arXiv subjects

Robert Cardona

Publications and source records attributed to Robert Cardona.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Morse functions and contact convex surfaces

Let $f$ be a Morse function on a closed surface $Σ$ such that zero is a regular value and such that $f$ admits neither positive minima nor negative maxima. In this expository note, we show that $Σ\times \mathbb{R}$ admits an $\mathbb{R}$-invariant contact form $α=fdt+β$ whose characteristic foliation along the zero section is (negative) weakly gradient-like with respect to $f$. The proof is self-contained and gives explicit constructions of any $\mathbb{R}$-invariant contact structure in $Σ\times \mathbb{R}$, up to isotopy. As an application, we give an alternative geometric proof of the homotopy classification of $\mathbb{R}$-invariant contact structures in terms of their dividing set.

math.SG↗

arXiv2022

The topology of Bott integrable fluids

We construct non-vanishing steady solutions to the Euler equations (for some metric) with analytic Bernoulli function in each three-manifold where they can exist: graph manifolds. Using the theory of integrable systems, any admissible Morse-Bott function can be realized as the Bernoulli function of some non-vanishing steady Euler flow. This can be interpreted as an inverse problem to Arnold's structure theorem and yields as a corollary the topological classification of such solutions. Finally, we prove that the topological obstruction holds without the non-vanishing assumption: steady Euler flows with a Morse-Bott Bernoulli function only exist on graph three-manifolds.

math.DS↗

arXiv2022

The Universal $\ell^p$-Metric on Merge Trees

Adapting a definition given by Bjerkevik and Lesnick for multiparameter persistence modules, we introduce an $\ell^p$-type extension of the interleaving distance on merge trees. We show that our distance is a metric, and that it upper-bounds the $p$-Wasserstein distance between the associated barcodes. For each $p\in[1,\infty]$, we prove that this distance is stable with respect to cellular sublevel filtrations and that it is the universal (i.e., largest) distance satisfying this stability property. In the $p=\infty$ case, this gives a novel proof of universality for the interleaving distance on merge trees.

cs.CG↗

arXiv2021

Looking at Euler flows through a contact mirror: Universality and undecidability

The dynamics of an inviscid and incompressible fluid flow on a Riemannian manifold is governed by the Euler equations. In recent papers [5, 6, 7, 8] several unknown facets of the Euler flows have been discovered, including universality properties of the stationary solutions to the Euler equations. The study of these universality features was suggested by Tao as a novel way to address the problem of global existence for Euler and Navier-Stokes [28]. Universality of the Euler equations was proved in [7] for stationary solutions using a contact mirror which reflects a Beltrami flow as a Reeb vector field. This contact mirror permits the use of advanced geometric techniques in fluid dynamics. On the other hand, motivated by Tao's approach relating Turing machines to Navier-Stokes equations, a Turing complete stationary Euler solution on a Riemannian $3$-dimensional sphere was constructed in [8]. Since the Turing completeness of a vector field can be characterized in terms of the halting problem, which is known to be undecidable [30], a striking consequence of this fact is that a Turing complete Euler flow exhibits undecidable particle paths [8]. In this article, we give a panoramic overview of this fascinating subject, and go one step further in investigating the undecidability of different dynamical properties of Turing complete flows. In particular, we show that variations of [8] allow us to construct a stationary Euler flow of Beltrami type (and, via the contact mirror, a Reeb vector field) for which it is undecidable to determine whether its orbits through an explicit set of points are periodic.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

The periodic orbit conjecture for steady Euler flows

The periodic orbit conjecture states that, on closed manifolds, the set of lengths of the orbits of a non-vanishing vector field all whose orbits are closed admits an upper bound. This conjecture is known to be false in general due to a counterexample by Sullivan. However, it is satisfied under the geometric condition of being geodesible. In this work, we use the recent characterization of Eulerisable flows (or more generally flows admitting a strongly adapted one-form) to prove that the conjecture remains true for this larger class of vector fields.

math.DS↗

arXiv2021

Turing universality of the incompressible Euler equations and a conjecture of Moore

In this article we construct a compact Riemannian manifold of high dimension on which the time dependent Euler equations are Turing complete. More precisely, the halting of any Turing machine with a given input is equivalent to a certain global solution of the Euler equations entering a certain open set in the space of divergence-free vector fields. In particular, this implies the undecidability of whether a solution to the Euler equations with an initial datum will reach a certain open set or not in the space of divergence-free fields. This result goes one step further in Tao's programme to study the blow-up problem for the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations using fluid computers. As a remarkable spin-off, our method of proof allows us to give a counterexample to a conjecture of Moore dating back to 1998 on the non-existence of analytic maps on compact manifolds that are Turing complete.

math.AP↗

arXiv2021

Integrable systems on singular symplectic manifolds: From local to global

In this article we consider integrable systems on manifolds endowed with singular symplectic structures of order one. These structures are symplectic away from an hypersurface where the symplectic volume goes either to infinity or to zero in a transversal way (singularity of order one) resulting either in a $b$-symplectic form or a folded symplectic form. The hypersurface where the form degenerates is called critical set. We give a new impulse to the investigation of the existence of action-angle coordinates for these structures initiated in [KM] and [KMS] by proving an action-angle theorem for folded symplectic integrable systems. Contrary to expectations, the action-angle coordinate theorem for folded symplectic manifolds cannot be presented as a cotangent lift as done for symplectic and $b$-symplectic forms in [KM]. Global constructions of integrable systems are provided and obstructions for global existence of action-angle coordinates are investigated in both scenarios. The new topological obstructions found emanate from the topology of the critical set $Z$ of the singular symplectic manifold. The existence of these obstructions in turn implies the existence of singularities for the integrable system on $Z$.

