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Serge Tabachnikov

Publications and source records attributed to Serge Tabachnikov.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2012

On the discrete bicycle transformation

We study the dynamics of the discrete bicycle (Darboux, Backlund) transformation of polygons in n-dimensional Euclidean space. This transformation is a discretization of the continuous bicycle transformation, recently studied by Foote, Levi, and Tabachnikov. We prove that the respective monodromy is a Moebius transformation. Working toward establishing complete integrability of the discrete bicycle transformation, we describe the monodromy integrals and prove the Bianchi permutability property. We show that the discrete bicycle transformation commutes with the recutting of polygons, a discrete dynamical system, previously studied by V. Adler. We show that a certain center associated with a polygon and discovered by Adler, is preserved under the discrete bicycle transformation. As a case study, we give a complete description of the dynamics of the discrete bicycle transformation on plane quadrilaterals.

math.DS↗
arXiv2012

Discrete spherical means of directional derivatives and Veronese maps

We describe and study geometric properties of discrete circular and spherical means of directional derivatives of functions, as well as discrete approximations of higher order differential operators. For an arbitrary dimension we present a general construction for obtaining discrete spherical means of directional derivatives. The construction is based on using the Minkowski's existence theorem and Veronese maps. Approximating the directional derivatives by appropriate finite differences allows one to obtain finite difference operators with good rotation invariance properties. In particular, we use discrete circular and spherical means to derive discrete approximations of various linear and nonlinear first- and second-order differential operators, including discrete Laplacians. A practical potential of our approach is demonstrated by considering applications to nonlinear filtering of digital images and surface curvature estimation.

math.NA↗
arXiv2012

On fibrations with flat fibers

We describe pairs (p,n) such that n-dimensional affine space is fibered by pairwise skew p-dimensional affine subspaces. The problem is closely related with the theorem of Adams on vector fields on spheres and the Hurwitz-Radon theory of composition of quadratic forms.

math.AT↗
arXiv2012

Higher pentagram maps, weighted directed networks, and cluster dynamics

The pentagram map that associates to a projective polygon a new one formed by intersections of short diagonals was introduced by R. Schwartz and was shown to be integrable by V. Ovsienko, R. Schwartz and S. Tabachnikov. Recently, M. Glick demonstrated that the pentagram map can be put into the framework of the theory of cluster algebras. In this paper, we extend and generalize Glick's work by including the pentagram map into a family of discrete completely integrable systems. Our main tool is Poisson geometry of weighted directed networks on surfaces developed by M. Gekhtman, M. Shapiro, and A. Vainshtein. The ingredients necessary for complete integrability -- invariant Poisson brackets, integrals of motion in involution, Lax representation -- are recovered from combinatorics of the networks. Our integrable systems depend on one discrete parameter $k>1$. The case $k=3$ corresponds to the pentagram map. For $k>3$, we give our integrable systems a geometric interpretation as pentagram-like maps involving deeper diagonals. If $k=2$ and the ground field is $\C$, we give a geometric interpretation in terms of circle patterns.

math.QA↗
arXiv2011

Periodic trajectories in the regular pentagon, II

In our recent paper, we studied periodic billiard trajectories in the regular pentagon and closed geodesic on the double pentagon, a translation surface of genus two. In particular, we made a number of conjectures concerning symbolic periodic trajectories. In this paper, we prove two of these conjectures.

math.DS↗
arXiv2011

Liouville-Arnold integrability of the pentagram map on closed polygons

The pentagram map is a discrete dynamical system defined on the moduli space of polygons in the projective plane. This map has recently attracted a considerable interest, mostly because its connection to a number of different domains, such as: classical projective geometry, algebraic combinatorics, moduli spaces, cluster algebras and integrable systems. Integrability of the pentagram map was conjectured by R. Schwartz and later proved by V. Ovsienko, R. Schwartz and S. Tabachnikov for a larger space of twisted polygons. In this paper, we prove the initial conjecture that the pentagram map is completely integrable on the moduli space of closed polygons. In the case of convex polygons in the real projective plane, this result implies the existence of a toric foliation on the moduli space. The leaves of the foliation carry affine structure and the dynamics of the pentagram map is quasi-periodic. Our proof is based on an invariant Poisson structure on the space of twisted polygons. We prove that the Hamiltonian vector fields corresponding to the monodoromy invariants preserve the space of closed polygons and define an invariant affine structure on the level surfaces of the monodromy invariants.

