We prove several estimates for the volume, mean width, and the value of the Wills functional of sections of convex bodies in John's position, as well as for their polar bodies. These estimates extend some well-known results for convex bodies in John's position to the case of lower-dimensional sections, which had mainly been studied for the cube and the regular simplex. Some estimates for centrally symmetric convex bodies in minimal surface area position are also obtained.
The largest discs contained in a regular tetrahedron lie in its faces. The proof is closely related to the theorem of Fritz John characterising ellipsoids of maximal volume contained in convex bodies.
This paper is devoted to measures of symmetry based on distance between centroid and one of the centers of John and Lowner ellipsoid. The author proves the accuracy of the derived upper bounds for the considered measures of symmetry.
We prove an inequality that extends to arbitrary measures the hyperplane inequality for volume of unconditional convex bodies originally observed by Bourgain.
It is natural to ask whether the center of mass of a convex body $K\subset \mathbb{R}^n$ lies in its John ellipsoid $B_K$, i.e., in the maximal volume ellipsoid contained in $K$. This question is relevant to the efficiency of many algorithms for convex bodies. In this paper, we obtain an unexpected negative result. There exists a convex body $K\subset \mathbb{R}^n$ such that its center of mass does not lie in the John ellipsoid $B_K$ inflated $(1-C\sqrt{\frac{\log(n)} {n}})n$ times about the center of $B_K$. Moreover, there exists a polytope $P \subset \mathbb{R}^n$ with $O(n^2)$ facets whose …
We consider convex sets whose modulus of convexity is uniformly quadratic. First, we observe several interesting relations between different positions of such ``2-convex'' bodies; in particular, the isotropic position is a finite volume-ratio position for these bodies. Second, we prove that high dimensional 2-convex bodies posses one-dimensional marginals that are approximately Gaussian. Third, we improve for 1<p<=2 some bounds on the isotropic constant of quotients of subspaces of L_p and S_p^m, the Schatten Class space.
Let $\mathcal I_k$ be the class of convex $k$-intersection bodies in $\mathbb{R}^n$ (in the sense of Koldobsky) and $\mathcal I_k^m$ be the class of convex origin-symmetric bodies all of whose $m$-dimensional central sections are $k$-intersection bodies. We show that 1) $\mathcal I_k^m\not\subset \mathcal I_k^{m+1}$, $k+3\le m<n$, and 2) $\mathcal I_l \not\subset \mathcal I_k$, $1\le k<l < n-3$.
We investigate metric projections and distance functions referring to convex bodies in finite-dimensional normed spaces. For this purpose we identify the vector space with its dual space by using, instead of the usual identification via the standard inner product, the Legendre transform associated with the given norm. This approach yields re-interpretations of various properties of convex functions, and new relations between such functions and geometric properties of the studied norm are also derived.
The complex Busemann-Petty problem asks whether origin symmetric convex bodies in $\C^n$ with smaller central hyperplane sections necessarily have smaller volume. We prove that the answer is affirmative if $n\le 3$ and negative if $n\ge 4.$
This article gives estimates on covering numbers and diameters of random proportional sections and projections of symmetric quasi-convex bodies in $\mathbb R$. These results were known for the convex case and played an essential role in development of the theory. Because duality relations can not be applied in the quasi-convex setting, new ingredients were introduced that give new understanding for the convex case as well.
Let ${\cal K}^n$ be the set of all convex bodies in $\mathbb R^n$ endowed with the Hausdorff distance. We prove that if $K\in {\cal K}^n$ has positive generalized Gauss curvature at some point of its boundary, then $K$ is not a local maximizer for the isotropy constant $L_K$.
We consider a generalization of the hyperplane problem to arbitrary measures in place of volume and to sections of lower dimensions. We prove this generalization for unconditional convex bodies and for duals of bodies with bounded volume ratio. We also prove it for arbitrary symmetric convex bodies under the condition that the dimension of sections is less than $λn$ for some $λ\in (0,1).$ The constant depends only on $λ.$ Finally, we show that the behavior of the minimal sections for some measures may be different from the case of volume.
