arXiv subjects

Paolo Gronchi

Publications and source records attributed to Paolo Gronchi.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Approximation of rearrangements by polarizations

The symmetric decreasing rearrangement of functions on $\mathbb{R}^n$ features in several seminal inequalities, such as the P\'olya-Szeg\H{o} inequality. The latter was shown by the authors to hold for all smoothing rearrangements, a class that includes the more general $(k,n)$-Steiner rearrangement, as well as others introduced by Brock and by Solynin. The theory of rearrangements and their associated set maps is developed, with an emphasis on approximation, particularly by polarizations. The P\'olya-Szeg\H{o} inequality holds with equality for polarizations, so is proved relatively easily for rearrangements that can be suitably approximated by them. One goal here is to show that the Brock rearrangements cannot be approximated in such a way. It turns out that under mild conditions, each set map associated with a rearrangement has in turn an associated contraction map from $\mathbb{R}^n$ to $\mathbb{R}^n$. With this new analytical tool, several general results on the approximation of rearrangements are also proved.

math.FA↗

arXiv2024

Anisotropic symmetrization, convex bodies, and isoperimetric inequalities

This work is concerned with a P\'olya-Szeg\"o type inequality for anisotropic functionals of Sobolev functions. The relevant inequality entails a double-symmetrization involving both trial functions and functionals. A new approach that uncovers geometric aspects of the inequality is proposed. It relies upon anisotropic isoperimetric inequalities, fine properties of Sobolev functions, and results from the Brunn-Minkowski theory of convex bodies. Importantly, unlike previously available proofs, the one offered in this paper does not require approximation arguments and hence allows for a characterization of extremal functions.

math.FA↗

arXiv2022

The Pólya-Szegő inequality for smoothing rearrangements

A basic version of the Pólya-Szegő inequality states that if $Φ$ is a Young function, the $Φ$-Dirichlet energy -- the integral of $Φ(\|\nabla f\|)$ -- of a suitable function $f\in \mathcal{V}(\mathbb{R}^n)$, the class of nonnegative measurable functions on $\mathbb{R}^n$ that vanish at infinity, does not increase under symmetric decreasing rearrangement. This fact, along with variants that apply to polarizations and to Steiner and certain other rearrangements, has numerous applications. Very general versions of the inequality are proved that hold for all smoothing rearrangements, those that do not increase the modulus of continuity of functions. The results cover all the main classes of functions previously considered: Lipschitz functions $f\in \mathcal{V}(\mathbb{R}^n)$, functions $f\in W^{1,p}(\mathbb{R}^n)\cap\mathcal{V}(\mathbb{R}^n)$ (when $1\le p<\infty$ and $Φ(t)=t^p$), and functions $f\in W^{1,1}_{loc}(\mathbb{R}^n)\cap\mathcal{V}(\mathbb{R}^n)$. In addition, anisotropic versions of these results, in which the role of the unit ball is played by a convex body containing the origin in its interior, are established. Taken together, the results bring together all the basic versions of the Pólya-Szegő inequality previously available under a common and very general framework.

math.FA↗

arXiv2022

Full rotational symmetry from reflections or rotational symmetries in finitely many subspaces

Two related questions are discussed. The first is when reflection symmetry in a finite set of $i$-dimensional subspaces, $i\in \{1,\dots,n-1\}$, implies full rotational symmetry, i.e., the closure of the group generated by the reflections equals $O(n)$. For $i=n-1$, this has essentially been solved by Burchard, Chambers, and Dranovski, but new results are obtained for $i\in \{1,\dots,n-2\}$. The second question, to which an essentially complete answer is given, is when (full) rotational symmetry with respect to a finite set of $i$-dimensional subspaces, $i\in \{1,\dots,n-2\}$, implies full rotational symmetry, i.e., the closure of the group generated by all the rotations about each of the subspaces equals $SO(n)$. The latter result also shows that a closed set in $\mathbb{R}^n$ that is invariant under rotations about more than one axis must be a union of spheres with their centers at the origin.

