4 research outputs found
Algorithms for Contractibility of Compressed Curves on 3-Manifold Boundaries
In this paper we prove that the problem of deciding contractibility of an arbitrary closed curve on the boundary of a 3-manifold is in NP. We emphasize that the manifold and the curve are both inputs to the problem. Moreover, our algorithm also works if the curve is given as a compressed word. Previously, such an algorithm was known for simple (non-compressed) curves, and, in very limited cases, for curves with self-intersections. Furthermore, our algorithm is fixed-parameter tractable in the complexity of the input 3-manifold.
As part of our proof, we obtain new polynomial-time algorithms for compressed curves on surfaces, which we believe are of independent interest. We provide a polynomial-time algorithm which, given an orientable surface and a compressed loop on the surface, computes a canonical form for the loop as a compressed word. In particular, contractibility of compressed curves on surfaces can be decided in polynomial time; prior published work considered only constant genus surfaces. More generally, we solve the following normal subgroup membership problem in polynomial time: given an arbitrary orientable surface, a compressed closed curve ?, and a collection of disjoint normal curves ?, there is a polynomial-time algorithm to decide if ? lies in the normal subgroup generated by components of ? in the fundamental group of the surface after attaching the curves to a basepoint
Adjacency Graphs of Polyhedral Surfaces
We study whether a given graph can be realized as an adjacency graph of the
polygonal cells of a polyhedral surface in . We show that every
graph is realizable as a polyhedral surface with arbitrary polygonal cells, and
that this is not true if we require the cells to be convex. In particular, if
the given graph contains , , or any nonplanar -tree as a
subgraph, no such realization exists. On the other hand, all planar graphs,
, and can be realized with convex cells. The same holds for
any subdivision of any graph where each edge is subdivided at least once, and,
by a result from McMullen et al. (1983), for any hypercube.
Our results have implications on the maximum density of graphs describing
polyhedral surfaces with convex cells: The realizability of hypercubes shows
that the maximum number of edges over all realizable -vertex graphs is in
. From the non-realizability of , we obtain that
any realizable -vertex graph has edges. As such, these graphs
can be considerably denser than planar graphs, but not arbitrarily dense.Comment: To appear in Proc. SoCG 202
Computation in Low-Dimensional Geometry and Topology (Dagstuhl Seminar 19352)
This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 19352
``Computation in Low-Dimensional Geometry and Topology\u27\u27.
The seminar participants investigated problems in: knot theory, trajectory
analysis, algorithmic topology, computational geometry of curves, and graph drawing,
with an emphasis on how low-dimensional structures change over time
LIPIcs, Volume 244, ESA 2022, Complete Volume
LIPIcs, Volume 244, ESA 2022, Complete Volum