Welcome to Robert Lax's Home Page
Vital Info
Robert F. Lax, Professor
380 Lockett Hall
Department of Mathematics
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4918
Voice: (225)-578-1571
FAX: (225)-578-4276
e-mail:lax at math.lsu.edu
Brief Vita
B.S., C.C.N.Y., 1969
Ph.D., M.I.T., 1973
Assistant Professor, LSU, 1973-1978
Associate Professor, LSU, 1978-1987
Professor, LSU, 1987-
Research Interests
My research interests are in algebraic geometry, algebraic
coding theory, and, more recently, discrete math applied to computer science.
For many years, I have
been interested in Weierstrass points on algebraic curves.
Selected Publications
Transforms of pseudo-Boolean random variables (with G. Ding, J. Chen, P. Chen, B. Marx), Discrete Applied Mathematics 158 (2010), 13-23. pdf
Formulas for approximating pseudo-Boolean random variables (with G. Ding, J. Chen, P. Chen), Discrete Applied Mathematics 156 (2008), 1581-1597. pdf
New bounds for randomized busing (with S. Seiden, P. Chen, J. Chen, G. Ding), Theoret. Comput. Sci. 332 (2005), 63-81. pdf
On the character of S_n acting on subspaces of F^q_n, Finite Fields and Their Applications 10 (2004), 315-322. pdf
Special subschemes on cuspidal curves, Comm. Alg. 28 (2000), 1361-1369. pdf
Decoding affine variety codes using Groebner bases (with
Jeanne Fitzgerald), Designs, Codes, and Cryptography 13 (1998), 147-158. pdf
Rational nodal curves with no smooth Weierstrass points (with Arnaldo Garcia), Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 124 (1996), 407-413. pdf
On canonical ideals, intersection numbers, and Weierstrass points on Gorenstein curves (with Arnaldo Garcia), J. Alg. 178 (1995), 807-832. pdf
Consecutive Weierstrass gaps and minimum distance of Goppa codes (with Arnaldo Garcia and Seon Jeong Kim), J. Pure Appl. Alg. 84 (1993), 199-207. pdf
Weierstrass points on Gorenstein curves (with C. Widland), Pac. J. Math. 142 (1990), 197-208. pdf
Weierstrass weight and degenerations, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 101 (1987), 8-10. pdf
Multiples of Weierstrass points as special divisors, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 82 (1981), 95-98. pdf
Gap sequences and moduli in genus 4, Math. Z. 175 (1980), 67-75. pdf
On higher order Weierstrass points of the universal curve, Math. Z. 162 (1978), 1-6.pdf
Weierstrass points of the universal curve, Math. Ann. 216 (1975), 35-42. pdf
On the dimension of varieties of special divisors, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 203 (1975), 141-159. pdf
Click here to see a list of all my publications on MathSciNet.
Modern Algebra and Discrete Structures
I am also the author of the textbook, "Modern Algebra and
Discrete Structures" (HarperCollins, 1991). This text is
intended for a junior-senior level course in Applied
(or Abstract) Algebra. The hardcover edition of this book
is now out-of-print. A softcover reprint is available from Addison-Wesley.
Click here to get a pdf file containing errata for this text.