An Infinitesimal Probabilistic Model for Principal Component Analysis of Manifold Valued Data

We provide a probabilistic and infinitesimal view of how the principal component analysis procedure (PCA) can be generalized to analysis of nonlinear manifold valued data. Starting with the probabilistic PCA interpretation of the Euclidean PCA procedure, we show how PCA can be generalized to manifolds in an intrinsic way that does not resort to linearization of the data space. The underlying probability model is constructed by mapping a Euclidean stochastic process to the manifold using stochastic development of Euclidean semimartingales. The construction uses a connection and bundles of covariant tensors to allow global transport of principal eigenvectors, and the model is thereby an example of how principal fiber bundles can be used to handle the lack of global coordinate system and orientations that characterizes manifold valued statistics. We show how curvature implies non-integrability of the equivalent of Euclidean principal subspaces, and how the stochastic flows provide an alternative to explicit construction of such subspaces. We describe estimation procedures for inference of parameters and prediction of principal components, and we give examples of properties of the model on embedded surfaces

Smooth perturbations of the functional calculus and applications to Riemannian geometry on spaces of metrics

We show for a certain class of operators $A$ and holomorphic functions $f$ that the functional calculus $A\mapsto f(A)$ is holomorphic. Using this result we are able to prove that fractional Laplacians $(1+\Delta^g)^p$ depend real analytically on the metric $g$ in suitable Sobolev topologies. As an application we obtain local well-posedness of the geodesic equation for fractional Sobolev metrics on the space of all Riemannian metrics.Comment: 31 page

Signed zeros of Gaussian vector fields-density, correlation functions and curvature

We calculate correlation functions of the (signed) density of zeros of Gaussian distributed vector fields. We are able to express correlation functions of arbitrary order through the curvature tensor of a certain abstract Riemann-Cartan or Riemannian manifold. As an application, we discuss one- and two-point functions. The zeros of a two-dimensional Gaussian vector field model the distribution of topological defects in the high-temperature phase of two-dimensional systems with orientational degrees of freedom, such as superfluid films, thin superconductors and liquid crystals.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure, uses iopart.cls, improved presentation, to appear in J. Phys.

Spherical representations of Lie supergroups

The classical Cartan-Helgason theorem characterises finite-dimensional spherical representations of reductive Lie groups in terms of their highest weights. We generalise the theorem to the case of a reductive symmetric supergroup pair $(G,K)$ of even type. Along the way, we compute the Harish-Chandra $c$-function of the symmetric superspace $G/K$. By way of an application, we show that all spherical representations are self-dual in type AIII|AIII.Comment: 37 pages; title changed; substantially revised version; accepted for publication, J. Func. Anal. (2014

A walk in the noncommutative garden

This text is written for the volume of the school/conference "Noncommutative Geometry 2005" held at IPM Tehran. It gives a survey of methods and results in noncommutative geometry, based on a discussion of significant examples of noncommutative spaces in geometry, number theory, and physics. The paper also contains an outline (the ``Tehran program'') of ongoing joint work with Consani on the noncommutative geometry of the adeles class space and its relation to number theoretic questions.Comment: 106 pages, LaTeX, 23 figure