Projective Geometry and Special Relativity
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
SOME PROGRESS in CONFORMAL GEOMETRY Sun-Yung A. Chang, Jie Qing and Paul Yang Dedicated to the Memory of Thomas Branson 1. Confo
SOME PROGRESS IN CONFORMAL GEOMETRY Sun-Yung A. Chang, Jie Qing and Paul Yang Dedicated to the memory of Thomas Branson Abstract. In this paper we describe our current research in the theory of partial differential equations in conformal geometry. We introduce a bubble tree structure to study the degeneration of a class of Yamabe metrics on Bach flat manifolds satisfying some global conformal bounds on compact manifolds of dimension 4. As applications, we establish a gap theorem, a finiteness theorem for diffeomorphism type for this class, and diameter bound of the σ2-metrics in a class of conformal 4-manifolds. For conformally compact Einstein metrics we introduce an eigenfunction compactification. As a consequence we obtain some topological constraints in terms of renormalized volumes. 1. Conformal Gap and finiteness Theorem for a class of closed 4-manifolds 1.1 Introduction Suppose that (M 4; g) is a closed 4-manifold. It follows from the positive mass theorem that, for a 4-manifold with positive Yamabe constant, σ dv 16π2 2 ≤ ZM and equality holds if and only if (M 4; g) is conformally equivalent to the standard 4-sphere, where 1 1 σ [g] = R2 E 2; 2 24 − 2j j R is the scalar curvature of g and E is the traceless Ricci curvature of g. This is an interesting fact in conformal geometry because the above integral is a conformal invariant like the Yamabe constant. Typeset by AMS-TEX 1 2 CONFORMAL GEOMETRY One may ask, whether there is a constant 0 > 0 such that a closed 4-manifold M 4 has to be diffeomorphic to S4 if it admits a metric g with positive Yamabe constant and σ [g]dv (1 )16π2: 2 g ≥ − ZM for some < 0? Notice that here the Yamabe invariant for such [g] is automatically close to that for the round 4-sphere. -
Non-Linear Elliptic Equations in Conformal Geometry, by S.-Y
BULLETIN (New Series) OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY Volume 44, Number 2, April 2007, Pages 323–330 S 0273-0979(07)01136-6 Article electronically published on January 5, 2007 Non-linear elliptic equations in conformal geometry, by S.-Y. Alice Chang, Z¨urich Lectures in Advanced Mathematics, European Mathematical Society, Z¨urich, 2004, viii+92 pp., US$28.00, ISBN 3-03719-006-X A conformal transformation is a diffeomorphism which preserves angles; the differential at each point is the composition of a rotation and a dilation. In its original sense, conformal geometry is the study of those geometric properties pre- served under transformations of this type. This subject is deeply intertwined with complex analysis for the simple reason that any holomorphic function f(z)ofone complex variable is conformal (away from points where f (z) = 0), and conversely, any conformal transformation from one neighbourhood of the plane to another is either holomorphic or antiholomorphic. This provides a rich supply of local conformal transformations in two dimensions. More globally, the (orientation pre- serving) conformal diffeomorphisms of the Riemann sphere S2 are its holomorphic automorphisms, and these in turn constitute the non-compact group of linear frac- tional transformations. By contrast, the group of conformal diffeomorphisms of any other compact Riemann surface is always compact (and finite when the genus is greater than 1). Implicit here is the notion that a Riemann surface is a smooth two-dimensional surface together with a conformal structure, i.e. a fixed way to measure angles on each tangent space. There is a nice finite dimensional structure on the set of all inequivalent conformal structures on a fixed compact surface; this is the starting point of Teichm¨uller theory. -
Projective Geometry: a Short Introduction
