arXiv research

Polyhedra collapse to subpolyhedra if they can be continuously shrunk onto them.

We show that the infinite-dimensional space of Zoll Finsler metrics on the projective plane strongly deformation retracts to the canonical round metric. In particular, this space of Zoll Finsler metrics is connected. Moreover, the strong deformation retraction arises from a deformation of the geodesic flow of every Zol…

This paper studies a deformation retraction of Teichmüller space and its analogy with well-rounded retractions.

We construct a one-dimensional deformation retract of the unordered k-point configuration space of a star S. This retract suggests an explicit set of free generators Beta_k for the corresponding braid group of the star B_k and shows that the natural map from B_k-1 to B_k sends Beta_k-1 to Beta_k injectively.

The paper extends Lipschitz metric isometries between Outer Spaces of virtually free groups.

Contact group retracts to unitary subgroup.

In this paper, we construct spines, i.e., $\Mod_g$-equivariant deformation retracts, of the Teichmüller space $\T_g$ of compact Riemann surfaces of genus $g$. Specifically, we define a $\Mod_g$-stable subspace $S$ of positive codimension and construct an intrinsic $\Mod_g$-equivariant deformation retraction from $\T_g$…

The paper creates a deformation retraction for homeomorphisms of the projective plane.

Embeds complex into higher-dimensional pseudomanifold.

Smale proved that the orientation-preserving diffeomorphism group of S^2 has a continuous strong deformation retraction to SO(3). In this paper, we construct such a strong deformation retraction which is diffeologically smooth.

New result on critical points of Bethe free energy under deformation retracts.

Simplicial sets deformation retract onto transverse simplices.

Paper shows mapping class group-equivariant Teichmüller space deformation to Thurston spine.

Global homotopies upgrade classical map in differential geometry.

Spaces of circle embeddings in curved surfaces indexed by trees.

For any complex affine reductive group G and a fixed choice of maximal compact subgroup K, we show that the G-character variety of a free group strongly deformation retracts to the corresponding K-character space, which is a real semi-algebraic set. Combining this with constructive invariant theory and classical topolo…

Schmutz Schaller and Thurston's approaches are dual.

Control data constructed for smooth weak deformation retraction of stratified spaces.

Being a maximal compact subgroup of SL_nC, SU_n is a deformation retract of the former group. In this note we prove that, for sufficiently large n, there is no retraction of SL_nC to SU_n which preserves commutativity.

Let G be a complex affine algebraic reductive group, and let K be a maximal compact subgroup of G. Fix elements h_1,...,h_m in K. For n greater than or equal to 0, let X (respectively, Y) be the space of equivalence classes of representations of the free group of m+n generators in G (respectively, K) such that for each…

Let f:Σ_1 --> Σ_2 be an area preserving diffeomorphism between compact Riemann surfaces of constant curvature. The graph of f can be viewed as a Lagrangian submanifold in Σ_1\times Σ_2. This article discusses a canonical way to deform f along area preserving diffeomorphisms. This deformation process is realized through…

Constructs Teichmüller curve to study Thurston spine structure.

An important part of the classical theory of real or complex manifolds is the theory of (smooth, real analytic or complex analytic) vector bundles. With any vector bundle over a manifold (M,F) the sheaf of its (smooth, real analytic or complex analytic) sections is associated which is a locally free sheaf of F-modules,…

Let $Γ=\langle a,b | a b^{p} a^{-1} = b^{q}\rangle$ be a Baumslag--Solitar group and $G$ be a complex reductive algebraic group with maximal compact subgroup $K<G$. We show that, when $p$ and $q$ are relatively prime with distinct absolute values, there is a strong deformation retraction retraction of $Hom(Γ,G)$ onto $…

Let G be a complex reductive linear algebraic group and let K be a maximal compact subgroup of G. Given a nilpotent group Γgenerated by r elements, we consider the representation spaces Hom(Γ,G) and Hom(Γ,K) with the natural topology induced from an embedding into G^r and K^r respectively. The goal of this paper is to …

We show that the arc graph of $S_g^1$ is a coarse Lipschitz retract of the free splitting complex of $F_{2g}$. We also show that the arc and curve graph of $S_g^1$ is a coarse Lipschitz retract of both the cyclic splitting graph of $F_{2g}$ and the maximally cyclic splitting graph of $F_{2g}$.

