We bound from below the complexity of the top Chern class $\lambda _g$ of the Hodge bundle in the Chow ring of the moduli space of curves: no formulas for $\lambda _g$ in terms of classes of degrees 1 and 2 can exist. As a consequence of the Torelli map, the 0-section over the second Voronoi compactification of the moduli of principally polarized abelian varieties also cannot be expressed in terms of classes of degree 1 and 2. Along the way, we establish new cases of Pixton's conjecture for tautological relations. In the log Chow ring of the moduli space of curves, however, we prove $\lambda _g$ lies in the subalgebra generated by logarithmic boundary divisors. The proof is effective and uses Pixton's double ramification cycle formula together with a foundational study of the tautological ring defined by a normal crossings divisor. The results open the door to the search for simpler formulas for $\lambda _g$ on the moduli of curves after log blow-ups.

We discuss practical methods for computing the space of solutions to an arbitrary homogeneous linear system of partial differential equations with constant coefficients. These rest on the Fundamental Principle of Ehrenpreis–Palamodov from the 1960s. We develop this further using recent advances in computational commutative algebra.

We compute equations for real multiplication on the divisor classes of genus-2 curves via algebraic correspondences. We do so by implementing van Wamelen’s method for computing equations for endomorphisms of Jacobians on examples drawn from the algebraic models for Hilbert modular surfaces computed by Elkies and Kumar. We also compute a correspondence over the universal family for the Hilbert modular surface of discriminant $5$ and use our equations to prove a conjecture of A. Wright on dynamics over the moduli space of Riemann surfaces.

We characterise the class of finite solvable groups by two-variable identities in a way similar to the characterisation of finite nilpotent groups by Engel identities. Let $u_1=x^{-2}y\min x$, and $u_{n+1} = [xu_nx\min,yu_ny\min]$. The main result states that a finite group G is solvable if and only if for some n the identity $u_n(x,y)\equiv 1$ holds in G. We also develop a new method to study equations in the Suzuki groups. We believe that, in addition to the main result, the method of proof is of independent interest: it involves surprisingly diverse and deep methods from algebraic and arithmetic geometry, topology, group theory, and computer algebra (SINGULAR and MAGMA).