arXiv subjects

Mickaël Kourganoff

Publications and source records attributed to Mickaël Kourganoff.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Similarity structures and de Rham decomposition

A similarity structure on a connected manifold M is a Riemannian metric on its universal cover such that the fundamental group of M acts by similarities. If the manifold M is compact, we show that the universal cover admits a de Rham decomposition with at most two factors, one of which is Euclidean. Very recently, after Belgun and Moroianu conjectured that the number of factors was at most one, Matveev and Nikolayevsky found an example with two factors. When the non-flat factor has dimension 2, we give a complete classification of the examples with two factors. In greater dimensions, we make the first steps towards such a classification by showing that M is a fibration (with singularities) by flat Riemannian manifolds; up to a finite covering of M, we may assume that these manifolds are flat tori. We also prove a version of the de Rham decomposition theorem for the universal covers of manifolds with locally metric connections. During the proof, we define a notion of transverse (not necessarily flat) similarity structure on foliations, and show that foliations endowed with such a structure are either transversally flat or transversally Riemannian. None of these results assumes analyticity.

math.DG↗

arXiv2019

Uniform hyperbolicity in nonflat billiards

Uniform hyperbolicity is a strong chaotic property which holds, in particular, for Sinai billiards. In this paper, we consider the case of a nonflat billiard, that is, a Riemannian manifold with boundary. Each trajectory follows the geodesic flow in the interior of the billiard, and bounces when it meets the boundary. We give a sufficient condition for a nonflat billiard to be uniformly hyperbolic. As a particular case, we obtain a new criterion to show that a closed surface has an Anosov geodesic flow.

math.DG↗

arXiv2017

Embedded surfaces with Anosov geodesic flows, approximating spherical billiards

We consider a billiard in the sphere S^2 with circular obstacles, and give a sufficient condition for its flow to be uniformly hyperbolic. We show that the billiard flow in this case is approximated by an Anosov geodesic flow on a surface in the ambiant space S^3. As an application, we show that every orientable surface of genus at least 11 admits an isometric embedding into S^3 (equipped with the standard metric) such that its geodesic flow is Anosov. Finally, we explain why this construction cannot provide examples of isometric embeddings of surfaces in the Euclidean R^3 with Anosov geodesic flows.

math.DS↗

arXiv2016

Universality theorems for linkages in homogeneous surfaces

A mechanical linkage is a mechanism made of rigid rods linked together by flexible joints, in which some vertices are fixed and others may move. The partial configuration space of a linkage is the set of all the possible positions of a subset of the vertices. We characterize the possible partial configuration spaces of linkages in the (Lorentz-)Minkowski plane, in the hyperbolic plane and in the sphere. We also give a proof of a differential universality theorem in the Minkowski plane and in the hyperbolic plane: for any compact manifold M, there is a linkage whose configuration space is diffeomorphic to the disjoint union of a finite number of copies of M. In the Minkowski plane, it is also true for any manifold M which is the interior of a compact manifold with boundary.

math.MG↗

arXiv2015

Anosov geodesic flows, billiards and linkages

Any smooth surface in R^3 may be flattened along the z-axis, and the flattened surface becomes close to a billiard table in R^2 . We show that, under some hypotheses, the geodesic flow of this surface converges locally uniformly to the billiard flow. Moreover, if the billiard is dispersive and has finite horizon, then the geodesic flow of the corresponding surface is Anosov. We apply this result to the theory of mechanical linkages and their dynamics: we provide a new example of a simple linkage whose physical behavior is Anosov. For the first time, the edge lengths of the mechanism are given explicitly.

math.DS↗

arXiv2015

Universality theorems for linkages in the Minkowski plane

A mechanical linkage is a mechanism made of rigid rods linked together by flexible joints, in which some vertices are fixed and others may move. The partial configuration space of a linkage is the set of all the possible positions of a subset of the vertices. We characterize the possible partial configuration spaces of linkages in the Minkowski plane. We also give a proof of a differential universality theorem in the Minkowski plane: for any manifold M which is the interior of a compact manifold with boundary, there is a linkage which has a configuration space diffeomorphic to the disjoint union of a finite number of copies of M.

math.MG↗