We show that for any $t>1$, the set of unconditional convex bodies in $\mathbb{R}^n$ contains a $t$-separated subset of cardinality at least $\exp \exp (C(t) n)$. This implies that there exists an unconditional convex body in $\mathbb{R}^n$ which cannot be approximated within the distance $d$ by a projection of a polytope with $N$ faces unless $N > \exp(c(d)n)$. We also show that for $t>2$, the cardinality of a $t$-separated set of completely symmetric bodies in $\mathbb{R}^n$ does not exceed $\exp \exp (c(t) \log^2 n)$.
We prove that the reciprocal of the volume of the polar bodies, about the Santaló point, of a {\em shadow system} of convex bodies $K_t$, is a convex function of $t$. Thus extending to the non-symmetric case a result of Campi and Gronchi. The case that the reciprocal of the volume is an affine function of $t$ is also investigated and is characterized under certain conditions. We apply these results to prove exact reverse Santaló inequality for polytopes in $\rd{d}$ that have at most $d+3$ vertices.
Mahler's conjecture asks whether the cube is a minimizer for the volume product of a body and its polar in the class of symmetric convex bodies in R^n. The corresponding inequality to the conjecture is sometimes called the the reverse Blaschke-Santalo inequality. The conjecture is known in dimension two and in several special cases. In the class of unconditional convex bodies, Saint Raymond confirmed the conjecture, and Meyer and Reisner, independently, characterized the equality case. In this paper we present a stability version of these results and also show that any symmetric convex body, w…
We give an alternative proof of a recent result of Klartag on the existence of almost subgaussian linear functionals on convex bodies. If $K$ is a convex body in ${\mathbb R}^n$ with volume one and center of mass at the origin, there exists $x\neq 0$ such that $$|\{y\in K: |< y,x> |\gr t\|<\cdot, x>\|_1\}|\ls\exp (-ct^2/\log^2(t+1))$$ for all $t\gr 1$, where $c>0$ is an absolute constant. The proof is based on the study of the $L_q$--centroid bodies of $K$. Analogous results hold true for general log-concave measures.
Given an arbitrary convex symmetric n-dimensional body, we construct a natural and non-trivial continuous map which associates ellipsoids to ellipsoids, such that the Lowner-John ellipsoid of the body is its unique fixed point. A new characterization of the Lowner-John ellipsoid is obtained, and we also gain information regarding the contact points of inscribed ellipsoids with the body.
In this paper, we extend and generalize several previous works on maximal-volume positions of convex bodies. First, we analyze the maximal positive-definite image of one convex body inside another, and the resulting decomposition of the identity. We discuss continuity and differentiability of the mapping associating a body with its positive John position. We then introduce the saddle-John position of one body inside another, proving that it shares some of the properties possessed by the position of maximal volume, and explain how this can be used to improve volume ratio estimates. We investiga…
The X-ray numbers of some classes of convex bodies are investigated. In particular, we give a proof of the X-ray Conjecture as well as of the Illumination Conjecture for almost smooth convex bodies of any dimension and for convex bodies of constant width of dimensions 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Recall that a convex body $K$ is in John's position if the unit Euclidean ball is the maximal volume ellipsoid contained in $K$. Approximating convex body in John's position by polytopes we obtain the following results. 1. Let $n>R_n\ge 1$ be a sequence such that $\lim_{n\rightarrow \infty} \frac{R_n}{n}=0$. For a sufficiently large $n$, we can construct a convex body $K\subset \mathbb{R}^n$ in John's position such that there is no $P$, polytope with a polynomial number of facets in $n$ such that $K\subset P\subset R_nK$; 2. For a sufficiently large $n$, there is a convex body $K\subset \mathb…
Analogues of the classical inequalities from the Brunn-Minkowski theory for rotation intertwining additive maps of convex bodies are developed. Analogues are also proved of inequalities from the dual Brunn-Minkowski theory for intertwining additive maps of star bodies. These inequalities provide generalizations of results for projection and intersection bodies. As a corollary, a new Brunn-Minkowski inequality is obtained for the volume of polar projection bodies.
Recently, Bo'az Klartag showed that arbitrary convex bodies have Gaussian marginals in most directions. We show that Klartag's quantitative estimates may be improved for many uniformly convex bodies. These include uniformly convex bodies with power type 2, and power type $p>2$ with some additional type condition. In particular, our results apply to all unit-balls of subspaces of quotients of $L_p$ for $1<p<\infty$. The same is true when $L_p$ is replaced by $S_p^m$, the $l_p$-Schatten class space. We also extend our results to arbitrary uniformly convex bodies with power type $p$, for $2 \leq …
We show that if $d\ge 4$ is even, then one can find two essentially different convex bodies such that the volumes of their maximal sections, central sections, and projections coincide for all directions.
