The $p$-widths of a closed Riemannian manifold are a nonlinear analogue of the spectrum of its Laplace--Beltrami operator, which corresponds to areas of a certain min-max sequence of possibly singular minimal submanifolds. We show that the $p$-widths of any closed Riemannian two-manifold correspond to a union of closed immersed geodesics, rather than simply geodesic nets.
We then prove optimality of the sweepouts of the round two-sphere constructed from the zero set of homogeneous polynomials, showing that the $p$-widths of the round sphere are attained by $\lfloor \sqrt{p}\rfloor$ great circles. As a result, we find the universal constant in the Liokumovich--Marques--Neves--Weyl law for surfaces to be $\sqrtπ$.
En route to calculating the $p$-widths of the round two-sphere, we prove two additional new results: a bumpy metrics theorem for stationary geodesic nets with fixed edge lengths, and that, generically, stationary geodesic nets with bounded mass and bounded singular set have Lusternik--Schnirelmann category zero.
We investigate the common underlying discrete structures for various smooth and discrete nets. The main idea is to impose the characteristic properties of the nets not only on elementary quadrilaterals but also on larger parameter rectangles. For discrete planar quadrilateral nets, circular nets, $Q^*$-nets and conical nets we obtain a characterization of the corresponding discrete multi-nets. In the limit these discrete nets lead to some classical classes of smooth surfaces. Furthermore, we propose to use the characterized discrete nets as discrete extensions for the nets to obtain structure …
We discuss discretization of Koenigs nets (conjugate nets with equal Laplace invariants) and of isothermic surfaces. Our discretization is based on the notion of dual quadrilaterals: two planar quadrilaterals are called dual, if their corresponding sides are parallel, and their non-corresponding diagonals are parallel. Discrete Koenigs nets are defined as nets with planar quadrilaterals admitting dual nets. Several novel geometric properties of discrete Koenigs nets are found; in particular, two-dimensional discrete Koenigs nets can be characterized by co-planarity of the intersection points o…
We provide a convincing discretisation of Demoulin's $Ω$-surfaces along with their specialisations to Guichard and isothermic surfaces with no loss of integrable structure.
We give an elaborated treatment of discrete isothermic surfaces and their analogs in different geometries (projective, Möbius, Laguerre, Lie). We find the core of the theory to be a novel projective characterization of discrete isothermic nets as Moutard nets. The latter belong to projective geometry and are nets with planar faces defined through a five-point property: a vertex and its four diagonal neighbors span a three dimensional space. Analytically this property is equivalent to the existence of representatives in the space of homogeneous coordinates satisfying the discrete Moutard equati…
In this paper we study G-surfaces, a rather unknown surface class originally defined by Calapso, and show that the coordinate surfaces of a Guichard net are G-surfaces. Based on this observation, we present distinguished Combescure transformations that provide a duality for Guichard nets. Another class of special Combescure transformations is then used to construct a Bäcklund-type transformation for Guichard nets. In this realm a permutability theorem for the dual systems is proven.
An embedded cubic graph consisting of segments of geodesics such that the angles at any vertex are equal to $2π/3$ is a closed local minimal net. This net is regular if all segments of geodesics are equal. The problem of classification of closed local minimal nets on surfaces of constant negative curvature has been formulated in the context of the famous Plateau problem in the one-dimensional case. In this paper we prove an asymptotic for $\sharp (W^r(g))$ as $g\to +\infty$ where $g$ is genus and $W^r(g)$ is the set of the regular single-face minimal nets on surfaces of curvature -1. Then we c…
Using a quaternionic calculus, the Christoffel, Darboux, Goursat, and spectral transformations for discrete isothermic nets are described, with their interrelations. The Darboux and spectral transformations are used to define discrete analogs for cmc-1 surfaces in hyperbolic space and to obtain a discrete version of Bryant's Weierstrass type representation.
Asymptotic net is an important concept in discrete differential geometry. In this paper, we show that we can associate affine discrete geometric concepts to an arbitrary non-degenerate asymptotic net. These concepts include discrete affine area, mean curvature, normal and co-normal vector fields and cubic form, and they are related by structural and compatibility equations. We consider also the particular cases of affine minimal surfaces and affine spheres.
We study local and global approximations of smooth nets of curvature lines and smooth conjugate nets by respective discrete nets (circular nets and planar quadrilateral nets) with infinitesimal quads. It is shown that choosing the points of discrete nets on the smooth surface one can obtain second-order approximation globally. Also a simple geometric construction for approximate determination of principal directions of smooth surfaces is given.
We study discrete curvatures computed from nets of curvature lines on a given smooth surface, and prove their uniform convergence to smooth principal curvatures. We provide explicit error bounds, with constants depending only on properties of the smooth limit surface and the shape regularity of the discrete net.
