Homology groups of the curvature sets of $\mathbb{S}^1$
For $n \geq 2$, the $n$-th curvature set of a metric space $X$ is the set consisting of all $n$-by-$n$ distance matrices of $n$ points sampled from $X$. Curvature sets can be regarded as a geometric analogue of configuration spaces. In this paper we carry out a geometric and topological study of the curvature sets of the unit circle $\mathbb{S}^1$ equipped with the geodesic metric. Via an inductive argument we compute the homology groups of all curvature sets of $\mathbb{S}^1$. We also construct an abstract simplicial complex, called the $n$-th State Complex, whose geometric realization is homeomorphic to the $n$-th Curvature Set of $\mathbb{S}^1$.
math.AT↗