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Saul Schleimer

Publications and source records attributed to Saul Schleimer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2021

Hard Diagrams of the Unknot

We present three "hard" diagrams of the unknot. They require (at least) three extra crossings before they can be simplified to the trivial unknot diagram via Reidemeister moves in $\mathbb{S}^2$. Both examples are constructed by applying previously proposed methods. The proof of their hardness uses significant computational resources. We also determine that no small "standard" example of a hard unknot diagram requires more than one extra crossing for Reidemeister moves in $\mathbb{S}^2$.

math.GT↗
arXiv2020

Quotients of the curve complex

We consider three kinds of quotients of the curve complex which are obtained by coning off uniformly quasi-convex subspaces: symmetric curve sets, non-maximal train track sets, and compression body disc sets. We show that the actions of the mapping class group on those quotients are strongly WPD, which implies that the actions are non-elementary and those quotients are of infinite diameter.

math.GT↗
arXiv2020

Cohomology fractals

We introduce cohomology fractals; these are certain images associated to a cohomology class on a hyperbolic three-manifold. They include images made entirely from circles, and also images with no geometrically simple features. They are closely related to limit sets of kleinian groups, but have some key differences. As a consequence, we can zoom in almost any direction to arbitrary depth in real time. We present an implementation in the setting of ideal triangulations using ray-casting.

math.GT↗
arXiv2019

Coding Teichmüller flow using veering triangulations

We develop the theory of veering triangulations on oriented surfaces adapted to moduli spaces of half-translation surfaces. We use veering triangulations to give a coding of the Teichmüller flow on connected components of strata of quadratic differentials. We prove that this coding, given by a countable shift, has an approximate product structure and a roof function with exponential tails. This makes it conducive to the study of the dynamics of Teichmüller flow.

math.DS↗
arXiv2019

On the tree-width of knot diagrams

We show that a small tree-decomposition of a knot diagram induces a small sphere-decomposition of the corresponding knot. This, in turn, implies that the knot admits a small essential planar meridional surface or a small bridge sphere. We use this to give the first examples of knots where any diagram has high tree-width. This answers a question of Burton and of Makowsky and Mariño.

math.GT↗
arXiv2019

Garside theory and subsurfaces: some examples in braid groups

Garside-theoretical solutions to the conjugacy problem in braid groups depend on the determination of a characteristic subset of the conjugacy class of any given braid, e.g. the sliding circuit set. It is conjectured that, among rigid braids with a fixed number of strands, the size of this set is bounded by a polynomial in the length of the braids. In this paper we suggest a more precise bound: for rigid braids with $N$ strands and of Garside length $L$, the sliding circuit set should have at most $C\cdot L^{N-2}$ elements, for some constant $C$. We construct a family of braids which realise this potential worst case. Our example braids suggest that having a large sliding circuit set is a geometric property of braids, as our examples have multiple subsurfaces with large subsurface projection; thus they are "almost reducible" in multiple ways, and act on the curve graph with small translation distance.

math.GT↗
arXiv2018

Groups whose word problems are not semilinear

Suppose that G is a finitely generated group and W is the formal language of words defining the identity in G. We prove that if G is a nilpotent group, the fundamental group of a finite volume hyperbolic three-manifold, or a right-angled Artin group whose graph lies in a certain infinite class, then W is not a multiple context free language.

math.GR↗
arXiv2016

Conformally correct tilings

We discuss the art and science of producing conformally correct euclidean and hyperbolic tilings of compact surfaces. As an example, we present a tiling of the Chmutov surface by hyperbolic (2, 4, 6) triangles.

math.HO↗
arXiv2016

Slow north-south dynamics on $\mathcal{PML}$

We consider the action of a pseudo-Anosov mapping class on $\mathcal{PML}(S)$. This action has north-south dynamics and so, under iteration, laminations converge exponentially to the stable lamination. We study the rate of this convergence and give examples of families of pseudo-Anosov mapping classes where the rate goes to one, decaying exponentially with the word length. Furthermore we prove that this behaviour is the worst possible.

math.GT↗
arXiv2016

Squares that Look Round: Transforming Spherical Images

We propose Möbius transformations as the natural rotation and scaling tools for editing spherical images. As an application we produce spherical Droste images. We obtain other self-similar visual effects using rational functions, elliptic functions, and Schwarz-Christoffel maps.

cs.GR↗
arXiv2015

Puzzling the 120-cell

We introduce Quintessence: a family of burr puzzles based on the geometry and combinatorics of the 120-cell. We discuss the regular polytopes, their symmetries, the dodecahedron as an important special case, the three-sphere, and the quaternions. We then construct the 120-cell, giving an illustrated survey of its geometry and combinatorics. This done, we describe the pieces out of which Quintessence is made. The design of our puzzle pieces uses a drawing technique of Leonardo da Vinci; the paper ends with a catalogue of new puzzles.

math.GT↗
arXiv2015

The curves not carried

Suppose $τ$ is a train track on a surface $S$. Let $C(τ)$ be the set of isotopy classes of simple closed curves carried by $τ$. Masur and Minsky [2004] prove $C(τ)$ is quasi-convex inside the curve complex $C(S)$. We prove the complement, $C(S) - C(τ)$, is quasi-convex.

math.GT↗
arXiv2013

Triple gear

A relatively common sight in graphic designs is a planar arrangement of three gears in contact. However, since neighboring gears must rotate in opposite directions, none of the gears can move. We give a non-planar, and non-frozen, arrangement of three linked gears.

math.HO↗
arXiv2013

Cusp geometry of fibered 3-manifolds

Let F be a surface and suppose that ϕ: F -> F is a pseudo-Anosov homeomorphism fixing a puncture p of F. The mapping torus M = M_ϕis hyperbolic and contains a maximal cusp C about the puncture p. We show that the area (and height) of the cusp torus bounding C is equal to the stable translation distance of ϕacting on the arc complex A(F,p), up to an explicitly bounded multiplicative error. Our proof relies on elementary facts about the hyperbolic geometry of pleated surfaces. In particular, the proof of this theorem does not use any deep results in Teichmueller theory, Kleinian group theory, or the coarse geometry of A(F,p). A similar result holds for quasi-Fuchsian manifolds N = (F x R). In that setting, we find a combinatorial estimate for the area (and height) of the cusp annulus in the convex core of N, up to an explicitly bounded multiplicative and additive error. As an application, we show that covers of punctured surfaces induce quasi-isometric embeddings of arc complexes.

math.GT↗
arXiv2013

Uniform hyperbolicity of the curve graph via surgery sequences

We prove that the curve graph $\calC^{(1)}(S)$ is Gromov-hyperbolic with a constant of hyperbolicity independent of the surface $S$. The proof is based on the proof of hyperbolicity of the free splitting complex by Handel and Mosher, as interpreted by Hilion and Horbez.

math.GT↗
arXiv2013

Hyperbolic spaces in Teichmüller spaces

We prove, for any n, that there is a closed connected orientable surface S so that the hyperbolic space H^n almost-isometrically embeds into the Teichmüller space of S, with quasi-convex image lying in the thick part. As a consequence, H^n quasi-isometrically embeds in the curve complex of S.

math.GT↗