Projective Geometry: A Short Introduction Lecture Notes Edmond Boyer Master MOSIG Introduction to Projective Geometry Contents 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Objective . .2 1.2 Historical Background . .3 1.3 Bibliography . .4 2 Projective Spaces 5 2.1 Definitions . .5 2.2 Properties . .8 2.3 The hyperplane at infinity . 12 3 The projective line 13 3.1 Introduction . 13 3.2 Projective transformation of P1 ................... 14 3.3 The cross-ratio . 14 4 The projective plane 17 4.1 Points and lines . 17 4.2 Line at infinity . 18 4.3 Homographies . 19 4.4 Conics . 20 4.5 Affine transformations . 22 4.6 Euclidean transformations . 22 4.7 Particular transformations . 24 4.8 Transformation hierarchy . 25 Grenoble Universities 1 Master MOSIG Introduction to Projective Geometry Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Objective The objective of this course is to give basic notions and intuitions on projective geometry. The interest of projective geometry arises in several visual comput- ing domains, in particular computer vision modelling and computer graphics. It provides a mathematical formalism to describe the geometry of cameras and the associated transformations, hence enabling the design of computational ap- proaches that manipulates 2D projections of 3D objects. In that respect, a fundamental aspect is the fact that objects at infinity can be represented and manipulated with projective geometry and this in contrast to the Euclidean geometry. This allows perspective deformations to be represented as projective transformations. Figure 1.1: Example of perspective deformation or 2D projective transforma- tion. Another argument is that Euclidean geometry is sometimes difficult to use in algorithms, with particular cases arising from non-generic situations (e.g. -
The Integral Geometry of Line Complexes and a Theorem of Gelfand-Graev Astérisque, Tome S131 (1985), P
Astérisque VICTOR GUILLEMIN The integral geometry of line complexes and a theorem of Gelfand-Graev Astérisque, tome S131 (1985), p. 135-149 <http://www.numdam.org/item?id=AST_1985__S131__135_0> © Société mathématique de France, 1985, tous droits réservés. L’accès aux archives de la collection « Astérisque » (http://smf4.emath.fr/ Publications/Asterisque/) implique l’accord avec les conditions générales d’uti- lisation (http://www.numdam.org/conditions). Toute utilisation commerciale ou impression systématique est constitutive d’une infraction pénale. Toute copie ou impression de ce fichier doit contenir la présente mention de copyright. Article numérisé dans le cadre du programme Numérisation de documents anciens mathématiques http://www.numdam.org/ Société Mathématique de France Astérisque, hors série, 1985, p. 135-149 THE INTEGRAL GEOMETRY OF LINE COMPLEXES AND A THEOREM OF GELFAND-GRAEV BY Victor GUILLEMIN 1. Introduction Let P = CP3 be the complex three-dimensional projective space and let G = CG(2,4) be the Grassmannian of complex two-dimensional subspaces of C4. To each point p E G corresponds a complex line lp in P. Given a smooth function, /, on P we will show in § 2 how to define properly the line integral, (1.1) f(\)d\ d\. = f(p). d A complex hypersurface, 5, in G is called admissible if there exists no smooth function, /, which is not identically zero but for which the line integrals, (1,1) are zero for all p G 5. In other words if S is admissible, then, in principle, / can be determined by its integrals over the lines, Zp, p G 5. In the 60's GELFAND and GRAEV settled the problem of characterizing which subvarieties, 5, of G have this property. -
Arxiv:1702.00823V1 [Stat.OT] 2 Feb 2017
Nonparametric Spherical Regression Using Diffeomorphic Mappings M. Rosenthala, W. Wub, E. Klassen,c, Anuj Srivastavab aNaval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division - X23, 110 Vernon Avenue, Panama City, FL 32407-7001 bDepartment of Statistics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 cDepartment of Mathematics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 Abstract Spherical regression explores relationships between variables on spherical domains. We develop a nonparametric model that uses a diffeomorphic map from a sphere to itself. The restriction of this mapping to diffeomorphisms is natural in several settings. The model is estimated in a penalized maximum-likelihood framework using gradient-based optimization. Towards that goal, we specify a first-order roughness penalty using the Jacobian of diffeomorphisms. We compare the prediction performance of the proposed model with state-of-the-art methods using simulated and real data involving cloud deformations, wind directions, and vector-cardiograms. This model is found to outperform others in capturing relationships between spherical variables. Keywords: Nonlinear; Nonparametric; Riemannian Geometry; Spherical Regression. 1. Introduction Spherical data arises naturally in a variety of settings. For instance, a random vector with unit norm constraint is naturally studied as a point on a unit sphere. The statistical analysis of such random variables was pioneered by Mardia and colleagues (1972; 2000), in the context of directional data. Common application areas where such data originates include geology, gaming, meteorology, computer vision, and bioinformatics. Examples from geographical domains include plate tectonics (McKenzie, 1957; Chang, 1986), animal migrations, and tracking of weather for- mations. As mobile devices become increasingly advanced and prevalent, an abundance of new spherical data is being collected in the form of geographical coordinates. -
