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Samuël Borza

Publications and source records attributed to Samuël Borza.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

The measure contraction property on Grushin spaces

We determine the sharp measure contraction exponents of two families of Grushin-type metric measure spaces. The radial Grushin space $\mathbb{G}^{n+m}$ is $\mathbb{R}^{n}\times\mathbb{R}^{m}$, equipped with Lebesgue measure and generated by $X_i=\partial_{x_i}$ and $Y_j=|x|\partial_{y_j}$, for $1\leq i\leq n$ and $1\leq j\leq m$. We prove that $\mathbb{G}^{n+m}$ satisfies $\operatorname{MCP}(K,N)$ if and only if $N\geq n+4m$ and $K\leq 0$. We also show that, for $α\geq1$, the $α$-Grushin plane generated by $X=\partial_x$ and $Y_α=|x|^α\partial_y$ satisfies $\operatorname{MCP}(K,N)$ if and only if $K\leq0$ and $N\geq N_α$, where \[ N_α:= 1+\max_{L>1} \frac{(2α+1)L}{(L-1)^{2α+1}+1}. \] This resolves the conjecture posed in arXiv:2010.16350 and, for integer $α\geq2$, provides the first examples of real-analytic sub-Riemannian structures with noninteger curvature exponent. Both results recover the known curvature exponent $5$ of the classical Grushin plane, corresponding respectively to $n=m=1$ and $α=1$.

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Ollivier-Ricci curvature for causal sets

We introduce a novel notion of Ollivier-Ricci curvature for causal sets using Lorentzian optimal transport. The construction is motivated by a new Lorentzian asymptotic formula of independent interest, which recovers timelike Ricci curvature, up to higher-order terms, from the transport distance between probability measures on nearby causal diamonds. Passing to the discrete setting, this leads to a mesoscopic notion of Ricci curvature defined along maximal chains and built from probability measures on causal diamonds. We study several variants, including idle and Lin-Lu-Yau type curvatures, prove local-to-global propagation results and timelike Bonnet-Myers theorems, and compute the curvature for a range of explicit causal sets. We design high-density Poisson sprinkling numerical experiments recovering the expected constant-curvature signatures of Minkowski, de Sitter, and anti-de Sitter space. These results provide evidence that the construction captures timelike Ricci curvature from order-theoretic data.

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Geodesics on Grushin spaces

We consider higher-dimensional generalizations of the $α$-Grushin plane, focusing on the problem of classification of geodesics that minimize length, also known as optimal synthesis. Solving Hamilton's equations on these spaces using the calculus of generalized trigonometric functions, we obtain explicit conjugate times for geodesics starting at a Riemannian point. We propose a conjectured cut time $τ=\min\{τ_j\}$ obtained as the minimum of several candidates, each deriving from the symmetries of components of the Hamiltonian flow. We prove that it provides a lower bound on the first conjugate time, a key step in the extended Hadamard technique. In the three-dimensional case, we combine this method with a density argument to establish the conjecture and obtain the full optimal synthesis.

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Constant mean curvature surfaces in the sub-Lorentzian Heisenberg group

We study constant horizontal mean curvature surfaces in the sub-Lorentzian Heisenberg group. We derive the first-variation formula for horizontal area under volume-preserving radial variations and show that smooth isoperimetric candidates have constant horizontal mean curvature away from the characteristic set. We then give a complete classification of smooth boost-symmetric constant mean curvature surfaces: their characteristic sets, causal behaviour, and ambient sub-Lorentzian isometry classes. From this classification, we single out a family of smooth, acausal, boost-symmetric surfaces with nonzero constant mean curvature. Written as a two-sheeted graph over the exterior of a future hyperbola, this family is a natural sub-Lorentzian analogue of the Pansu bubbles and leads us to conjecture that it gives the isoperimetric maximisers in the sub-Lorentzian Heisenberg group.