math.DS↗
arXiv2011

2-frieze patterns and the cluster structure of the space of polygons

We study the space of 2-frieze patterns generalizing that of the classical Coxeter-Conway frieze patterns. The geometric realization of this space is the space of n-gons (in the projective plane and in 3-dimensional vector space) which is a close relative of the moduli space of genus 0 curves with n marked points. We show that the space of 2-frieze patterns is a cluster manifold and study its algebraic and arithmetic properties.

math.AG↗
arXiv2010

Variations on R. Schwartz's inequality for the Schwarzian derivative

R. Schwartz's inequality provides an upper bound for the Schwarzian derivative of a parameterization of a circle in the complex plane and on the potential of Hill's equation with coexisting periodic solutions. We prove a discrete version of this inequality and obtain a version of the planar Blaschke-Santalo inequality for not necessarily convex polygons. We consider a centro-affine analog of Lükő's inequality for the average squared length of a chord subtending a fixed arc length of a curve -- the role of the squared length played by the area -- and prove that the central ellipses are local minima of the respective functionals on the space of star-shaped centrally symmetric curves. We conjecture that the central ellipses are global minima. In an appendix, we relate the Blaschke-Santalo and Mahler inequalities with the asymptotic dynamics of outer billiards at infinity.

math.DG↗
arXiv2010

The Pentagram Integrals on Inscribed Polygons

The pentagram map is a natural iteration on projective equivalence classes of (twisted) n-gons in the projective plane. It was recently proved ([OST]) that the pentagram map is completely integrable, with the complete set of Poisson commuting integrals given by the polynomials O1,...,O[n/2],On and E1,...,E[n/2],En, previously constructed in [S3]. These polynomials are somewhat reminiscent of the symmetric polynomials. It was observed in computer experiments that if a polygon is inscribed into a conic then Oi=Ei for all i. The goal of the paper is to prove this theorem. The proof is combinatorial, and it was also suggested by computer experimentation.

math.CO↗
arXiv2009

The Pentagram map: a discrete integrable system

The pentagram map is a projectively natural iteration defined on polygons, and also on objects we call twisted polygons (a twisted polygon is a map from Z into the projective plane that is periodic modulo a projective transformation). We find a Poisson structure on the space of twisted polygons and show that the pentagram map relative to this Poisson structure is completely integrable in the sense of Arnold-Liouville. For certain families of twisted polygons, such as those we call universally convex, we translate the integrability into a statement about the quasi-periodic motion for the dynamics of the pentagram map. We also explain how the pentagram map, in the continuous limit, corresponds to the classical Boussinesq equation. The Poisson structure we attach to the pentagram map is a discrete version of the first Poisson structure associated with the Boussinesq equation.

math.DS↗
arXiv2009

Quasiperiodic Motion for the Pentagram Map

The pentagram map is a projectively natural iteration defined on polygons, and also on a generalized notion of a polygon which we call {\it twisted polygons}. In this note we describe our recent work on the pentagram map, in which we find a Poisson structure on the space of twisted polygons and show that the pentagram map relative to this Poisson structure is completely integrable in the sense of Arnold-Liouville. For certain families of twisted polygons, such as those we call {\it universally convex}, we translate the integrability into a statement about the quasi-periodic notion of the pentagram-map orbits. We also explain how the continuous limit of the Pentagram map is the classical Boissinesq equation, a completely integrable PDE.

math.DS↗
arXiv2007

Self-dual polygons and self-dual curves

We study projectively self-dual polygons and curves in the projective plane. Our results provide a partial answer to problem No 1994-17 in the book of Arnold's problems.

math.DG↗
arXiv2007

Birkhoff billiards are insecure

We prove that every compact plane billiard, bounded by a smooth curve, is insecure: there exist pairs of points $A,B$ such that no finite set of points can block all billiard trajectories from $A$ to $B$.

math.DG↗
arXiv2006

Hyperbolic Carathéodory conjecture

A quadratic point on a surface in $RP^3$ is a point at which the surface can be approximated by a quadric abnormally well (up to order 3). We conjecture that the least number of quadratic points on a generic compact non-degenerate hyperbolic surface is 8; the relation between this and the classic Carathéodory conjecture is similar to the relation between the six-vertex and the four-vertex theorems on plane curves. Examples of quartic perturbations of the standard hyperboloid confirm our conjecture. Our main result is a linearization and reformulation of the problem in the framework of 2-dimensional Sturm theory; we also define a signature of a quadratic point and calculate local normal forms recovering and generalizing Tresse-Wilczynski's theorem.

math.DG↗