The Age of Addiction David T. Courtwright Belknap (2019) Opioids
The Age of Addiction David T. Courtwright Belknap (2019) Opioids, processed foods, social-media apps: we navigate an addictive environment rife with products that target neural pathways involved in emotion and appetite. In this incisive medical history, David Courtwright traces the evolution of “limbic capitalism” from prehistory. Meshing psychology, culture, socio-economics and urbanization, it’s a story deeply entangled in slavery, corruption and profiteering. Although reform has proved complex, Courtwright posits a solution: an alliance of progressives and traditionalists aimed at combating excess through policy, taxation and public education. Cosmological Koans Anthony Aguirre W. W. Norton (2019) Cosmologist Anthony Aguirre explores the nature of the physical Universe through an intriguing medium — the koan, that paradoxical riddle of Zen Buddhist teaching. Aguirre uses the approach playfully, to explore the “strange hinterland” between the realities of cosmic structure and our individual perception of them. But whereas his discussions of time, space, motion, forces and the quantum are eloquent, the addition of a second framing device — a fictional journey from Enlightenment Italy to China — often obscures rather than clarifies these chewy cosmological concepts and theories. Vanishing Fish Daniel Pauly Greystone (2019) In 1995, marine biologist Daniel Pauly coined the term ‘shifting baselines’ to describe perceptions of environmental degradation: what is viewed as pristine today would strike our ancestors as damaged. In these trenchant essays, Pauly trains that lens on fisheries, revealing a global ‘aquacalypse’. A “toxic triad” of under-reported catches, overfishing and deflected blame drives the crisis, he argues, complicated by issues such as the fishmeal industry, which absorbs a quarter of the global catch. -
WHAT IS Q-CURVATURE? 1. Introduction Throughout His Distinguished Research Career, Tom Branson Was Fascinated by Con- Formal
WHAT IS Q-CURVATURE? S.-Y. ALICE CHANG, MICHAEL EASTWOOD, BENT ØRSTED, AND PAUL C. YANG In memory of Thomas P. Branson (1953–2006). Abstract. Branson’s Q-curvature is now recognized as a fundamental quantity in conformal geometry. We outline its construction and present its basic properties. 1. Introduction Throughout his distinguished research career, Tom Branson was fascinated by con- formal differential geometry and made several substantial contributions to this field. There is no doubt, however, that his favorite was the notion of Q-curvature. In this article we outline the construction and basic properties of Branson’s Q-curvature. As a Riemannian invariant, defined on even-dimensional manifolds, there is apparently nothing special about Q. On a surface Q is essentially the Gaussian curvature. In 4 dimensions there is a simple but unrevealing formula (4.1) for Q. In 6 dimensions an explicit formula is already quite difficult. What is truly remarkable, however, is how Q interacts with conformal, i.e. angle-preserving, transformations. We shall suppose that the reader is familiar with the basics of Riemannian differ- ential geometry but a few remarks on notation are in order. Sometimes, we shall write gab for a metric and ∇a for the corresponding connection. Let us write Rab and R for the Ricci and scalar curvatures, respectively. We shall use the metric to ‘raise and lower’ indices in the usual fashion and adopt the summation convention whereby one implicitly sums over repeated indices. Using these conventions, the Laplacian is ab a the differential operator ∆ ≡ g ∇a∇b = ∇ ∇a. A conformal structure on a smooth manifold is a metric defined only up to smoothly varying scale. -
The Wave Equation on Asymptotically Anti-De Sitter Spaces