In 1926 S. Nakajima (= A. Matsumura) showed that any convex body in $\R^3$ with constant width, constant brightness, and boundary of class $C^2$ is a ball. We show that the regularity assumption on the boundary is unnecessary, so that balls are the only convex bodies of constant width and brightness.
We prove several stability and volume difference inequalities for projections of convex bodies and apply them to prove a hyperplane inequality for surface area of projection bodies.
The semigroup of convex bodies in ${\mathbb R}^n$ with Minkowski addition has a canonical embedding into an abelian group; its elements have been called virtual convex bodies. Geometric interpretations of such virtual convex bodies have been particularly fruitful under the restriction to polytopes. For general convex bodies, mainly the planar case has been studied, as a part of the more general investigation of hedgehogs. Here we restrict ourselves to strictly convex bodies in ${\mathbb R}^n$. A particularly natural geometric interpretation of virtual convex bodies can then be seen in the set …
Abstract In this paper, we study affine bodies of revolution. This will allow us to prove that a convex body all whose orthogonal $n$-projections are affinely equivalent is an ellipsoid, provided $n\equiv 0,1, 2$ mod $4$, $n>1$ with the possible exemption of $n=133$. Our proof uses convex geometry and topology of compact Lie groups. AMS classification subject: 22E10, 52A05
A Minkowski class is a closed subset of the space of convex bodies in Euclidean space Rn which is closed under Minkowski addition and non-negative dilatations. A convex body in Rn is universal if the expansion of its support function in spherical harmonics contains non-zero harmonics of all orders. If K is universal, then a dense class of convex bodies M has the following property. There exist convex bodies T1; T2 such that M + T1 = T2, and T1; T2 belong to the rotation invariant Minkowski class generated by K. It is shown that every convex body K which is not centrally symmetric has a linear …
This article is a survey of recent results on slicing inequalities for convex bodies. The focus is on the setting of arbitrary measures in place of volume.
We provide an estimate of the distance (in the dual flat seminorm) of the normal cycles of convex bodies with given Hausdorff distance. We also give an estimate (in the bounded Lipschitz metric) of the support measures of convex bodies.
We settle the first unsolved case of a problem of P. M. Gruber, asked by him in 1991, namely, to investigate the homomorphisms from the lattice of convex bodies of ${\mathbb{E}}^c$ to the lattice of convex bodies of ${\mathbb{E}}^d$ for $c<d$. We completely describe these homomorphisms for the case $d=c+1$, for $c \ge 3$. The obtained result is then applied to characterize anti-homomorphisms and homomorphisms from lattices of convex bodies to lattices of convex functions.
We present a survey article about the geometry of convex bodies on the $d$-dimensional sphere $S^d$. We concentrate on the results based on the notion of the width of a convex body $C \subset S^d$ determined by a supporting hemisphere of $C$. Important tools are the lunes containing $C$. The supporting hemispheres take over the role of the supporting half-spaces of a convex body in Euclidean space, and lunes the role of strips. Also essential is the notion of thickness of $C$, i.e, its minimum width. In particular, we describe properties of reduced spherical convex bodies and spherical bodies …
In this paper we introduce and study a topological abelian group of convex bodies, analogous to the scissors congruence group and McMullen's polytope algebra, with the universal property that continuous valuations on convex bodies correspond to continuous homomorphisms on the group of convex bodies. To study this group, we first obtain a version of McMullen polynomiality for valuations that take values not in fields or vector spaces, but in abelian groups. Using this, we are able to equip the group of convex bodies with a grading that consists of real vector spaces in all positive degrees, mir…
We disprove a conjecture of A. Koldobsky asking whether it is enough to compare $(n-2)$-derivatives of the projection functions of two symmetric convex bodies in the Shephard problem in order to get a positive answer in all dimensions.
