This paper is devoted to the study of quotients of finite metric spaces. The basic type of question we ask is: Given a finite metric space M, what is the largest quotient of (a subset of) M which well embeds into Hilbert space. We obtain asymptotically tight bounds for these questions, and prove that they exhibit phase transitions. We also study the analogous problem for embedings into l_p, and the particular case of the hypercube.
Let $X$ be an $n$-point subset of a Euclidean space and $0 < a < 1$. The classical theorem of Schoenberg implies that the snowflake space $X^a$ can be isometrically embedded into Euclidean space. In the paper we show that points in the image of such an embedding always are in general position. As application we prove the analogue of Schoenberg's result for quotients of Euclidean spaces by finite groups.
We introduce a notion of the Euclidean- and the Minkowski rank for arbitrary metric spaces and we study their behaviour with respect to products. We show that the Minkowski rank is additive with respect to metric products, while additivity of the Euclidean rank only holds under additional assumptions, e.g. for Riemannian manifolds. We also study products with nonstandard product metrics.
We give a metric characterization of snowflakes of Euclidean spaces. Namely, a metric space is isometric to $\mathbb R^n$ equipped with a distance $(d_{\rm E})^ε$, for some $n\in \mathbb N_0$ and $ε\in (0,1]$, where $d_{\rm E}$ is the Euclidean distance, if and only if it is locally compact, $2$-point isometrically homogeneous, and admits dilations of any factor.
A weak metric on a set is a function that satisfies the axioms of a metric except the symmetry and the separation axioms. In the present paper we introduced a weak metric, called the Apollonian weak metric, on any subset of a Euclidean space which is either bounded or whose boundary is unbounded. We then relate this weak metric to some familiar metrics such as the Poincare metric, the Klein-Hilbert metric, Funk metric, and the part metric which play an important role in classic and recent work on geometric function theory.
Suppose that a metric space $X$ is the union of two metric subspaces $A$ and $B$ that embed into Euclidean space with distortions $D_A$ and $D_B$, respectively. We prove that then $X$ embeds into Euclidean space with a bounded distortion (namely, with distortion at most $7D_A D_B + 2(D_A+D_B)$). Our result settles an open problem posed by Naor. Additionally, we present some corollaries and extensions of this result. In particular, we introduce and study a new concept of an "external bi-Lipschitz extension". In the end of the paper, we list a few related open problems.
We give a definition of coarse quotient mapping and show that several results for uniform quotient mapping also hold in the coarse setting. In particular, we prove that any Banach space that is a coarse quotient of $L_p\equiv L_p[0,1]$, $1<p<\infty$, is isomorphic to a linear quotient of $L_p$. It is also proved that $\ell_q$ is not a coarse quotient of $\ell_p$ for $1<p<q<\infty$ using Rolewicz's property ($β$).
Given metric quotients $S$ and $S_n$, $n \in \mathbb{N}$, of a metric space $X$, sufficient conditions are provided on the data defining them guaranteeing that $S$ is the Gromov-Hausdorff limit of $S_n$. These conditions are recognized within metric quotients of plane polygons determined by side-pairings known as plain paper-folding schemes. In particular, concrete examples are given of sequences of two-dimensional conic-flat spheres converging to spheres that are conic-flat except around certain singularities, some of them with unbounded curvature in the sense of comparative geometry.
We say that a finite metric space $X$ can be embedded almost isometrically into a class of metric spaces $C$, if for every $ε> 0$ there exists an embedding of $X$ into one of the elements of $C$ with the bi-Lipschitz distortion less then $1 + ε$. We show that almost isometric embeddability conditions are equal for following classes of spaces (a) Quotients of Euclidean spaces by isometric actions of finite groups, (b) $L_2$-Wasserstein spaces over Euclidean spaces, (c) Compact flat manifolds, (d) Compact flat orbifolds, (e) Quotients of connected compact bi-invariant Lie groups by isometric act…
We show that for all $n \geq 2$, there exists a doubling linearly locally contractible metric space $X$ that is topologically a $n$-sphere such that every weak tangent is isometric to $\R^n$ but $X$ is not quasisymmetrically equivalent to the standard $n$-sphere. The same example shows that $2$-Ahlfors regularity in Theorem 1.1 of \cite{BK02} on quasisymmetric uniformization of metric $2$-spheres is optimal.
The recently introduced variation of the game of cops and robber is played on geodesic spaces. In this paper we establish some general strategies for the players, in particular the generalized radial strategy and the covering space strategy. Those strategies are then applied to the game on the $n$-dimensional ball, the sphere, and the torus.
We extend the results of B. Minemyer by showing that any indefinite metric polyhedron (either compact or not) with the vertex degree bounded from above admits an isometric simplicial embedding into a Minkowski space of the lowest possible dimension. We provide a simple algorithm of constructing such embeddings. We also show that every partial simplicial isometric embedding of such space in general position extends to a simplicial isometric embedding of the whole space.
