Related papers: Constructing monotone homotopies and sweepouts

We develop a theory of $\times$-homotopy, fundamental groupoids and covering spaces that apply to non-simple graphs, generalizing existing results for simple graphs. We prove that $\times$-homotopies from finite graphs can be decomposed…

We show that if a complex has free finitely generated reduced homology groups for two consecutive dimensions and trivial homology for all other dimensions, then it must have the homotopy type of a wedge of spheres of two consecutive…

In this paper, we are interested in short homologically and homotopically independent loops based at the same point on Riemannian surfaces and metric graphs. First, we show that for every closed Riemannian surface of genus $g \geq 2$ and…

Any generic closed curve in the plane can be transformed into a simple closed curve by a finite sequence of local transformations called homotopy moves. We prove that simplifying a planar closed curve with $n$ self-crossings requires…

Let $f:M\to N$ be a smooth area decreasing map between two Riemannian manifolds $(M,\gm)$ and $(N,\gn)$. Under weak and natural assumptions on the curvatures of $(M,\gm)$ and $(N,\gn)$, we prove that the mean curvature flow provides a…

This paper defines a symplectic form on the infinite dimensional Fr\'echet manifold of framed curves of fixed length over a simply connected Riemannian manifold of constant curvature. The paper then considers Hamiltonian systems generated…

We construct smooth bundles with base and fiber products of two spheres whose total spaces have non-vanishing $\hat{A}$-genus. We then use these bundles to locate non-trivial rational homotopy groups of spaces of Riemannian metrics with…

We consider locally symmetric manifolds with a fixed universal covering, and construct for each such manifold M a simplicial complex R whose size is proportional to the volume of M. When M is non-compact, R is homotopically equivalent to M,…

The state spaces of machines admit the structure of time. A homotopy theory respecting this additional structure can detect machine behavior unseen by classical homotopy theory. In an attempt to bootstrap classical tools into the world of…

We study the problem of sweeping a pseudoline arrangement with $n$ $x$-monotone curves with a rope (an $x$-monotone curve that connects the points at infinity). The rope can move by flipping over a face of the arrangement, replacing parts…

It is a classical theorem of Loewner that the systole of a Riemannian torus can be bounded in terms of its area. We answer a question of a similar flavor of Robert Young showing that if $T$ is a Riemannian 2-torus with boundary in $\mathbb…

Let $D$ be a Riemannian 2-disc of area $A$, diameter $d$ and length of the boundary $L$. We prove that it is possible to contract the boundary of $D$ through curves of length $\leq L + 200d\max\{1,\ln {\sqrt{A}\over d} \}$. This answers a…

We describe the homotopy classes of 2 by 2 periodic simple (=non-degenerate) matrices with various symmetries. This turns out to be an elementary exercise in the homotopy of closed curves in three dimensions. The matrices represent gapped…

Let $M$ be a smooth, orientable, closed, connected $4$-manifold and suppose that $H_1(M;\mathbb{Z})$ is finitely generated and has no $2$-torsion. We give a homotopy decomposition of the suspension of $M$ in terms of spheres, Moore spaces…

The aim of homotopy theory in topology is to simplify, after continuous deformation, continuous maps between topological spaces. What prevents this from happening are homotopy invariants. This raises quantitative questions: $\bullet$ Is the…

For a polygon in Euclidean space we consider a transformation T which is obtained by applying the midpoints polygon construction twice and using an index shift. For a closed polygon this is a curve shortening process. A polygon is called…

It is well-known that the class of piecewise smooth curves together with a smooth Riemannian metric induces a metric space structure on a manifold. However, little is known about the minimal regularity needed to analyze curves and…

We prove that a locally compact space with an upper curvature bound is a topological manifold if and only if all of its spaces of directions are homotopy equivalent and not contractible. We discuss applications to homology manifolds, limits…

We study the interplay between the recently defined concept of minimum homotopy area and the classical topic of self-overlapping curves. The latter are plane curves which are the image of the boundary of an immersed disk. Our first…

We give a construction to remove coincidence points of continuous maps on graphs (1-complexes) by changing the maps by homotopies. When the codomain is not homeomorphic to the circle, we show that any pair of maps can be changed by…