Constant curvature | EPFL Graph Search

In mathematics, constant curvature is a concept from differential geometry. Here, curvature refers to the sectional curvature of a space (more precisely a manifold) and is a single number determining its local geometry. The sectional curvature is said to be constant if it has the same value at every point and for every two-dimensional tangent plane at that point. For example, a sphere is a surface of constant positive curvature. The Riemannian manifolds of constant curvature can be classified into the following three cases: elliptic geometry – constant positive sectional curvature Euclidean geometry – constant vanishing sectional curvature hyperbolic geometry – constant negative sectional curvature. Every space of constant curvature is locally symmetric, i.e. its curvature tensor is parallel . Every space of constant curvature is locally maximally symmetric, i.e. it has number of local isometries, where is its dimension. Conversely, there exists a similar but stronger statement: every maximally symmetric space, i.e. a space which has (global) isometries, has constant curvature. (Killing–Hopf theorem) The universal cover of a manifold of constant sectional curvature is one of the model spaces: sphere (sectional curvature positive) plane (sectional curvature zero) hyperbolic manifold (sectional curvature negative) A space of constant curvature which is geodesically complete is called space form and the study of space forms is intimately related to generalized crystallography (see the article on space form for more details). Two space forms are isomorphic if and only if they have the same dimension, their metrics possess the same signature and their sectional curvatures are equal.

Sur la méthode de Buser-Silhol pour l'uniformisation des surfaces de Riemann hyperelliptiques

Grégoire Aubry

The Uniformization Theorem due to Koebe and Poincaré implies that every compact Riemann surface of genus greater or equal to 2 can be endowed with a metric of constant curvature – 1. On the other hand, a compact Riemann surface is a complex algebraic curve and is therefore described by a polynomial equation with complex coefficients. The uniformization problem is then to link explicitly these two descriptions. In [BS05b], Peter Buser and Robert Silhol develop a new uniformization method for compact Riemann surfaces of genus two. Given such a surface S, the method describes a polynomial equation of an algebraic curve conformally equivalent to S. However, in this method appear a complex number τ BS and a function f BS which is holomorphic on the unit disk, both being characterized by some functional equations. This means that τ BS, f BS are given implicitly. P. Buser and R. Silhol then approximate them numerically by a complex number τ and a polynomial p using the approximation method developped in [BS05a]. In cases where the equation of the algebraic curve is known, they notice that these approximations are very good. In this thesis we prove a convergence theorem for the approximation method of P. Buser and R. Silhol, and we propose an adaptation of their method that allows to solve some of the numerical problems to which it is prone. Moreover, we generalize this uniformization method to hyperelliptic Riemann surfaces of genus greater than 2, and we give some examples of numerical uniformization in genus 3.

EPFL2010

Generalization Of Hasimoto'S Transformation

In this paper, we generalize the famous Hasimoto's transformation by showing that the dynamics of a closed unidimensional vortex filament embedded in a three-dimensional manifold M of constant curvature, gives rise under Hasimoto's transformation to the nonlinear Schrodinger equation. We also give a natural interpretation of the function. introduced by Hasimoto in terms of moving frames associated to a natural complex bundle over the filament.

World Scientific Publishing2009

Optimal control of geodesics in Riemannian manifolds

Roland Rozsnyo

The aim of this dissertation is to solve numerically the following problem, denoted by P : given a Riemannian manifold and two points a and b belonging to that manifold, find a tangent vector T at a, such that expa(T) = b, assuming that T exists. This problem is set under an optimal control formulation, which requires the definition of an objective function and a space of control, the choice of a method for the calculation of the descent direction of that function in the space of control and the use of an optimization algorithm to find its minimum, which corresponds to the solution of the original problem by construction. Several techniques are necessary to be put together, coming from the fields of geometry, numerical analysis and optimization. The first part will concern a recalling of the mathematical context in which this formulation takes place. The general principles of optimal control will also be given. In the second part, we will present an intrinsic formulation of the optimal control problem associated to P, based on Jacobi fields, which will play the role of the so called adjoint state. This derivation leads to necessary optimality conditions. We will illustrate explicitly that formulation by treating the specific case of Riemannian manifolds with constant sectional curvature. Then, we will derive the optimal control problem in coordinates, not only to check the intrinsic formulation but also to reveal how it is hidden behind the expressions in coordinates. Their use reveals some quantities whose interpretation may be given this way. Moreover, we will show that more possibilities exist to chose the cost function and the control space in coordinates. In a second step, an alternative approach will consider the Hamiltonian formulation of geodesics. This is an incursion into symplectic geometry. We will then reformulate the Riemannian optimal control problem in its Hamiltonian version. In the third part, the numerical methods used for solving P will be presented. The discretization imposes the definition of new discrete optimal control problems. The technique shows that the discrete adjoint state equation strongly depends on the numerical scheme used to solve the direct problem. We will give a collection of numerical computations in the specific case of parametric piece of surfaces, where the surface can be defined by one or several Bézier patches, each one corresponding to a chart, which is representative of a Riemannian manifold. We will compare the different numerical approaches. The last but one part will be devoted to the interesting application of wooden roof building, where the structure is made of wooden boards, with geodesic trajectories on the designed piece of surface. The Geos (Geodesic solver) software has been developed for that purpose. After having introduced some specific numerical methods used in the code, we present the Geos application interface (AI) developed as a tool for the conception of such a roof. We then show an existing wooden structure built according to that mean. Finally, we will summarize the results of our research and discuss future possible prospects.

EPFL2007

Optimal control of geodesics in Riemannian manifolds

Roland Rozsnyo

EPFL2007