Related papers: NP-hardness of computing PL geometric category in …
We analyze the topology and geometry of a polyhedron of dimension 2 according to the minimum size of a cover by PL collapsible polyhedra. We provide partial characterizations of the polyhedra of dimension 2 that can be decomposed as the…
We prove that for every $d\geq 2$, deciding if a pure, $d$-dimensional, simplicial complex is shellable is NP-hard, hence NP-complete. This resolves a question raised, e.g., by Danaraj and Klee in 1978. Our reduction also yields that for…
In this paper, we present upper bounds for the depth of some classes of polyhedra, including: polyhedra with finite fundamental group, polyhedra $P$ with abelian or free $\pi_1(P)$ and finitely generated $H_i(tilde{P};\mathbb{Z}$,…
The dimension of a partial order $P$ is the minimum number of linear orders whose intersection is $P$. There are efficient algorithms to test if a partial order has dimension at most $2$. In 1982 Yannakakis showed that for $k\geq 3$ to test…
Bootstrap percolation is a class of cellular automata with random initial state. Two-dimensional bootstrap percolation models have three rough universality classes, the most studied being the `critical' one. For this class the scaling of…
The extension complexity of a polytope measures its amenability to succinct representations via lifts. There are several versions of extension complexity, including linear, real semidefinite, and complex semidefinite. We focus on the last…
Let $P$ be a polytope defined by the system $A x \leq b$, where $A \in R^{m \times n}$, $b \in R^m$, and $\text{rank}(A) = n$. We give a short geometric proof of the following tight upper bound on the number of vertices of $P$: $$ n! \cdot…
Within crystallization theory, (Matveev's) complexity of a 3-manifold can be estimated by means of the combinatorial notion of GM-complexity. In this paper, we prove that the GM-complexity of any lens space L(p,q), with p greater than 2, is…
Given a binary dominance relation on a set of alternatives, a common thread in the social sciences is to identify subsets of alternatives that satisfy certain notions of stability. Examples can be found in areas as diverse as voting theory,…
We analyze the problem of folding one polyhedron, viewed as a metric graph of its edges, into the shape of another, similar to 1D origami. We find such foldings between all pairs of Platonic solids and prove corresponding lower bounds,…
The main goal of this paper is to show that shellability is NP-hard for triangulated d-balls (this also gives hardness for triangulated d-manifolds/d-pseudomanifolds with boundary) as soon as d is at least 3. This extends our earlier work…
The vertex cover problem is one of the most important and intensively studied combinatorial optimization problems. Khot and Regev (2003) proved that the problem is NP-hard to approximate within a factor $2 - \epsilon$, assuming the Unique…
In the present work we describe 3-dimensional complex SL_2-varieties where the generic SL_2-orbit is a surface. We apply this result to classify the minimal 3-dimensional projective varieties with Picard-number 1 where a semisimple group…
Given a group $G$, its lattice of subgroups $\mathcal{L}(G)$ can be viewed as a simplicial complex in a natural way. The inclusion of $1_G, G \in \mathcal{L}(G)$ implies that $\mathcal{L}(G)$ is contractible, and so we study the topology of…
Consider a set P of N random points on the unit sphere of dimension $d-1$, and the symmetrized set S = P union (-P). The halving polyhedron of S is defined as the convex hull of the set of centroids of N distinct points in S. We prove that…
We prove constant degree polynomial algorithms cannot optimize pure spherical $p$-spin Hamiltonians beyond the algorithmic threshold $\mathsf{ALG}(p)=2\sqrt{\frac{p-1}{p}}$. The proof goes by transforming any hypothetical such algorithm…
The regular polyhedra have the highest order of 3D symmetries and are exceptionally at- tractive templates for (self)-assembly using minimal types of building blocks, from nano-cages and virus capsids to large scale constructions like glass…
Let $\mathcal{A}$ be the subdivision of $\mathbb{R}^d$ induced by $m$ convex polyhedra having $n$ facets in total. We prove that $\mathcal{A}$ has combinatorial complexity $O(m^{\lceil d/2 \rceil} n^{\lfloor d/2 \rfloor})$ and that this…
We present several results on the complexity of various forms of Sperner's Lemma in the black-box model of computing. We give a deterministic algorithm for Sperner problems over pseudo-manifolds of arbitrary dimension. The query complexity…
Haefliger-Thurston's conjecture predicts that Haefliger's classifying space for $C^r$-foliations of codimension $n$ whose normal bundles are trivial is $2n$-connected. In this paper, we confirm this conjecture for PL foliations of…