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Stephen C. Preston

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen C. Preston.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2017

Quotient elastic metrics on the manifold of arc-length parameterized plane loops

We study the pull-back of the 2-parameter family of quotient elastic metrics introduced in Mio-Srivastava-Joshi on the space of arc-length parameterized loops. This point of view has the advantage of concentrating on the manifold of arc-length parameterized curves, which is a very natural manifold when the analysis of un-parameterized curves is concerned, pushing aside the tricky quotient procedure detailed in Lahiri-Robinson-Klassen of the preshape space of parameterized curves by the reparameterization (semi-)group. In order to study the problem of finding geodesics between two given arc-length parameterized loops under these quotient elastic metrics, we give a precise computation of the gradient of the energy functional in the smooth case as well as a discretization of it, and implement a path-straightening method. This allows us to have a better understanding of how the landscape of the energy functional varies with respect to the parameters.

math.DG↗
arXiv2016

Local well-posedness of the Camassa-Holm equation on the real line

In this paper we prove the local well-posedness of the Camassa-Holm equation on the real line in the space of continuously differentiable diffeomorphisms with an appropriate decaying condition. This work was motivated by G. Misiolek who proved the same result for the Camassa-Holm equation on the periodic domain. We use the Lagrangian approach and rewrite the equation as an ODE on the Banach space. Then by using the standard ODE technique, we prove existence and uniqueness. Finally, we show the continuous depdendence of the solution on the initial data by using the topological group property of the diffeomorphism group.

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arXiv2016

Global Existence and Blowup for Geodesics in Universal Teichmüller Spaces

In this paper we prove that all initially-smooth solutions of the Euler-Weil-Petersson equation, which describes geodesics on the universal Teichmüller space under the Weil-Petersson metric, will remain smooth for all time. This extends the work of Escher-Kolev for strong Riemannian metrics to the borderline case of $H^{3/2}$ metrics. In addition we show that all initially-smooth solutions of the Wunsch equation, which describes geodesics on the universal Teichmüller curve under the Velling-Kirillov metric, must blow up in finite time due to wave breaking, extending work of Castro-Córdoba and Bauer-Kolev-Preston. Finally we illustrate these phenomena in terms of conformal maps of the unit disc, using the conformal welding representation of circle diffeomorphisms which is natural in Teichmüller theory.

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arXiv2015

Lagrangian aspects of the axisymmetric Euler equation

In this paper we are interested in geometric aspects of blowup in the axisymmetric 3D Euler equations with swirl on a cylinder. Writing the equations in Lagrangian form for the flow derivative along either the axis or the boundary and imposing oddness on the vertical component of the flow, we extend some blowup criteria due to Chae, Constantin, and Wu related to assumptions on the sign of the pressure Hessian. In addition we give a geometric interpretation of the results, both in terms of the local geometry along trajectories and in terms of the Riemannian geometry of the volume-preserving diffeomorphism group.

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arXiv2015

Geometric investigations of a vorticity model equation

This article consists of a detailed geometric study of the one-dimensional vorticity model equation $$ω_{t} + uω_{x} + 2ωu_{x} = 0, \qquad ω= H u_{x}, \qquad t\in\mathbb{R},\; x\in S^{1}\,,$$ which is a particular case of the generalized Constantin-Lax-Majda equation. Wunsch showed that this equation is the Euler-Arnold equation on $\operatorname{Diff}(S^{1})$ when the latter is endowed with the right-invariant homogeneous $\dot{H}^{1/2}$-metric. In this article we prove that the exponential map of this Riemannian metric is not Fredholm and that the sectional curvature is locally unbounded. Furthermore, we prove a Beale-Kato-Majda-type blow-up criterion, which we then use to demonstrate a link to our non-Fredholmness result. Finally, we extend a blow-up result of Castro-Córdoba to the periodic case and to a much wider class of initial conditions, using a new generalization of an inequality for Hilbert transforms due to Córdoba-Córdoba.

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arXiv2015

Geometry of the contactomorphism group

In this paper we examine the Riemannian geometry of the group of contactomorphisms of a compact contact manifold. We compute the sectional curvature of $\mathcal{D}_θ(M)$ in the sections containing the Reeb field and show that it is non-negative. We also solve explicitly the Jacobi equation along the geodesic corresponding to the flow of the Reeb field and determine the conjugate points. Finally, we show that the Riemannian exponential map is a non-linear Fredholm map of index zero.

math.DG↗
arXiv2014

The Geometry of Axisymmetric Ideal Fluid Flows with Swirl

The sectional curvature of the volume preserving diffeomorphism group of a Riemannian manifold $M$ can give information about the stability of inviscid, incompressible fluid flows on $M$. We demonstrate that the submanifold of the volumorphism group of the solid flat torus generated by axisymmetric fluid flows with swirl, denoted by $\mathcal{D}_{μ,E}(M)$, has positive sectional curvature in every section containing the field $X = u(r)\partial_θ$ iff $\partial_r(ru^2)>0$. This is in sharp contrast to the situation on $\mathcal{D}_μ(M)$, where only Killing fields $X$ have nonnegative sectional curvature in all sections containing it. We also show that this criterion guarantees the existence of conjugate points on $\mathcal{D}_{μ,E}(M)$ along the geodesic defined by $X$.

