arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Florian Wespi.
Short and transparent proofs of central limit theorems for intrinsic volumes of random polytopes in smooth convex bodies are presented. They combine different tools such as estimates for floating bodies with Stein's method from probability theory.
The random polytope $K_n$, defined as the convex hull of $n$ points chosen uniformly at random on the boundary of a smooth convex body, is considered. Proofs for lower and upper variance bounds, strong laws of large numbers and central limit theorems for the intrinsic volumes of $K_n$ are presented. A normal approximation bound from Stein's method and estimates for surface bodies are among the involved tools.
Let $X_1,\ldots,X_n$ be independent random points that are distributed according to a probability measure on $\mathbb{R}^d$ and let $P_n$ be the random convex hull generated by $X_1,\ldots,X_n$ ($n\geq d+1$). Natural classes of probability distributions are characterized for which, by means of Blaschke-Petkantschin formulae from integral geometry, one can show that the mean facet number of $P_n$ is strictly monotonically increasing in $n$.
For stationary, homogeneous Markov processes (viz., Lévy processes, including Brownian motion) in dimension $d\geq 3$, we establish an exact formula for the average number of $(d-1)$-dimensional facets that can be defined by $d$ points on the process's path. This formula defines a universality class in that it is independent of the increments' distribution, and it admits a closed form when $d=3$, a case which is of particular interest for applications in biophysics, chemistry and polymer science. We also show that the asymptotical average number of facets behaves as $\langle \mathcal{F}_T^{(d)}\rangle \sim 2\left[\ln \left( T/Δt\right)\right]^{d-1}$, where $T$ is the total duration of the motion and $Δt$ is the minimum time lapse separating points that define a facet.
Let $X(t)$, $t\geq0$, be a Lévy process in $\mathbb{R}^d$ starting at the origin. We study the closed convex hull $Z_s$ of $\{X(t): 0\leq t\leq s\}$. In particular, we provide conditions for the integrability of the intrinsic volumes of the random set $Z_s$ and find explicit expressions for their means in the case of symmetric $α$-stable Lévy processes. If the process is symmetric and each its one-dimensional projection is non-atomic, we establish that the origin a.s. belongs to the interior of $Z_s$ for all $s>0$. Limit theorems for the convex hull of Lévy processes with normal and stable limits are also obtained.