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Hausdorff dimension and failure of synthetic curvature bounds in the sub-Lorentzian Heisenberg group

We study the geodesics, Hausdorff dimension, and curvature bounds of the sub-Lorentzian Heisenberg group. Through an elementary variational approach, we provide a new proof of the structure of its maximizing geodesics, showing that they are lifts of hyperbolae coming from a Lorentzian isoperimetric problem in the Minkowski plane. We prove that the Lorentzian Hausdorff dimension of the space is $4$ and that the corresponding measure coincides with the Haar measure. We further establish a novel result in the spirit of the Ball-Box theorem, giving a uniform estimate of causal diamonds by anisotropic boxes. Finally, we show that the Heisenberg group satisfies neither the timelike curvature-dimension condition $\mathsf{TCD}(K,N)$ nor the timelike measure contraction property $\mathsf{TMCP}(K,N)$ for any values of the parameters $K$ and $N$, in sharp contrast with its sub-Riemannian counterpart.

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Curvature-dimension condition of sub-Riemannian $α$-Grushin half-spaces

We provide new examples of sub-Riemannian manifolds with boundary equipped with a smooth measure that satisfy the $\mathsf{RCD}(K , N)$ condition. They are constructed by equipping the half-plane, the hemisphere and the hyperbolic half-plane with a two-dimensional almost-Riemannian structure and a measure that vanishes on their boundary. The construction of these spaces is inspired from the geometry of the $α$-Grushin plane.

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Curvature exponent of sub-Finsler Heisenberg groups

The curvature exponent $N_{\mathrm{curv}}$ of a metric measure space is the smallest number $N$ for which the measure contraction property $\mathsf{MCP}(0,N)$ holds. In this paper, we study the curvature exponent of sub-Finsler Heisenberg groups equipped with the Lebesgue measure. We prove that $N_{\mathrm{curv}} \geq 5$, and the equality holds if and only if the corresponding sub-Finsler Heisenberg group is actually sub-Riemannian. Furthermore, we show that for every $N\geq 5$, there is a sub-Finsler structure on the Heisenberg group such that $N_{\mathrm{curv}}=N$.

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Failure of the measure contraction property via quotients in higher-step sub-Riemannian structures

We prove that the synthetic Ricci curvature lower bound known as the measure contraction property (MCP) can fail in sub-Riemannian geometry. This may happen beyond step two, if the distance function is not Lipschitz in charts, and it already occurs in fundamental examples such as the Martinet and Engel structures. Central to our analysis are new results, of independent interest, on the stability of the local MCP under quotients by isometric group actions for general metric measure spaces, developed under a weaker variant of the essential non-branching condition which, in contrast with the classical one, is implied by the minimizing Sard property in sub-Riemannian geometry. As an application, we find sub-Riemannian structures with pre-medium-fat distribution that do not satisfy the MCP, answering a question raised in [L. Rifford, J. Éc. polytech. Math. 2023]. Finally, and quite unexpectedly, we show that ideal sub-Riemannian structures can fail the MCP, and this actually happens generically for rank greater than 3 and high dimension.

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Measure contraction property, curvature exponent and geodesic dimension of sub-Finsler $\ell^p$-Heisenberg groups

We initiate the study of synthetic curvature-dimension bounds in sub-Finsler geometry. More specifically, we investigate the measure contraction property $\mathsf{MCP}(K, N)$, and the geodesic dimension on the Heisenberg group equipped with an $\ell^p$-sub-Finsler norm. We show that for $p\in(2,\infty]$, the $\ell^p$-Heisenberg group fails to satisfy any of the measure contraction properties. On the other hand, if $p\in(1,2)$, then it satisfies the measure contraction property $\mathsf{MCP}(K, N)$ if and only if $K \leq 0$ and $N \geq N_p$, where the curvature exponent $N_p$ is strictly greater than $2q+1$ ($q$ being the Hölder conjugate of $p$). We also prove that the geodesic dimension of the $\ell^p$-Heisenberg group is $\min(2q+2,5)$ for $p\in[1,\infty)$. As a consequence, we provide the first example of a metric measure space where there is a gap between the curvature exponent and the geodesic dimension.

