Allen Lin


Allen Lin

Email: allenees@mit.edu, allen.lin@mit.edu, allenlin@math.ucla.edu
Fax: (310) 206-6673
Office: Mathematical Sciences 2905
Office Hours: Fridays 1:30 pm–2:30 pm at 2-255

About Me

My name is Allen Lin (he/him). I am a first-year PhD student studying mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles. I recently graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with S.B. degrees in Course XVIII: Mathematics and Course VI-3: Computer Science and Engineering.

I am interested in analytic and algebraic number theory and theoretical computer science. Here are a few topics that I am interested in at the moment. My Erdős number is 4.

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Recent Publications

All publications ↗︎
Preprint
Computing the Number of Peaks and Descents of Permutations Using Values of Dirichlet-Type Series
Dominic Lanphier and Allen Lin

Let \(\mathfrak{G}_m\) be the symmetric group of permutations of \(m\) symbols, let \(t(m,k)\) be the number of elements in \(\mathfrak{G}_m\) with \(k\) peaks, and \(T(m,k)\) be the number of elements in \(\mathfrak{G}_m\) with \(k\) descents of length greater than \(1\). There are recursion relations that compute \(t(m,k)\) or \(T(m,k)\) in time exponential in \(m\) and \(k\). We give closed expressions for \(t(m,k)\) and \(T(m,k)\) that can be computed in time polynomial in \(m\).

Journal ↗︎
2026
Optimal Thresholds for Monotone Non-Boolean Functions
Saba Lepsveridze and Allen Lin
Combinatorics, Probability, and Computing

Let \([q]=\{0,\ldots,q-1\}\), let \(\Delta[q]\) denote the simplex of probability measures on \([q]\), and let \(\gamma\) denote the Lebesgue measure normalized on \(\Delta[q]\). We prove that for any symmetric monotone function \(f\colon [q]^n \to [q]\) and any \(a \in [q]\) we have \[\gamma(\{\mu \in \Delta[q]\;\vert\;\mathbf{Pr}_{x \sim \mu^{\otimes n}}[f(x)=a] \in (\varepsilon,1-\varepsilon)\}) = O(1/\log n)\textrm{.}\] We also show that this bound is tight. This improves Kalai and Mossel’s previous bound of \(O(\log\log n/\log n)\) and answers their question completely.

Journal ↗︎
2025
The Gauss Circle Problem and Fourier Quasicrystals
Roni Edwin and Allen Lin
International Mathematics Research Notices 2025, no. 19 (2025): 1–32

The Gauss circle problem asks for an approximation to the number of lattice points of \(\mathbb{Z}^2\) contained in \(B_r\), the disk of radius \(r\) centered at the origin. Upper, lower, and average bounds have been established for this number-theoretic problem and have been generalized to any lattice in any dimension. We extend this problem to a more general class of structures known as Fourier quasicrystals. Recent work from Alon, Kummer, Kurasov, and Vinzant provides an upper bound of the form \(\#(\Lambda \cap B_r) = c_0\textrm{Vol}_d(B_r) + O (r^{d-1})\) for any Fourier quasicrystal \(\Lambda \subset \mathbb{R}^d\) of density \(c_0\), where \(B_r\) is the \(d\)-dimensional ball of radius \(r\). In this paper, we improve the upper bound for any Fourier quasicrystal, by showing we can write \(\# (\Lambda \cap B_r ) = c_0\textrm{Vol}_d(B_r ) + O \left(r^{\theta(\Lambda)}\right)\), where \((d-1)/2 < \theta(\Lambda) < d-1\) is some exponent depending only on the dimension \(d\) and the growth rate of the spectrum \(S\) of \(\Lambda\). In the special case \(d = 2\), we also prove lower and upper bounds for the average of the error.

Journal ↗︎
2024
Values of certain Dirichlet series and higher derivative formulas of trigonometric functions
Dominic Lanphier and Allen Lin
International Journal of Number Theory 20, no. 4 (2024): 995–1016

We determine new values of certain Dirichlet series and related infinite series. These formulas extend results of several authors. To obtain these results we apply recent expansions of higher derivative formulas of trigionometric functions. We also investigate the transcendentality of values of these series and arithmetic relations of the values of certain related infinite series.

Journal ↗︎

Recent Writing

All writing ↗︎
2026
The Zero-Free Region of the Riemann Zeta Function and Beurling Zeta Functions
Final paper for 18.156: Differential Analysis II, Spring 2026
PDF ↗︎
2025
Dependent Randomized Rounding on Bipartite Graphs
Final paper for 6.522: Randomized Algorithms, Fall 2025
PDF ↗︎
2025
Knots and Legendre Symbols
Final paper for 18.904: Seminar in Topology, Spring 2025
PDF ↗︎
2025
SolarNet: A Proposed Reliable Extraterrestial Communications System
Final paper for 6.180: Computer Systems Engineering, Spring 2025
PDF ↗︎

Recent Talks

All talks ↗︎
31 Jan 2025
Modular and Automorphic Forms
Directed Reading Program
Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
2 Aug 2024
The Gauss Circle Problem and Fourier Quasicrystals
Summer Program in Undergraduate Research Conference
Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
3 Feb 2023
Analysis of Boolean Functions
Directed Reading Program
Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Recent Teaching

All teaching ↗︎
Sep 2026–
MATH 170E: Introduction to Probability and Statistics 1: Probability
Department of Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles
Teaching Assistant
Feb 2026–May 2026
18.781: Theory of Numbers
Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Teaching Assistant
Jan 2026
Hong Kong International School
MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Global Teaching Labs Intern

Recent Mentoring and Outreach

All mentoring and outreach ↗︎
Jul 2026
\(\surd\)mathroots
Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Residential Counselor
Aug 2023–May 2026
First Year Associate Advisor Program
Office of the First Year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Associate Advisor
Feb 2026–May 2026
PRIMES Circle
Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mentor
Feb 2025–Aug 2025
Discover Mathematics First-Year Pre-Orientation Program
Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Head Counselor
Jun 2023–Aug 2025
Discover Mathematics First-Year Pre-Orientation Program
Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Counselor