THE WAVE EQUATION ON ASYMPTOTICALLY ANTI-DE SITTER SPACES ANDRAS´ VASY Abstract. In this paper we describe the behavior of solutions of the Klein- ◦ Gordon equation, (g + λ)u = f, on Lorentzian manifolds (X ,g) which are anti-de Sitter-like (AdS-like) at infinity. Such manifolds are Lorentzian ana- logues of the so-called Riemannian conformally compact (or asymptotically hyperbolic) spaces, in the sense that the metric is conformal to a smooth Lorentzian metricg ˆ on X, where X has a non-trivial boundary, in the sense that g = x−2gˆ, with x a boundary defining function. The boundary is confor- mally time-like for these spaces, unlike asymptotically de Sitter spaces studied in [38, 6], which are similar but with the boundary being conformally space- like. Here we show local well-posedness for the Klein-Gordon equation, and also global well-posedness under global assumptions on the (null)bicharacteristic flow, for λ below the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound, (n − 1)2/4. These have been known under additional assumptions, [8, 9, 18]. Further, we describe the propagation of singularities of solutions and obtain the asymptotic behavior (at ∂X) of regular solutions. We also define the scattering operator, which in this case is an analogue of the hyperbolic Dirichlet-to-Neumann map. Thus, it is shown that below the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound, the Klein-Gordon equation behaves much like it would for the conformally related metric,g ˆ, with Dirichlet boundary conditions, for which propagation of singularities was shown by Melrose, Sj¨ostrand and Taylor [25, 26, 31, 28], though the precise form of the asymptotics is different. -
Limits of Geometries
Limits of Geometries Daryl Cooper, Jeffrey Danciger, and Anna Wienhard August 31, 2018 Abstract A geometric transition is a continuous path of geometric structures that changes type, mean- ing that the model geometry, i.e. the homogeneous space on which the structures are modeled, abruptly changes. In order to rigorously study transitions, one must define a notion of geometric limit at the level of homogeneous spaces, describing the basic process by which one homogeneous geometry may transform into another. We develop a general framework to describe transitions in the context that both geometries involved are represented as sub-geometries of a larger ambi- ent geometry. Specializing to the setting of real projective geometry, we classify the geometric limits of any sub-geometry whose structure group is a symmetric subgroup of the projective general linear group. As an application, we classify all limits of three-dimensional hyperbolic geometry inside of projective geometry, finding Euclidean, Nil, and Sol geometry among the 2 limits. We prove, however, that the other Thurston geometries, in particular H × R and SL^2 R, do not embed in any limit of hyperbolic geometry in this sense. 1 Introduction Following Felix Klein's Erlangen Program, a geometry is given by a pair (Y; H) of a Lie group H acting transitively by diffeomorphisms on a manifold Y . Given a manifold of the same dimension as Y , a geometric structure modeled on (Y; H) is a system of local coordinates in Y with transition maps in H. The study of deformation spaces of geometric structures on manifolds is a very rich mathematical subject, with a long history going back to Klein and Ehresmann, and more recently Thurston. -
The Projective Geometry of the Spacetime Yielded by Relativistic Positioning Systems and Relativistic Location Systems Jacques Rubin
The projective geometry of the spacetime yielded by relativistic positioning systems and relativistic location systems Jacques Rubin To cite this version: Jacques Rubin. The projective geometry of the spacetime yielded by relativistic positioning systems and relativistic location systems. 2014. hal-00945515 HAL Id: hal-00945515 https://hal.inria.fr/hal-00945515 Submitted on 12 Feb 2014 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. The projective geometry of the spacetime yielded by relativistic positioning systems and relativistic location systems Jacques L. Rubin (email: [email protected]) Université de Nice–Sophia Antipolis, UFR Sciences Institut du Non-Linéaire de Nice, UMR7335 1361 route des Lucioles, F-06560 Valbonne, France (Dated: February 12, 2014) As well accepted now, current positioning systems such as GPS, Galileo, Beidou, etc. are not primary, relativistic systems. Nevertheless, genuine, relativistic and primary positioning systems have been proposed recently by Bahder, Coll et al. and Rovelli to remedy such prior defects. These new designs all have in common an equivariant conformal geometry featuring, as the most basic ingredient, the spacetime geometry. In a first step, we show how this conformal aspect can be the four-dimensional projective part of a larger five-dimensional geometry. -
