>Isolating each peak required constructing a very specific function that, when multiplied by the original fractal-like function, would pull out just the peak and be close to zero everywhere else. This is called a

damping function

, and it needs to be perfectly tailor-made to work. “This is a challenging thing to construct,” Cohen said. But he knew that if he could do it in higher dimensions, he could unlock the entire proof."

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!