Given a metric space $X$ and a function $f: X \to \mathbb{R}$, the Reeb construction gives metric a space $X_f$ together with a quotient map $X \to X_f$. Under suitable conditions $X_f$ becomes a metric graph and can therefore be used as a graph approximation to $X$. The Gromov-Hausdorff distance from $X_f$ to $X$ is bounded by the half of the metric distortion of the quotient map. In this paper we consider the case where $X$ is a compact Riemannian manifold and $f$ is an excellent Morse function. In this case we provide bounds on the distortion of the quotient map which involve the first Bett…
We study embeddings of uniform Roe algebras which have "large range" in their codomain and the relation of those with coarse quotients between metric spaces. Among other results, we show that if $Y$ has property A and there is an embedding $Φ:\mathrm{C}^*_u(X)\to \mathrm{C}^*_u(Y)$ with "large range" and so that $Φ(\ell_\infty(X))$ is a Cartan subalgebra of $\mathrm{C}^*_u(Y)$, then there is a bijective coarse quotient $X\to Y$. This shows that the large scale geometry of $Y$ is, in some sense, controlled by the one of $X$. For instance, if $X$ has finite asymptotic dimension, so does $Y$.
In this paper we prove an isoperimetric inequality of euclidean type for complete metric spaces admitting a cone-type inequality. These include all Banach spaces and all complete, simply-connected metric spaces of non-positive curvature in the sense of Alexandrov or, more generally, of Busemann. The main theorem generalizes results of Gromov and Ambrosio-Kirchheim.
We prove that a metric measure space equipped with a Dirichlet form admitting an Euclidean heat kernel is necessarily isometric to the Euclidean space. This helps us providing an alternative proof of Colding's celebrated almost rigidity volume theorem via a quantitative version of our main result. We also discuss the case of a metric measure space equipped with a Dirichlet form admitting a spherical heat kernel.
A building is a simplicial complex with a covering by Coxeter complexes (called apartments) satisfying certain combinatorial conditions. A building whose apartments are spherical (respectively Euclidean) Coxeter complexes has a natural piecewise spherical (respectively Euclidean) metric with nice geometric properties. We show that spherical and Euclidean buildings are completely characterized by some simple, geometric properties.
In the setting of metric measure spaces satisfying the doubling condition and the $(1,p)$-Poincaré inequality, we prove a metric analogue of the Bourgain-Brezis-Mironescu formula for functions in the Sobolev space $W^{1,p}(X,d,ν)$, under the assumption that for $ν$-a.e. point the tangent space in the Gromov-Hausdorff sense is Euclidean with fixed dimension $N$.
We study geodesically complete and locally compact Hadamard spaces X whose Tits boundary is a connected irreducible spherical building. We show that X is symmetric iff complete geodesics in X do not branch and a Euclidean building otherwise. Furthermore, every boundary equivalence (cone topology homeomorphism preserving the Tits metric) between two such spaces is induced by a homothety. As an application, we can extend the Mostow and Prasad rigidity theorems to compact singular (orbi)spaces of nonpositive curvature which are homotopy equivalent to a quotient of a symmetric space or Euclidean b…
This paper discusses properties of the Higson corona by means of a quotient on coarse ultrafilters on a proper metric space. We use this description to show that the corona functor is faithful. This study provides a Künneth formula for twisted coarse cohomology. We obtain the Gromov boundary of a hyperbolic proper geodesic metric space as a quotient of its Higson corona.
Let $G$ be a group, $(M,d)$ be a metric space, $X$ be a compact subspace of $M$ and $φ:G\times M \rightarrow M$ be a left action by homeomorphisms of $G$ on $M$. Denote $gp=f(g,p)$. The isotropy subgroup of $G$ with respect to $X$ is defined by $H_X=\{g\in G; gX=X\}$. In this work we define the induced Hausdorff metric on $G/H_X$ by $d_X(gH_X,hH_X)=d_H(gX,hX)$, where $d_H$ is the Hausdorff distance on $M$. Let $\hat d_X$ be the intrinsic metric induced by $d_X$. In this work we study the geometry of $(G/H_X,d_X)$ and $(G/H_X,\hat d_X)$. In particular, we prove that if $G$ is a Lie group, $M$ i…
The aim of this paper is to give not only an explicit upper bound of the total Q-curvature but also an induced isoperimetric deficit formula for the complete conformal metrics on $\mathbb R^n$, $n\ge 3$ with scalar curvature being nonnegative near infinity and Q-curvature being absolutely convergent.
We show that in any infinitesimally Hilbertian $CD^*(K,N)$-space at almost every point there exists a Euclidean weak tangent, i.e. there exists a sequence of dilations of the space that converges to a Euclidean space in the pointed measured Gromov-Hausdorff topology. The proof follows by considering iterated tangents and the splitting theorem for infinitesimally Hilbertian $CD^*(0,N)$-spaces.
Let M be a finite von Neumann algebra with a faithful trace $τ$. In this paper we study metric geometry of homogeneous spaces O of the unitary group U of M, endowed with a Finsler quotient metric induced by the p-norms of $τ$, $||x||_p=τ(|x|^p)^{1/p}$, $p\ge 1$. The main results include the following. The unitary group carries on a rectifiable distance d_p induced by measuring the length of curves with the p-norm. If we identify O as a quotient of groups, then there is a natural quotient distance d'_p that metrizes the quotient topology. On the other hand, the Finsler quotient metric defined i…
In this article, using ideas of Liero, Mielke and Savaré in [21], we establish a Kantorovich duality for generalized Wasserstein distances $W_1^{a,b}$ on a generalized Polish metric space, introduced by Picolli and Rossi. As a consequence, we give another proof that $W_1^{a,b}$ coincide with flat metrics which is a main result of [25], and therefore we get a result of independent interest that $\left(\mathcal{M}(X), W^{a,b}_1\right)$ is a geodesic space for every Polish metric space $X$. We also prove that $(\mathcal{M}^G(X),W_p^{a,b})$ is isometric isomorphism to $(\mathcal{M}(X/G),W_p^{a,b})…