175 research outputs found
Geometric Embeddability of Complexes Is ∃R-Complete
We show that the decision problem of determining whether a given (abstract simplicial) k-complex has a geometric embedding in Rd is complete for the Existential Theory of the Reals for all d ≥ 3 and k ∈ {d− 1, d}. Consequently, the problem is polynomial time equivalent to determining whether a polynomial equation system has a real solution and other important problems from various fields related to packing, Nash equilibria, minimum convex covers, the Art Gallery Problem, continuous constraint satisfaction problems, and training neural networks. Moreover, this implies NP-hardness and constitutes the first hardness result for the algorithmic problem of geometric embedding (abstract simplicial) complexes. This complements recent breakthroughs for the computational complexity of piece-wise linear embeddability
Geometric Embeddability of Complexes Is ??-Complete
We show that the decision problem of determining whether a given (abstract simplicial) k-complex has a geometric embedding in ?^d is complete for the Existential Theory of the Reals for all d ? 3 and k ? {d-1,d}. Consequently, the problem is polynomial time equivalent to determining whether a polynomial equation system has a real solution and other important problems from various fields related to packing, Nash equilibria, minimum convex covers, the Art Gallery Problem, continuous constraint satisfaction problems, and training neural networks. Moreover, this implies NP-hardness and constitutes the first hardness result for the algorithmic problem of geometric embedding (abstract simplicial) complexes. This complements recent breakthroughs for the computational complexity of piece-wise linear embeddability
Good covers are algorithmically unrecognizable
A good cover in R^d is a collection of open contractible sets in R^d such
that the intersection of any subcollection is either contractible or empty.
Motivated by an analogy with convex sets, intersection patterns of good covers
were studied intensively. Our main result is that intersection patterns of good
covers are algorithmically unrecognizable.
More precisely, the intersection pattern of a good cover can be stored in a
simplicial complex called nerve which records which subfamilies of the good
cover intersect. A simplicial complex is topologically d-representable if it is
isomorphic to the nerve of a good cover in R^d. We prove that it is
algorithmically undecidable whether a given simplicial complex is topologically
d-representable for any fixed d \geq 5. The result remains also valid if we
replace good covers with acyclic covers or with covers by open d-balls.
As an auxiliary result we prove that if a simplicial complex is PL embeddable
into R^d, then it is topologically d-representable. We also supply this result
with showing that if a "sufficiently fine" subdivision of a k-dimensional
complex is d-representable and k \leq (2d-3)/3, then the complex is PL
embeddable into R^d.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures; result extended also to acyclic covers in
version
Minimum Bounded Chains and Minimum Homologous Chains in Embedded Simplicial Complexes
We study two optimization problems on simplicial complexes with homology over ??, the minimum bounded chain problem: given a d-dimensional complex ? embedded in ?^(d+1) and a null-homologous (d-1)-cycle C in ?, find the minimum d-chain with boundary C, and the minimum homologous chain problem: given a (d+1)-manifold ? and a d-chain D in ?, find the minimum d-chain homologous to D. We show strong hardness results for both problems even for small values of d; d = 2 for the former problem, and d=1 for the latter problem. We show that both problems are APX-hard, and hard to approximate within any constant factor assuming the unique games conjecture. On the positive side, we show that both problems are fixed-parameter tractable with respect to the size of the optimal solution. Moreover, we provide an O(?{log ?_d})-approximation algorithm for the minimum bounded chain problem where ?_d is the dth Betti number of ?. Finally, we provide an O(?{log n_{d+1}})-approximation algorithm for the minimum homologous chain problem where n_{d+1} is the number of (d+1)-simplices in ?
Eliminating Higher-Multiplicity Intersections, II. The Deleted Product Criterion in the -Metastable Range
Motivated by Tverberg-type problems in topological combinatorics and by
classical results about embeddings (maps without double points), we study the
question whether a finite simplicial complex K can be mapped into R^d without
higher-multiplicity intersections. We focus on conditions for the existence of
almost r-embeddings, i.e., maps from K to R^d without r-intersection points
among any set of r pairwise disjoint simplices of K.
Generalizing the classical Haefliger-Weber embeddability criterion, we show
that a well-known necessary deleted product condition for the existence of
almost r-embeddings is sufficient in a suitable r-metastable range of
dimensions (r d > (r+1) dim K +2). This significantly extends one of the main
results of our previous paper (which treated the special case where d=rk and
dim K=(r-1)k, for some k> 3).Comment: 35 pages, 10 figures (v2: reference for the algorithmic aspects
updated & appendix on Block Bundles added
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