Two-dimensional affine A-nets in 3-space are quadrilateral meshes that discretize surfaces parametrized along asymptotic lines. The characterizing property of A-nets is planarity of vertex stars, so for generic A-nets the elementary quadrilaterals are skew. We classify the simply connected affine A-nets that can be extended to continuously differentiable surfaces by gluing hyperboloid surface patches into the skew quadrilaterals. The resulting surfaces are called "hyperbolic nets" and are a novel piecewise smooth discretization of surfaces parametrized along asymptotic lines. It turns out that…
In this paper, we extend the notion of Schwarz reflection principle for smooth minimal surfaces to the discrete analogues for minimal surfaces, and use it to create global examples of discrete minimal nets with high degree of symmetry.
Weingarten transformations which, by definition, preserve the asymptotic lines on smooth surfaces have been studied extensively in classical differential geometry and also play an important role in connection with the modern geometric theory of integrable systems. Their natural discrete analogues have been investigated in great detail in the area of (integrable) discrete differential geometry and can be traced back at least to the early 1950s. Here, we propose a canonical analogue of (discrete) Weingarten transformations for hyperbolic nets, that is, C^1-surfaces which constitute hybrids of sm…
We consider a general theory of curvatures of discrete surfaces equipped with edgewise parallel Gauss images, and where mean and Gaussian curvatures of faces are derived from the faces' areas and mixed areas. Remarkably these notions are capable of unifying notable previously defined classes of surfaces, such as discrete isothermic minimal surfaces and surfaces of constant mean curvature. We discuss various types of natural Gauss images, the existence of principal curvatures, constant curvature surfaces, Christoffel duality, Koenigs nets, contact element nets, s-isothermic nets, and interestin…
Cyclidic nets are introduced as discrete analogs of curvature line parametrized surfaces and orthogonal coordinate systems. A 2-dimensional cyclidic net is a piecewise smooth $C^1$-surface built from surface patches of Dupin cyclides, each patch being bounded by curvature lines of the supporting cyclide. An explicit description of cyclidic nets is given and their relation to the established discretizations of curvature line parametrized surfaces as circular, conical and principal contact element nets is explained. We introduce 3-dimensional cyclidic nets as discrete analogs of triply-orthogona…
Supercyclides are surfaces with a characteristic conjugate parametrization consisting of two families of conics. Patches of supercyclides can be adapted to a Q-net (a discrete quadrilateral net with planar faces) such that neighboring surface patches share tangent planes along common boundary curves. We call the resulting patchworks 'supercyclidic nets' and show that every Q-net in $\mathbb{R}P^3$ can be extended to a supercyclidic net. The construction is governed by a multidimensionally consistent 3D system. One essential aspect of the theory is the extension of a given Q-net in $\mathbb{R}P…
In this paper we are interested in defining affine structures on discrete quadrangular surfaces of the affine three-space. We introduce, in a constructive way, two classes of such surfaces, called respectively indefinite and definite surfaces. The underlying meshes for indefinite surfaces are asymptotic nets satisfying a non-degeneracy condition, while the underlying meshes for definite surfaces are non-degenerate conjugate nets satisfying a certain natural condition. In both cases we associate to any of these nets several discrete affine invariant quantities: a metric, a normal and a co-norma…
In the first part, we give a self contained introduction to the theory of cyclic systems in n-dimensional space which can be considered as immersions into certain Grassmannians. We show how the (metric) geometries on spaces of constant curvature arise as subgeometries of Moebius geometry which provides a slightly new viewpoint. In the second part we characterize Guichard nets which are given by cyclic systems as being Moebius equivalent to 1-parameter families of linear Weingarten surfaces. This provides a new method to study families of parallel Weingarten surfaces in space forms. In particul…
Discrete linear Weingarten surfaces in space forms are characterized as special discrete $Ω$-nets, a discrete analogue of Demoulin's $Ω$-surfaces. It is shown that the Lie-geometric deformation of $Ω$-nets descends to a Lawson transformation for discrete linear Weingarten surfaces, which coincides with the well-known Lawson correspondence in the constant mean curvature case.
We study Christoffel and Darboux transforms of discrete isothermic nets in 4-dimensional Euclidean space: definitions and basic properties are derived. Analogies with the smooth case are discussed and a definition for discrete Ribaucour congruences is given. Surfaces of constant mean curvature are special among all isothermic surfaces: they can be characterized by the fact that their parallel constant mean curvature surfaces are Christoffel and Darboux transforms at the same time. This characterization is used to define discrete nets of constant mean curvature. Basic properties of discrete net…
The main result of this paper is a discrete Lawson correspondence between discrete CMC surfaces in R^3 and discrete minimal surfaces in S^3. This is a correspondence between two discrete isothermic surfaces. We show that this correspondence is an isometry in the following sense: it preserves the metric coefficients introduced previously by Bobenko and Suris for isothermic nets. Exactly as in the smooth case, this is a correspondence between nets with the same Lax matrices, and the immersion formulas also coincide with the smooth case.