math.MG↗

arXiv2022

Convergence of symmetrization processes

Steiner and Schwarz symmetrizations, and their most important relatives, the Minkowski, Minkowski-Blaschke, fiber, inner rotational, and outer rotational symmetrizations, are investigated. The focus is on the convergence of successive symmetrals with respect to a sequence of $i$-dimensional subspaces of $\mathbb{R}^n$. Such a sequence is called universal for a family of sets if the successive symmetrals of any set in the family converge to a ball with center at the origin. New universal sequences for the main symmetrizations, for all valid dimensions $i$ of the subspaces, are found, by combining two groups of results. The first, published separately, provides finite sets ${\mathcal{F}}$ of subspaces such that reflection symmetry (or rotational symmetry) with respect to each subspace in ${\mathcal{F}}$ implies full rotational symmetry. In the second, proved here, a theorem of Klain for Steiner symmetrization is extended to Schwarz, Minkowski, Minkowski-Blaschke, and fiber symmetrizations, showing that if a sequence of subspaces is drawn from a finite set ${\mathcal{F}}$ of subspaces, the successive symmetrals of any compact convex set converge to a compact convex set that is symmetric with respect to any subspace in ${\mathcal{F}}$ appearing infinitely often in the sequence. It is also proved that for Steiner, Schwarz, and Minkowski symmetrizations, a sequence of $i$-dimensional subspaces is universal for the class of compact sets if and only if it is universal for the class of compact convex sets, and Klain's theorem is shown to hold for Schwarz symmetrization of compact sets.

math.MG↗

arXiv2020

Rearrangement and polarization

The paper has two main goals. The first is to take a new approach to rearrangements on certain classes of measurable real-valued functions on $\mathbb{R}^n$. Rearrangements are maps that are monotonic (up to sets of measure zero) and equimeasurable, i.e., they preserve the measure of super-level sets of functions. All the principal known symmetrization processes for functions, such as Steiner and Schwarz symmetrization, are rearrangements, and these have a multitude of applications in diverse areas of the mathematical sciences. The second goal is to understand which properties of rearrangements characterize polarization, a special rearrangement that has proved particularly useful in a number of contexts. In order to achieve this, new results are obtained on the structure of measure-preserving maps on convex bodies and of rearrangements generally.

math.MG↗

arXiv2017

On the reverse Loomis-Whitney inequality

The present paper deals with the problem of computing (or at least estimating) the LW-number $λ(n)$, i.e., the supremum of all $γ$ such that for each convex body $K$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$ there exists an orthonormal basis $\{u_1,\ldots,u_n\}$ such that $$ vol_n(K)^{n-1} \geq γ\prod_{i=1}^n vol_{n-1} (K|u_i^{\perp}) , $$ where $K|u_i^{\perp}$ denotes the orthogonal projection of $K$ onto the hyperplane $u_i^{\perp}$ perpendicular to $u_i$. Any such inequality can be regarded as a reverse to the well-known classical Loomis--Whitney inequality. We present various results on such reverse Loomis--Whitney inequalities. In particular, we prove some structural results, give bounds on $λ(n)$ and deal with the problem of actually computing the LW-constant of a rational polytope.

math.MG↗

arXiv2013

Reverse and dual Loomis-Whitney-type inequalities

Various results are proved giving lower bounds for the $m$th intrinsic volume $V_m(K)$, $m=1,\dots,n-1$, of a compact convex set $K$ in ${\mathbb{R}}^n$, in terms of the $m$th intrinsic volumes of its projections on the coordinate hyperplanes (or its intersections with the coordinate hyperplanes). The bounds are sharp when $m=1$ and $m=n-1$. These are reverse (or dual, respectively) forms of the Loomis-Whitney inequality and versions of it that apply to intrinsic volumes. For the intrinsic volume $V_1(K)$, which corresponds to mean width, the inequality obtained confirms a conjecture of Betke and McMullen made in 1983.

math.MG↗

arXiv2012

Determining a rotation of a tetrahedron from a projection

The following problem, arising from medical imaging, is addressed: Suppose that $T$ is a known tetrahedron in $\R^3$ with centroid at the origin. Also known is the orthogonal projection $U$ of the vertices of the image $ϕT$ of $T$ under an unknown rotation $ϕ$ about the origin. Under what circumstances can $ϕ$ be determined from $T$ and $U$?

math.MG↗

arXiv2012

Convergence in shape of Steiner symmetrizations

There are sequences of directions such that, given any compact set K in R^n, the sequence of iterated Steiner symmetrals of K in these directions converges to a ball. However examples show that Steiner symmetrization along a sequence of directions whose differences are square summable does not generally converge. (Note that this may happen even with sequences of directions which are dense in S^{n-1}.) Here we show that such sequences converge in shape. The limit need not be an ellipsoid or even a convex set. We also deal with uniformly distributed sequences of directions, and with a recent result of Klain on Steiner symmetrization along sequences chosen from a finite set of directions.

math.MG↗