math.SG↗

arXiv2020

Constructing Turing complete Euler flows in dimension $3$

Can every physical system simulate any Turing machine? This is a classical problem which is intimately connected with the undecidability of certain physical phenomena. Concerning fluid flows, Moore asked in [15] if hydrodynamics is capable of performing computations. More recently, Tao launched a programme based on the Turing completeness of the Euler equations to address the blow up problem in the Navier-Stokes equations. In this direction, the undecidability of some physical systems has been studied in recent years, from the quantum gap problem [7] to quantum field theories [11]. To the best of our knowledge, the existence of undecidable particle paths of 3D fluid flows has remained an elusive open problem since Moore's works in the early 1990's. In this article we construct a Turing complete stationary Euler flow on a Riemannian $S^3$ and speculate on its implications concerning Tao's approach to the blow up problem in the Navier-Stokes equations.

math.DS↗

arXiv2020

Path Optimization Sheaves

Motivated by efforts to incorporate sheaves into networking, we seek to reinterpret pathfinding algorithms in terms of cellular sheaves, using Dijkstra's algorithm as an example. We construct sheaves on a graph with distinguished source and sink vertices, in which paths are represented by sections. The first sheaf is a very general construction that can be applied to other algorithms, while the second is created specifically to capture the decision making of Dijkstra's algorithm. In both cases, Dijkstra's algorithm can be described as a systematic process of extending local sections to global sections. We discuss the relationship between the two sheaves and summarize how other pathfinding algorithms can be interpreted in a similar way. While the sheaves presented here address paths and pathfinding algorithms, we suggest that future work could explore connections to other concepts from graph theory and other networking algorithms. This work was supported by the NASA Internship Project and SCaN Internship Project during the summer of 2020.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2020

Steady Euler flows and Beltrami fields in high dimensions

Using open books, we prove the existence of a non-vanishing steady solution to the Euler equations for some metric in every homotopy class of non-vanishing vector fields of any odd dimensional manifold. As a corollary, any such field can be realized in an invariant submanifold of a contact Reeb field on a sphere of high dimension. The constructed solutions are geodesible and hence of Beltrami type, and can be modified to obtain chaotic fluids. We characterize Beltrami fields in odd dimensions and show that there always exist volume-preserving Beltrami fields which are neither geodesible nor Euler flows for any metric. This contrasts with the three dimensional case, where every volume-preserving Beltrami field is a steady Euler flow for some metric. Finally, we construct a non-vanishing Beltrami field (which is not necessarily volume-preserving) without periodic orbits in every manifold of odd dimension greater than three.

math.DS↗

arXiv2019

Integrable systems and closed one forms

In the first part of this paper we revisit a classical topological theorem by Tischler (1970) and deduce a topological result about compact manifolds admitting a set of independent closed forms proving that the manifold is a fibration over a torus. As an application we reprove the Liouville theorem for integrable systems asserting that the invariant sets or compact connected fibers of a regular integrable system are tori. We give a new proof of this theorem (including the non-commutative version) for symplectic and more generally Poisson manifolds.

math.SG↗

arXiv2019

Euler flows and singular geometric structures

Tichler proved that a manifold admitting a smooth closed one-form fibers over a circle. More generally a manifold admitting $k$ independent closed one-forms fibers over a torus $T^k$. In this article we explain a version of this construction for manifolds with boundary using the techniques of $b$-calculus. We explore new applications of this idea to Fluid Dynamics and more concretely in the study of stationary solutions of the Euler equations. In the study of Euler flows on manifolds, two dichotomic situations appear. For the first one, in which the Bernoulli function is not constant, we provide a new proof of Arnold's structure theorem and describe $b$-symplectic structures on some of the singular sets of the Bernoulli function. When the Bernoulli function is constant, a correspondence between contact structures with singularities and what we call $b$-Beltrami fields is established, thus mimicking the classical correspondence between Beltrami fields and contact structures. These results provide a new technique to analyze the geometry of steady fluid flows on non-compact manifolds with cylindrical ends.

math.SG↗

arXiv2018

On the volume elements of a manifold with transverse zeroes

Moser proved in 1965 in his seminal paper that two volume forms on a compact manifold can be conjugated by a diffeomorphism, that is to say they are equivalent, if and only if their associated cohomology classes in the top cohomology group of a manifold coincide. In particular, this yields a classification of compact symplectic surfaces in terms of De Rham cohomology. In this paper we generalize these results for volume forms admitting transversal zeroes. In this case there is also a cohomology capturing the classification: the relative cohomology with respect to the set of critical hypersurface. We compare this classification scheme with the classification of Poisson structures on surfaces which are symplectic away from a hypersurface where they fulfill a transversality assumption ($b$-Poisson structures). We do this using the desingularization technique introduced by Guillemin-Miranda-Weitsman and extend it to $b^m$-Nambu structures.

math.SG↗