In this paper are studied the nets of principal curvature lines on surfaces embedded in Euclidean $3-$space near their end points, at which the surfaces tend to infinity. This is a natural complement and extension to smooth surfaces of the work of Garcia and Sotomayor (1996), devoted to the study of principal curvature nets which are structurally stable -- do not change topologically-- under small perturbations on the coefficients of the equations defining algebraic surfaces. This paper goes one step further and classifies the patterns of the most common and stable behaviors at the ends, prese…
Confocal quadrics lie at the heart of the system of confocal coordinates (also called elliptic coordinates, after Jacobi). We suggest a discretization which respects two crucial properties of confocal coordinates: separability and all two-dimensional coordinate subnets being isothermic surfaces (that is, allowing a conformal parametrization along curvature lines, or, equivalently, supporting orthogonal Koenigs nets). Our construction is based on an integrable discretization of the Euler-Poisson-Darboux equation and leads to discrete nets with the separability property, with all two-dimensional…
A number of results for C$^2$-smooth surfaces of constant width in Euclidean 3-space ${\mathbb{E}}^3$ are obtained. In particular, an integral inequality for constant width surfaces is established. This is used to prove that the ratio of volume to cubed width of a constant width surface is reduced by shrinking it along its normal lines. We also give a characterization of surfaces of constant width that have rational support function. Our techniques, which are complex differential geometric in nature, allow us to construct explicit smooth surfaces of constant width in ${\mathbb{E}}^3$, and thei…
This paper focuses on curves and surfaces of constant width, with some additional results about general ovals. We emphasize the use of Fourier series to derive properties, some of which are known. Amongst other results, we show that the perimeter of an oval is $π$ times its average width, and provide a bound for the radius of curvature of an oval that depends on the structure of the harmonics in its Fourier series. We prove that the density of a certain packing of Reuleaux curved triangles in the plane is $$\frac{2 (π- \sqrt{3})}{\sqrt{15} + \sqrt{7} - 2 \sqrt{3}} \simeq 0.92288$$ which exceed…
In this paper, free boundary geodesic networks whose length realize the first min-max width of the length functional are investigated. This functional acts on the space of relative flat 1-dimensional cycles modulo 2 in a compact surface with boundary. The widths are special critical values of the volume functional in some class of submanifolds which naturally arise in the Min-max Theory of Almgren and Pitts. The main result of this work concerns the existence of a geodesic network with a rather simple structure which realizes the first width of a surface with non-negative sectional curvature a…
Given a 2-dimensional surface M and a constant C we construct a Riemannian metric g, so that diameter diam(M,g)=1 and every 1-cycle dividing M into two regions of equal area has length >C. It follows that there exists no universal inequality bounding 1-width of M in terms of its diameter. This answers a question of Stephane Sabourau.
Suppose that $M$ is a hyperbolic surface of genus $g$ and with $n$ cusps. Then we can find a pants decomposition of $M$ composed of simple closed geodesics so that each curve is contained in a ball of diameter at most $C\sqrt{g + n}$, where $C$ is a universal constant.
By a classical result of Darboux, a foliation of a Riemannian surface has the Graves property (also known as the strong evolution property) if and only if the foliation comes from a Liouville net. A similar result of Blaschke says that a pair of orthogonal foliations has the Ivory property if and only if they form a Liouville net. Let us say that a geodesically convex curve on a Riemannian surface has the Poritsky property if it can be parametrized in such a way that all of its string diffeomorphisms are shifts with respect to this parameter. In 1950, Poritsky has shown that the only closed pl…
We give upper bounds on the principal curvatures of a maximal surface of nonpositive curvature in three-dimensional Anti-de Sitter space, which only depend on the width of the convex hull of the surface. Moreover, given a quasisymmetric homeomorphism $ϕ$, we study the relation between the width of the convex hull of the graph of $ϕ$, as a curve in the boundary of infinity of Anti-de Sitter space, and the cross-ratio norm of $ϕ$. As an application, we prove that if $ϕ$ is a quasisymmetric homeomorphism of $\mathbb{R}\mathrm{P}^1$ with cross-ratio norm $||ϕ||$, then $\ln K\leq C||ϕ||$, where $K$…
The oloid is the convex hull of two circles with equal radius in perpendicular planes so that the center of each circle lies on the other circle. We calculate the mean width of the oloid in two ways, first via the integral of mean curvature, and then directly. Using this result, the surface area and the volume of the parallel body are obtained. Furthermore, we derive the expectations of the mean width, the surface area and the volume of the intersections of a fixed oloid and a moving ball, as well as of a fixed and a moving oloid.