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arXiv2014

Riemannian geometry of the contactomorphism group

We define a right-invariant Riemannian metric on the group of contactomorphisms and study its Euler-Arnold equation. If the metric is associated to the contact form, the Euler-Arnold equation reduces to $m_t + u(m) + (n+2) mE(f) = 0$, in terms of the Reeb field $E$, a stream function $f$, the contact vector field $u$ defined by $f$, and the momentum $m = f - Δf$. Here the equation is considered on a compact manifold $M$ of dimension $2n+1$. When $n=0$ this reduces to the Camassa-Holm equation, and we emphasize the analogy with the higher-order equation. We use the usual momentum conservation law for Euler-Arnold equations to rewrite the geodesic equation as a smooth first-order equation on the contactomorphism group of Sobolev class $H^s$, and thus obtain local existence in time of solutions which depend smoothly on initial data. In addition we prove a global existence criterion analogous to the Beale-Kato-Majda criterion in fluid mechanics, and show how this criterion is automatically satisfied on the totally geodesic subgroup of quantomorphisms. Finally we briefly discuss singular solutions and conservation laws of the Euler-Arnold equation.

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arXiv2014

One-parameter solutions of the Euler-Arnold equation on the contactomorphism group

We study solutions of the equation $$ g_t-g_{tyy} + 4g^2 - 4gg_{yy} = y gg_{yyy}-yg_yg_{yy}, \qquad y\in\mathbb{R},$$ which arises by considering solutions of the Euler-Arnold equation on a contactomorphism group when the stream function is of the form $f(t,x,y,z) = zg(t,y)$. The equation is analogous to both the Camassa-Holm equation and the Proudman-Johnson equation. We write the equation as an ODE in a Banach space to establish local existence, and we describe conditions leading to global existence and conditions leading to blowup in finite time.

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arXiv2013

Riemannian geometry on the quantomorphism group

We are interested in the geometry of the group $\mathcal{D}_q(M)$ of diffeomorphisms preserving a contact form $θ$ on a manifold $M$. We define a Riemannian metric on $\mathcal{D}_q(M)$, compute the corresponding geodesic equation, and show that solutions exist for all time and depend smoothly on initial conditions. In certain special cases (such as on the 3-sphere), the geodesic equation is a simplified version of the quasigeostrophic equation, so we obtain a new geodesic interpretation of this geophysical system. We also show that the genuine quasigeostrophic equation on $S^2$ can be obtained as an Euler-Arnold equation on a one-dimensional central extension of $T_{\id}\mathcal{D}_q(M)$, and that our global existence result extends to this case. If $E$ is the Reeb field of $θ$ and $μ$ is the volume form, assumed compatible in the sense that $\text{div} E=0$, we show that $\mathcal{D}_q(M)$ is a smooth submanifold of $\mathcal{D}_{E,μ}(M)$, the space of diffeomorphisms preserving the vector field $E$ and the volume form $μ$, in the sense of $H^s$ Sobolev completions. The latter manifold is related to symmetric motion of ideal fluids. We further prove that the corresponding geodesic equations and projections are $C^{\infty}$ objects in the Sobolev topology.

math.DG↗
arXiv2013

The geometry of barotropic flow

In this article we write the equations of barotropic compressible fluid mechanics as a geodesic equation on an infinite-dimensional manifold. The equations are given by \begin{align} u_t + \nabla_uu = -\frac{1}ρ \grad p \\ ρ_t + \diver{(ρu)} = 0, \end{align} where the fluid fills up a compact manifold $M$, $u$ is a time-dependent velocity field on $M$, and $ρ$ is the density, a positive function on $M$. The barotropic assumption is that the pressure $p$ is some given function of the density, although our methods also extend to certain more general isentropic flows. Our infinite-dimensional manifold is the product $\mathcal{D}(M)\times C^{\infty}(M,\mathbb{R})$. This is a group using the semidirect product (which is sometimes incorporated in other treatments), but the Riemannian metric we use is neither left- nor right-invariant. Hence our geodesic equation is \emph{not} an Euler-Arnold equation. We compute the sectional curvature and show that at least when $M=S^1$, the curvature is always nonnegative. We also establish some results on the Lagrangian linear stability of solutions of this system, for certain nonsteady solutions in one dimension and steady solutions in two dimensions.

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arXiv2011

Curvatures of Sobolev metrics on diffeomorphism groups

Many conservative partial differential equations correspond to geodesic equations on groups of diffeomorphisms. Stability of their solutions can be studied by examining sectional curvature of these groups: negative curvature in all sections implies exponential growth of perturbations and hence suggests instability, while positive curvature suggests stability. In the first part of the paper we survey what we currently know about the curvature-stability relation in this context and provide detailed calculations for several equations of continuum mechanics associated to Sobolev $H^0$ and $H^1$ energies. In the second part we prove that in most cases (with some notable exceptions) the sectional curvature assumes both signs.

