Formalized proof, computation, and the construction problem in algebraic geometry

An informal discussion of how the construction problem in algebraic geometry motivates the search for formal proof methods. Also includes a brief discussion of my own progress up to now, which concerns the formalization of category theory within a ZFC-like environment

Bounded negativity, Harbourne constants and transversal arrangements of curves

The Bounded Negativity Conjecture predicts that for every complex projective surface $X$ there exists a number $b(X)$ such that $C^2\geq -b(X)$ holds for all reduced curves $C\subset X$. For birational surfaces $f:Y\to X$ there have been introduced certain invariants (Harbourne constants) relating to the effect the numbers $b(X)$, $b(Y)$ and the complexity of the map $f$. These invariants have been studied previously when $f$ is the blowup of all singular points of an arrangement of lines in ${\mathbb P}^2$, of conics and of cubics. In the present note we extend these considerations to blowups of ${\mathbb P}^2$ at singular points of arrangements of curves of arbitrary degree $d$. We also considerably generalize and modify the approach witnessed so far and study transversal arrangements of sufficiently positive curves on arbitrary surfaces with the non-negative Kodaira dimension.Comment: This is the final version, incorporating the suggestions of the referee, to appear in Annales de l'Institut Fourier Grenobl

Four Soviets Walk the Dog-Improved Bounds for Computing the Fr\'echet Distance

Given two polygonal curves in the plane, there are many ways to define a notion of similarity between them. One popular measure is the Fr\'echet distance. Since it was proposed by Alt and Godau in 1992, many variants and extensions have been studied. Nonetheless, even more than 20 years later, the original $O(n^2 \log n)$ algorithm by Alt and Godau for computing the Fr\'echet distance remains the state of the art (here, $n$ denotes the number of edges on each curve). This has led Helmut Alt to conjecture that the associated decision problem is 3SUM-hard. In recent work, Agarwal et al. show how to break the quadratic barrier for the discrete version of the Fr\'echet distance, where one considers sequences of points instead of polygonal curves. Building on their work, we give a randomized algorithm to compute the Fr\'echet distance between two polygonal curves in time $O(n^2 \sqrt{\log n}(\log\log n)^{3/2})$ on a pointer machine and in time $O(n^2(\log\log n)^2)$ on a word RAM. Furthermore, we show that there exists an algebraic decision tree for the decision problem of depth $O(n^{2-\varepsilon})$, for some $\varepsilon > 0$. We believe that this reveals an intriguing new aspect of this well-studied problem. Finally, we show how to obtain the first subquadratic algorithm for computing the weak Fr\'echet distance on a word RAM.Comment: 34 pages, 15 figures. A preliminary version appeared in SODA 201