This paper suveys different variants of the following problem: Given a convex set $K$ and a sequence $\{C_i\}$ of convex bodies in $E^n$, is it possible to pack the sequence of bodies in $K$ or cover $K$ with the bodies? Algorithmic versions of these problems are on-line packing and on-line covering: The bodies of the sequence are given one at a time and the algorithm is to decide on the placement of the arriving body before the next body is revealed; once placed, the body cannot be moved.
In this paper we deal with problems concerning the volume of the convex hull of two "connecting" bodies. After a historical background we collect some results, methods and open problems, respectively.
The notion of ball convexity, considered in finite dimensional real Banach spaces, is a natural and useful extension of usual convexity; one replaces intersections of half-spaces by suitable intersections of balls. A subset $S$ of a normed space is called ball convex if it coincides with its ball hull, which is obtained as intersection of all balls (of fixed radius) containing $S$. Ball convex sets are closely related to notions like ball polytopes, complete sets, bodies of constant width, and spindle convexity. We will study geometric properties of ball convex bodies in normed spaces, for exa…
We prove several estimates for the moments of arbitrary measures on convex bodies. We apply these estimates to show a new slicing inequality for measures on convex bodies. We also deduce estimates for the outer volume ratio distance from an arbitrary centrally-symmetric convex body in R^n to the class of unit balls of n-dimensional subspaces of L_p-spaces. Finally, we prove a result of the Busemann-Petty type for these moments.
Similarly to the classic notion in $E^d$, a subset of a positive diameter below $\fracπ{2}$ of a hemisphere of the sphere $S^d$ is called complete, provided adding any extra point increases its diameter. Complete sets are convex bodies on $S^d$. Our main theorem says that on $S^d$ complete bodies of diameter $δ$ coincide with bodies of constant width $δ$.
The Brunn-Minkowski theory relies heavily on the notion of mixed volumes. Despite its particular importance, even explicit representations for the mixed volumes of two convex bodies in Euclidean space are available only in special cases. Here we investigate a new integral representation of such mixed volumes, in terms of flag measures of the involved convex sets. A brief introduction to (extended) flag measures of convex bodies is also provided.
The aim of this paper is to present some properties of reduced spherical convex bodies on the two-dimensional sphere $S^2$. The intersection of two different non-opposite hemispheres is called a lune. By its thickness we mean the distance of the centers of the two semicircles bounding it. The thickness $Δ(C)$ of $C$ is the minimum thickness of a lune containing $C$. We say that a spherical convex body $R$ is reduced if $Δ(Z) < Δ(R)$ for every spherical convex body $Z \subset R$ different from $R$. Our main theorem permits to describe the shape of reduced bodies of thickness below $\fracπ{2}$. …
In this note we examine the volume of the convex hull of two congruent copies of a convex body in Euclidean $n$-space, under some subsets of the isometry group of the space. We prove inequalities for this volume if the two bodies are translates, or reflected copies of each other about a common point or a hyperplane containing it. In particular, we give a proof of a related conjecture of Rogers and Shephard.
We give the sharp lower bound of the volume product of three dimensional convex bodies which are invariant under a discrete subgroup of $O(3)$ in several cases. We also characterize the convex bodies with the minimal volume product in each case. In particular, this provides a new partial result of the non-symmetric version of Mahler's conjecture in the three dimensional case.
In this paper, a new proof of the following result is given: The product of the volumes of an origin symmetric convex bodies $K$ in R^2 and of its polar body is minimal if and only if $K$ is a parallelogram.
A subset of the d-dimensional Euclidean space having nonempty interior is called a spindle convex body if it is the intersection of (finitely or infinitely many) congruent d-dimensional closed balls. The spindle convex body is called a "fat" one, if it contains the centers of its generating balls. The core part of this paper is an extension of Schramm's theorem and its proof on illuminating convex bodies of constant width to the family of "fat" spindle convex bodies.
We present a method which shows that in $\Eb$ the Busemann-Petty problem, concerning central sections of centrally symmetric convex bodies, has a positive answer. Together with other results, this settles the problem in each dimension.
An infinitely smooth convex body in $\mathbb R^n$ is called polynomially integrable of degree $N$ if its parallel section functions are polynomials of degree $N$. We prove that the only smooth convex bodies with this property in odd dimensions are ellipsoids, if $N\ge n-1$. This is in contrast with the case of even dimensions and the case of odd dimensions with $N<n-1$, where such bodies do not exist, as it was recently shown by Agranovsky.