Let G be a complex reductive algebraic group (not necessarily connected), let K be a maximal compact subgroup, and let A be a finitely generated Abelian group. We prove that the conjugation orbit space Hom(A,K)/K is a strong deformation retract of the GIT quotient space Hom(A,G)//G. As a corollary, we determine necessa…

Flawed groups are shown to include all finitely generated groups isomorphic to free products of nilpotent groups.

We present a (possibly) new sphere eversion based on the contractibility* of a certain subset of the space of immersions of the circle in the plane. (*: by strong deformation retraction)

Selects points from Jordan domains on Riemannian surfaces.

In a 1983 paper with Frank Warner, we proved that the space of all great circle fibrations of the 3-sphere S^3 deformation retracts to the subspace of Hopf fibrations, and so has the homotopy type of a pair of disjoint two-spheres. Since that time, no generalization of this result to higher dimensions has been found, a…

This study examines the topology of singularities in optimal semicouplings between unequal spaces.

Constructs a moment map flow for isotropic maps on surfaces.

Study shows diffeomorphism groups of certain 3-manifolds retract to isometry groups.

Study the boundary of a space related to Outer space.

The outer automorphism group Out(F_2g) of a free group on 2g generators naturally contains the mapping class group of a punctured surface as a subgroup. We define a subsurface projection of the sphere complex of the connected sum of n copies of S^1 x S^2 into the arc complex of the surface and use this to show that thi…

We prove that the set of symplectic lattices in the Siegel space $\mathfrak{h}_g$ whose systoles generate a subspace of dimension at least 3 in $\mathbb{R}^{2g}$ does not contain any $\mathrm{Sp}(2g,\mathbb{Z})$-equivariant deformation retract of $\mathfrak{h}_g$.

In this short note, we investigate some features of the space $\Inject{d}{m}$ of linear injective maps from $\bbR^d$ into $\bbR^m$; in particular, we discuss in detail its relationship with the Stiefel manifold $V_{m,d}$, viewed, in this context, as the set of orthonormal systems of $d$ vectors in $\bbR^m$. Finally, we…

Study on higher-dimensional black holes, focusing on retractions and scalar quasibound states.

Given a free factor A of the rank n free group F_n, we characterize when the subgroup of Out(F_n) that stabilizes the conjugacy class of A is distorted in Out(F_n). We also prove that the image of the natural embedding of Aut(F_{n-1}) in Aut(F_n) is nondistorted, that the stabilizer in Out(F_n) of the conjugacy class o…

The paper shows conditions under which certain 4-manifolds have no smooth spines.

We consider the space of all smooth knots in the 3-sphere isotopic to a given knot, with the aim of finding a small subspace onto which this large space deformation retracts. For torus knots and many hyperbolic knots we show the subspace can be taken to be the orbit of a single maximally symmetric placement of the knot…

Researchers describe character varieties for Hopf links, proving geometric properties.

The paper proves parabolic gap theorems for Yang-Mills energy.

We study the topology of the space $\d\K^n$ of complete convex hypersurfaces of $\R^n$ which are homeomorphic to $\R^{n-1}$. In particular, using Minkowski sums, we construct a deformation retraction of $\d\K^n$ onto the Grassmannian space of hyperplanes. So every hypersurface in $\d \K^n$ may be flattened in a canonic…

New contractible complex shows virtual cohomological dimension of RAAGs.

Let M be a complete hyperbolic 3-manifold of finite volume that admits a decomposition into right-angled ideal polyhedra. We show that M has a deformation retraction that is a virtually special square complex, in the sense of Haglund and Wise and deduce that such manifolds are virtually fibered. We generalise a theorem…

We present a proof due to Duistermaat that the gradient flow of the norm squared of the moment map defines a deformation retract of the appropriate piece of the manifold onto the zero level set of the moment map. Duistermaat's proof is an adaptation of Lojasiewicz's argument for analytic functions to functions which ar…