Music: Broken Symmetry, Geometry, and Complexity Gary W
Music: Broken Symmetry, Geometry, and Complexity Gary W. Don, Karyn K. Muir, Gordon B. Volk, James S. Walker he relation between mathematics and Melody contains both pitch and rhythm. Is • music has a long and rich history, in- it possible to objectively describe their con- cluding: Pythagorean harmonic theory, nection? fundamentals and overtones, frequency Is it possible to objectively describe the com- • Tand pitch, and mathematical group the- plexity of musical rhythm? ory in musical scores [7, 47, 56, 15]. This article In discussing these and other questions, we shall is part of a special issue on the theme of math- outline the mathematical methods we use and ematics, creativity, and the arts. We shall explore provide some illustrative examples from a wide some of the ways that mathematics can aid in variety of music. creativity and understanding artistic expression The paper is organized as follows. We first sum- in the realm of the musical arts. In particular, we marize the mathematical method of Gabor trans- hope to provide some intriguing new insights on forms (also known as short-time Fourier trans- such questions as: forms, or spectrograms). This summary empha- sizes the use of a discrete Gabor frame to perform Does Louis Armstrong’s voice sound like his • the analysis. The section that follows illustrates trumpet? the value of spectrograms in providing objec- What do Ludwig van Beethoven, Ben- • tive descriptions of musical performance and the ny Goodman, and Jimi Hendrix have in geometric time-frequency structure of recorded common? musical sound. Our examples cover a wide range How does the brain fool us sometimes • of musical genres and interpretation styles, in- when listening to music? And how have cluding: Pavarotti singing an aria by Puccini [17], composers used such illusions? the 1982 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra recording How can mathematics help us create new of Copland’s Appalachian Spring symphony [5], • music? the 1950 Louis Armstrong recording of “La Vie en Rose” [64], the 1970 rock music introduction to Gary W. -
CR Singular Immersions of Complex Projective Spaces
Beitr¨agezur Algebra und Geometrie Contributions to Algebra and Geometry Volume 43 (2002), No. 2, 451-477. CR Singular Immersions of Complex Projective Spaces Adam Coffman∗ Department of Mathematical Sciences Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499 e-mail: Coff[email protected] Abstract. Quadratically parametrized smooth maps from one complex projective space to another are constructed as projections of the Segre map of the complexifi- cation. A classification theorem relates equivalence classes of projections to congru- ence classes of matrix pencils. Maps from the 2-sphere to the complex projective plane, which generalize stereographic projection, and immersions of the complex projective plane in four and five complex dimensions, are considered in detail. Of particular interest are the CR singular points in the image. MSC 2000: 14E05, 14P05, 15A22, 32S20, 32V40 1. Introduction It was shown by [23] that the complex projective plane CP 2 can be embedded in R7. An example of such an embedding, where R7 is considered as a subspace of C4, and CP 2 has complex homogeneous coordinates [z1 : z2 : z3], was given by the following parametric map: 1 2 2 [z1 : z2 : z3] 7→ 2 2 2 (z2z¯3, z3z¯1, z1z¯2, |z1| − |z2| ). |z1| + |z2| + |z3| Another parametric map of a similar form embeds the complex projective line CP 1 in R3 ⊆ C2: 1 2 2 [z0 : z1] 7→ 2 2 (2¯z0z1, |z1| − |z0| ). |z0| + |z1| ∗The author’s research was supported in part by a 1999 IPFW Summer Faculty Research Grant. 0138-4821/93 $ 2.50 c 2002 Heldermann Verlag 452 Adam Coffman: CR Singular Immersions of Complex Projective Spaces This may look more familiar when restricted to an affine neighborhood, [z0 : z1] = (1, z) = (1, x + iy), so the set of complex numbers is mapped to the unit sphere: 2x 2y |z|2 − 1 z 7→ ( , , ), 1 + |z|2 1 + |z|2 1 + |z|2 and the “point at infinity”, [0 : 1], is mapped to the point (0, 0, 1) ∈ R3.