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arXiv2011

The motion of whips and chains

We study the motion of an inextensible string (a whip) fixed at one point in the absence of gravity, satisfying the equations $$ η_{tt} = \partial_s(ση_s), \qquad σ_{ss}-\lvert η_{ss}\rvert^2 = -\lvert η_{st}\rvert^2, \qquad \lvert η_s\rvert^2 \equiv 1 $$ with boundary conditions $η(t,1)=0$ and $σ(t,0)=0$. We prove local existence and uniqueness in the space defined by the weighted Sobolev energy $$ \sum_{\ell=0}^m \int_0^1 s^{\ell} \lvert \partial_s^{\ell}η_t\rvert^2 \, ds + \int_0^1 s^{\ell+1} \lvert \partial_s^{\ell+1}η\rvert^2 \, ds, $$ when $m\ge 3$. In addition we show persistence of smooth solutions as long as the energy for $m=3$ remains bounded. We do this via the method of lines, approximating with a discrete system of coupled pendula (a chain) for which the same estimates hold.

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arXiv2011

Geometry of whips and chains

We study the geometry of the inextensible string (the whip) and its discrete approximation (the chain). In the absence of gravity, both motions represent geodesic motions on certain manifolds. We show how the motion of the chain converges to that of a whip, and how the curvature of the chain's configuration space converges to that of the whip's configuration space. Finally we speculate on the analogous approximation of an incompressible fluid by a discrete system.

math.DG↗
arXiv2011

The geometry of whips

In this paper we study geometric aspects of the space of arcs parametrized by unit speed in the $L^2$ metric. Physically this corresponds to the motion of a whip, and it also arises in studying shape recognition. The geodesic equation is the nonlinear, nonlocal wave equation $η_{tt} = \partial_s(ση_s)$, with $\lvert η_s\rvert\equiv 1$ and $σ$ given by $σ_{ss}- \lvert η_{ss}\rvert^2 σ= -\lvert η_{st}\rvert^2$, with boundary conditions $σ(t,1)=σ(t,-1)=0$ and $η(t,0)=0$. We prove that the space of arcs is a submanifold of the space of all curves, that the orthogonal projection exists but is not smooth, and as a consequence we get a Riemannian exponential map that it continuous and even differentiable but not $C^1$. This is related to the fact that the curvature is positive but unbounded above, so that there are conjugate points at arbitrarily short times along any geodesic. We also compare this metric to an $L^2$ metric introduced by Michor and Mumford for shape recognition on the homogeneous space $\text{Imm}(I, \mathbb{R}^2)/\mathcal{D}(I)$ of immersed curves modulo reparametrizations; we show it has some similar properties (such as nonnegative but unbounded curvature and a nonsmooth exponential map), but that the $L^2$ metric on the arc space yields a genuine Riemannian distance.

math.DG↗
arXiv2011

Geometry of diffeomorphism groups, complete integrability and optimal transport

We study the geometry of the space of densities $\VolM$, which is the quotient space $\Diff(M)/\Diff_μ(M)$ of the diffeomorphism group of a compact manifold $M$ by the subgroup of volume-preserving diffemorphisms, endowed with a right-invariant homogeneous Sobolev $\dot{H}^1$-metric. We construct an explicit isometry from this space to (a subset of) an infinite-dimensional sphere and show that the associated Euler-Arnold equation is a completely integrable system in any space dimension. We also prove that its smooth solutions break down in finite time. Furthermore, we show that the $\dot{H}^1$-metric induces the Fisher-Rao (information) metric on the space of probability distributions, and thus its Riemannian distance is the spherical version of Hellinger distance. We compare it to the Wasserstein distance in optimal transport which is induced by an $L^2$-metric on $\Diff(M)$. The $\dot{H}^1$ geometry we introduce in this paper can be seen as an infinite-dimensional version of the geometric theory of statistical manifolds.

math.DG↗
arXiv2007

The WKB method for conjugate points in the volumorphism group

In this paper, we are interested in the location of conjugate points along a geodesic in the volumorphism group of a compact three-dimensional manifold without boundary (the configuration space of an ideal fluid). As shown in the author's previous work, these are typically pathological, i.e., they can occur in clusters along a geodesic, unlike on finite-dimensional Riemannian manifolds. (This phenomenon does not occur for the volumorphism groups of two-dimensional manifolds, which are known to have discrete conjugate points along any geodesic by Ebin-Misiolek-Preston.) We give an explicit algorithm for finding them in terms of a certain ordinary differential equation, derived via the WKB-approximation methods of Lifschitz-Hameiri and Friedlander-Vishik. We prove that for a typical geodesic in the volumorphism group, there will be pathological conjugate point locations filling up closed intervals; hence typically the zeroes of Jacobi fields on the volumorphism group are dense in intervals.

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