offered some suggestions for revising the paper and recommended suitable journals.

"Based on the quality of this paper, I think it basically meets the standards required by 'Advances in Mathematics' —"

Hearing Yuan Jiyang say this, Dong Yi seemed somewhat hesitant.

After all, Advances in Mathematics is a Q1 journal, with an acceptance rate of less than 10% for submitted papers, making it extremely difficult to get a paper accepted.

Moreover, the review process for this journal is quite long. If the manuscript is accepted, that's fine, but if it's rejected, it could mean wasting several months of time.

There are only three or four months left until this summer's graduation defense. If Dong Yi misses this window of opportunity, he will really have to postpone his graduation.

"Professor Yuan, I don't think we have a very high chance of publishing this paper in 'Advances in Mathematics'. Why don't we choose a journal with a faster review process?"

Yuan Jiyang naturally knew what Dong Yi was worried about, and then advised, "Dong Yi, I know you are eager to graduate, but I think this achievement is indeed very valuable. The probability of it being accepted by 'Advances in Mathematics' is at least 50%, so it is definitely worth a try."

"I will talk to the journal editor and try to get them to prioritize reviewing your manuscript. I hope they can let me know as soon as possible, regardless of whether it will be approved or not."

"As for graduation, you don't need to worry too much. Even if you can't make it to the defense in July, I guarantee that I will arrange a defense for you before the end of this year."

"As long as your paper can be published in a top journal, your job retention at the university is basically guaranteed."

Yuan Jiyang made many promises to Dong Yi. Even if Dong Yi really did not graduate, Yuan Jiyang would still give him subsidies as usual so that he would not have to worry about financial problems.

After listening to Yuan Jiyang's advice, Dong Yi thought about it and decided to accept his suggestion.

Staying at Yenching University had always been Dong Yi's goal.

A key factor that determined whether he could stay at Yenching University was the research he published during his doctoral studies.

To secure a position at the university, publishing a paper in a top-tier journal definitely increases your chances of staying on.

If we can really achieve this goal, graduating a little later is acceptable.

"Okay, Professor Yuan, then I'll prepare according to the method for submitting to 'Advances in Mathematics'."

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