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Optimal transport on the sub-Lorentzian Heisenberg group

We investigate the synthetic metric spacetime structure of the sub-Lorentzian Heisenberg group and we study the optimal transport problem in this space. The sub-Lorentzian version of Brenier's theorem is established in this setting. Finally, we provide examples of optimal transport maps and derive a sub-Lorentzian Monge-Ampère equation.

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Measure contraction property and curvature-dimension condition on sub-Finsler Heisenberg groups

In this paper, we investigate the validity of synthetic curvature-dimension bounds in the sub-Finsler Heisenberg group, equipped with a positive smooth measure. Firstly, we study the measure contraction property, in short $\mathsf{MCP}$, proving that its validity depends on the norm generating the sub-Finsler structure. Indeed, we show that, if it is neither $C^1$ nor strongly convex, the associated Heisenberg group does not satisfy $\mathsf{MCP}(K,N)$ for any pair of parameters $K \in \mathbb{R}$ and $N \in (1,\infty)$. On the contrary, we prove that the sub-Finsler Heisenberg group, equipped with a $C^{1,1}$ and strongly convex norm, and with the Lebesgue measure, satisfies $\mathsf{MCP}(0,N)$ for some $N \in (1,\infty)$. Additionally, we provide a lower bound on the optimal dimensional parameter, and we also study the case of $C^1$ and strongly convex norms. Secondly, we address the validity of the curvature-dimension condition pioneered by Sturm and Lott-Villani, in short $\mathsf{CD}(K,N)$. We show that the sub-Finsler Heisenberg group, equipped with a $C^1$ and strongly convex norm, and with a positive smooth measure, does not satisfy the $\mathsf{MCP}(K,N)$ condition for any pair of parameters $K \in \mathbb{R}$ and $N \in (1,\infty)$. Combining this result with our findings regarding the measure contraction property, we conclude the failure of the $\mathsf{CD}$ condition in the Heisenberg group for every sub-Finsler structure.

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Regularity and Continuity properties of the sub-Riemannian exponential map

We prove a version of Warner's regularity and continuity properties for the sub-Riemannian exponential map. The regularity property is established by considering sub-Riemannian Jacobi fields while the continuity property follows from studying the Maslov index of Jacobi curves. We finally show how this implies that the exponential map of the three dimensional Heisenberg group is not injective in any neighbourhood of a conjugate vector.

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Normal forms for the sub-Riemannian exponential map of $\mathbb{G}_α$, $\mathrm{SU}(2)$, and $\mathrm{SL}(2)$

The goal of this paper is to use singularity theory to find normal forms near the critical points of the sub-Riemannian exponential map. Three cases are studied: the $α$-Grushin plane with fold singularities, and the special unitary group $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ and special linear group $\mathrm{SL}(2)$ with fold and saddle-like singularities. They serve as examples of different sub-Riemannian structures and the techniques presented can be applied to other contexts. The paper also includes a discussion of the implications of this approach, as well as open problems.

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Local non-injectivity of the exponential map at critical points in sub-Riemannian geometry

We prove that the sub-Riemannian exponential map is not injective in any neighbourhood of certain critical points. Namely that it does not behave like the injective map of reals given by $f(x) = x^3$ near its critical point $x = 0$. As a consequence, we characterise conjugate points in ideal sub-Riemannian manifolds in terms of the metric structure of the space. The proof uses the Hilbert invariant integral of the associated variational problem.

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Distortion coefficients of the $α$-Grushin plane

We compute the distortion coefficients of the $α$-Grushin plane. They are expressed in terms of generalised trigonometric functions. Estimates for the distortion coefficients are then obtained and a conjecture of a synthetic curvature condition for the generalised Grushin planes is suggested.

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