Numerical Computation of Weil-Peterson Geodesics in the Universal Teichm\"uller Space

We propose an optimization algorithm for computing geodesics on the universal Teichm\"uller space T(1) in the Weil-Petersson ($W P$) metric. Another realization for T(1) is the space of planar shapes, modulo translation and scale, and thus our algorithm addresses a fundamental problem in computer vision: compute the distance between two given shapes. The identification of smooth shapes with elements on T(1) allows us to represent a shape as a diffeomorphism on $S^1$. Then given two diffeomorphisms on $S^1$ (i.e., two shapes we want connect with a flow), we formulate a discretized $W P$ energy and the resulting problem is a boundary-value minimization problem. We numerically solve this problem, providing several examples of geodesic flow on the space of shapes, and verifying mathematical properties of T(1). Our algorithm is more general than the application here in the sense that it can be used to compute geodesics on any other Riemannian manifold.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure

Lecture Notes on Gradient Flows and Optimal Transport

We present a short overview on the strongest variational formulation for gradient flows of geodesically $\lambda$-convex functionals in metric spaces, with applications to diffusion equations in Wasserstein spaces of probability measures. These notes are based on a series of lectures given by the second author for the Summer School "Optimal transportation: Theory and applications" in Grenoble during the week of June 22-26, 2009

Optimal transport with branching distance costs and the obstacle problem

We address the Monge problem in metric spaces with a geodesic distance: (X, d) is a Polish space and dN is a geodesic Borel distance which makes (X,dN) a possibly branching geodesic space. We show that under some assumptions on the transference plan we can reduce the transport problem to transport problems along family of geodesics. We introduce two assumptions on the transference plan {\pi} which imply that the conditional probabilities of the first marginal on each family of geodesics are continuous and that each family of geodesics is a hourglass-like set. We show that this regularity is sufficient for the construction of a transport map. We apply these results to the Monge problem in d with smooth, convex and compact obstacle obtaining the existence of an optimal map provided the first marginal is absolutely continuous w.r.t. the d-dimensional Lebesgue measure.Comment: 27 pages, 1 figure; SIAM J. Math. Anal. 2012. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1103.2796, arXiv:1103.279

Shape analysis on homogeneous spaces: a generalised SRVT framework

Shape analysis is ubiquitous in problems of pattern and object recognition and has developed considerably in the last decade. The use of shapes is natural in applications where one wants to compare curves independently of their parametrisation. One computationally efficient approach to shape analysis is based on the Square Root Velocity Transform (SRVT). In this paper we propose a generalised SRVT framework for shapes on homogeneous manifolds. The method opens up for a variety of possibilities based on different choices of Lie group action and giving rise to different Riemannian metrics.Comment: 28 pages; 4 figures, 30 subfigures; notes for proceedings of the Abel Symposium 2016: "Computation and Combinatorics in Dynamics, Stochastics and Control". v3: amended the text to improve readability and clarify some points; updated and added some references; added pseudocode for the dynamic programming algorithm used. The main results remain unchange

Vortex sheets and diffeomorphism groupoids

In 1966 V.Arnold suggested a group-theoretic approach to ideal hydrodynamics in which the motion of an inviscid incompressible fluid is described as the geodesic flow of the right-invariant $L^2$-metric on the group of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms of the flow domain. Here we propose geodesic, group-theoretic, and Hamiltonian frameworks to include fluid flows with vortex sheets. It turns out that the corresponding dynamics is related to a certain groupoid of pairs of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms with common interface. We also develop a general framework for Euler-Arnold equations for geodesics on groupoids equipped with one-sided invariant metrics.Comment: Final version accepted to Advances in Mathematics; 46 pages, 6 figure