arXiv subjects

Xuyan Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Xuyan Liu.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Minimal networks on S^2

The minimal network problem is a classical topic in geometric measure theory and the calculus of variations, which aims to find networks of minimal length connecting given points. Most classical results are established in the Euclidean plane, while a complete theory for constant-curvature Riemannian manifolds remains to be developed. In this paper, we locally extend the theory of minimal networks and the calibration method from the Euclidean plane to the standard unit sphere $S^2$. We redefine $\mathbb{R}^2$-valued co-vectors, differential forms, currents, and calibrations adapted to spherical geometry. Using exponential maps and local metric perturbation estimates, we prove that spherical minimal networks composed of great-circle arcs with $120^\circ$ triple junctions are \textbf{locally length-minimizing only within sufficiently small geodesic balls} on $S^2$, without obtaining global minimality results. Our work partially enriches the theory of minimal networks on constant-curvature spaces, and provides a theoretical reference and technical basis for future research on extending such results to higher-dimensional Riemannian manifolds and more general surfaces.

math.DG↗

arXiv2023

VC-Dimension and Distance Chains in $\mathbb{F}_q^d$

Given a domain $X$ and a collection $\mathcal{H}$ of functions $h:X\to \{0,1\}$, the Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC) dimension of $\mathcal{H}$ measures its complexity in an appropriate sense. In particular, the fundamental theorem of statistical learning says that a hypothesis class with finite VC-dimension is PAC learnable. Recent work by Fitzpatrick, Wyman, the fourth and seventh named authors studied the VC-dimension of a natural family of functions $\mathcal{H}_t^{'2}(E): \mathbb{F}_q^2\to \{0,1\}$, corresponding to indicator functions of circles centered at points in a subset $E\subseteq \mathbb{F}_q^2$. They showed that when $|E|$ is large enough, the VC-dimension of $\mathcal{H}_t^{'2}(E)$ is the same as in the case that $E = \mathbb F_q^2$. We study a related hypothesis class, $\mathcal{H}_t^d(E)$, corresponding to intersections of spheres in $\mathbb{F}_q^d$, and ask how large $E\subseteq \mathbb{F}_q^d$ needs to be to ensure the maximum possible VC-dimension. We resolve this problem in all dimensions, proving that whenever $|E|\geq C_dq^{d-1/(d-1)}$ for $d\geq 3$, the VC-dimension of $\mathcal{H}_t^d(E)$ is as large as possible. We get a slightly stronger result if $d=3$: this result holds as long as $|E|\geq C_3 q^{7/3}$. Furthermore, when $d=2$ the result holds when $|E|\geq C_2 q^{7/4}$.

math.CO↗

arXiv2023

VC-Dimension of Hyperplanes over Finite Fields

Let $\mathbb{F}_q^d$ be the $d$-dimensional vector space over the finite field with $q$ elements. For a subset $E\subseteq \mathbb{F}_q^d$ and a fixed nonzero $t\in \mathbb{F}_q$, let $\mathcal{H}_t(E)=\{h_y: y\in E\}$, where $h_y$ is the indicator function of the set $\{x\in E: x\cdot y=t\}$. Two of the authors, with Maxwell Sun, showed in the case $d=3$ that if $|E|\geq Cq^{\frac{11}{4}}$ and $q$ is sufficiently large, then the VC-dimension of $\mathcal{H}_t(E)$ is 3. In this paper, we generalize the result to arbitrary dimension and improve the exponent in the case $d=3$.

math.CO↗

arXiv2023

Distinct Angles and Angle Chains in Three Dimensions

In 1946, Erdős posed the distinct distance problem, which seeks to find the minimum number of distinct distances between pairs of points selected from any configuration of $n$ points in the plane. The problem has since been explored along with many variants, including ones that extend it into higher dimensions. Less studied but no less intriguing is Erdős' distinct angle problem, which seeks to find point configurations in the plane that minimize the number of distinct angles. In their recent paper "Distinct Angles in General Position," Fleischmann, Konyagin, Miller, Palsson, Pesikoff, and Wolf use a logarithmic spiral to establish an upper bound of $O(n^2)$ on the minimum number of distinct angles in the plane in general position, which prohibits three points on any line or four on any circle. We consider the question of distinct angles in three dimensions and provide bounds on the minimum number of distinct angles in general position in this setting. We focus on pinned variants of the question, and we examine explicit constructions of point configurations in $\mathbb{R}^3$ which use self-similarity to minimize the number of distinct angles. Furthermore, we study a variant of the distinct angles question regarding distinct angle chains and provide bounds on the minimum number of distinct chains in $\mathbb{R}^2$ and $\mathbb{R}^3$.

cs.CG↗