arXiv subjects

Boris Springborn

Publications and source records attributed to Boris Springborn.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

The worst approximable rational numbers

We classify and enumerate all rational numbers with approximation constant at least $\frac{1}{3}$ using hyperbolic geometry. Rational numbers correspond to geodesics in the modular torus with both ends in the cusp, and the approximation constant measures how far they stay out of the cusp neighborhood in between. Compared to the original approach, the geometric point of view eliminates the need to discuss the intricate symbolic dynamics of continued fraction representations, and it clarifies the distinction between the two types of worst approximable rationals: (1) There is a plane forest of Markov fractions whose denominators are Markov numbers. They correspond to simple geodesics in the modular torus with both ends in the cusp. (2) For each Markov fraction, there are two infinite sequences of companions, which correspond to non-simple geodesics with both ends in the cusp that do not intersect a pair of disjoint simple geodesics, one with both ends in the cusp and one closed.

math.NT↗

arXiv2019

A discrete version of Liouville's theorem on conformal maps

Liouville's theorem says that in dimension greater than two, all conformal maps are M\"obius transformations. We prove an analogous statement about simplicial complexes, where two simplicial complexes are considered discretely conformally equivalent if they are combinatorially equivalent and the lengths of corresponding edges are related by scale factors associated with the vertices.

math.DG↗

arXiv2017

Secondary fans and secondary polyhedra of punctured Riemann surfaces

A famous construction of Gelfand, Kapranov and Zelevinsky associates to each finite point configuration $A \subset \mathbb{R}^d$ a polyhedral fan, which stratifies the space of weight vectors by the combinatorial types of regular subdivisions of $A$. That fan arises as the normal fan of a convex polytope. In a completely analogous way we associate to each hyperbolic Riemann surface $R$ with punctures a polyhedral fan. Its cones correspond to the ideal cell decompositions of $R$ that occur as the horocyclic Delaunay decompositions which arise via the convex hull construction of Epstein and Penner. Similar to the classical case, this secondary fan of $R$ turns out to be the normal fan of a convex polyhedron, the secondary polyhedron of $R$.

math.MG↗

arXiv2017

Ideal hyperbolic polyhedra and discrete uniformization

We provide a constructive, variational proof of Rivin's realization theorem for ideal hyperbolic polyhedra with prescribed intrinsic metric, which is equivalent to a discrete uniformization theorem for spheres. The same variational method is also used to prove a discrete uniformization theorem of Gu et al. and a corresponding polyhedral realization result of Fillastre. The variational principles involve twice continuously differentiable functions on the decorated Teichm\"uller spaces $\widetilde{\mathcal{T}_{g,n}}$ of punctured surfaces, which are analytic in each Penner cell, convex on each fiber over $\mathcal{T}_{g,n}$, and invariant under the action of the mapping class group.

math.MG↗

arXiv2017

The hyperbolic geometry of Markov's theorem on Diophantine approximation and quadratic forms

Markov's theorem classifies the worst irrational numbers with respect to rational approximation and the indefinite binary quadratic forms whose values for integer arguments stay farthest away from zero. The main purpose of this paper is to present a new proof of Markov's theorem using hyperbolic geometry. The main ingredients are a dictionary to translate between hyperbolic geometry and algebra/number theory, and some very basic tools borrowed from modern geometric Teichm\"uller theory. Simple closed geodesics and ideal triangulations of the modular torus play an important role, and so do the problems: How far can a straight line crossing a triangle stay away from the vertices? How far can it stay away from the vertices of the tessellation generated by the triangle? Definite binary quadratic forms are briefly discussed in the last section.

math.GT↗

arXiv2015

A variational principle for cyclic polygons with prescribed edge lengths

We provide a new proof of the elementary geometric theorem on the existence and uniqueness of cyclic polygons with prescribed side lengths. The proof is based on a variational principle involving the central angles of the polygon as variables. The uniqueness follows from the concavity of the target function. The existence proof relies on a fundamental inequality of information theory. We also provide proofs for the corresponding theorems of spherical and hyperbolic geometry (and, as a byproduct, in $1+1$ spacetime). The spherical theorem is reduced to the euclidean one. The proof of the hyperbolic theorem treats three cases separately: Only the case of polygons inscribed in compact circles can be reduced to the euclidean theorem. For the other two cases, polygons inscribed in horocycles and hypercycles, we provide separate arguments. The hypercycle case also proves the theorem for "cyclic" polygons in $1+1$ spacetime.

math.MG↗

arXiv2015

Quasiconformal distortion of projective transformations and discrete conformal maps

We consider the quasiconformal dilatation of projective transformations of the real projective plane. For non-affine transformations, the contour lines of dilatation form a hyperbolic pencil of circles, and these are the only circles that are mapped to circles. We apply this result to analyze the dilatation of the circumcircle preserving piecewise projective interpolation between discretely conformally equivalent triangulations. We show that another interpolation scheme, angle bisector preserving piecewise projective interpolation, is in a sense optimal with respect to dilatation. These two interpolation schemes belong to a one-parameter family.

math.CV↗

arXiv2012

There is no triangulation of the torus with vertex degrees 5, 6, ..., 6, 7 and related results: Geometric proofs for combinatorial theorems

There is no 5,7-triangulation of the torus, that is, no triangulation with exactly two exceptional vertices, of degree 5 and 7. Similarly, there is no 3,5-quadrangulation. The vertices of a 2,4-hexangulation of the torus cannot be bicolored. Similar statements hold for 4,8-triangulations and 2,6-quadrangulations. We prove these results, of which the first two are known and the others seem to be new, as corollaries of a theorem on the holonomy group of a euclidean cone metric on the torus with just two cone points. We provide two proofs of this theorem: One argument is metric in nature, the other relies on the induced conformal structure and proceeds by invoking the residue theorem. Similar methods can be used to prove a theorem of Dress on infinite triangulations of the plane with exactly two irregular vertices. The non-existence results for torus decompositions provide infinite families of graphs which cannot be embedded in the torus.

math.CO↗

arXiv2010

Discrete conformal maps and ideal hyperbolic polyhedra

We establish a connection between two previously unrelated topics: a particular discrete version of conformal geometry for triangulated surfaces, and the geometry of ideal polyhedra in hyperbolic three-space. Two triangulated surfaces are considered discretely conformally equivalent if the edge lengths are related by scale factors associated with the vertices. This simple definition leads to a surprisingly rich theory featuring M\"obius invariance, the definition of discrete conformal maps as circumcircle preserving piecewise projective maps, and two variational principles. We show how literally the same theory can be reinterpreted to addresses the problem of constructing an ideal hyperbolic polyhedron with prescribed intrinsic metric. This synthesis enables us to derive a companion theory of discrete conformal maps for hyperbolic triangulations. It also shows how the definitions of discrete conformality considered here are closely related to the established definition of discrete conformality in terms of circle packings.

math.GT↗

arXiv2007

A new doubly discrete analogue of smoke ring flow and the real time simulation of fluid flow

Modelling incompressible ideal fluids as a finite collection of vortex filaments is important in physics (super-fluidity, models for the onset of turbulence) as well as for numerical algorithms used in computer graphics for the real time simulation of smoke. Here we introduce a time-discrete evolution equation for arbitrary closed polygons in 3-space that is a discretisation of the localised induction approximation of filament motion. This discretisation shares with its continuum limit the property that it is a completely integrable system. We apply this polygon evolution to a significant improvement of the numerical algorithms used in Computer Graphics.

nlin.SI↗