Classical 6j-symbols and the tetrahedron

A classical 6j-symbol is a real number which can be associated to a labelling of the six edges of a tetrahedron by irreducible representations of SU(2). This abstract association is traditionally used simply to express the symmetry of the 6j-symbol, which is a purely algebraic object; however, it has a deeper geometric significance. Ponzano and Regge, expanding on work of Wigner, gave a striking (but unproved) asymptotic formula relating the value of the 6j-symbol, when the dimensions of the representations are large, to the volume of an honest Euclidean tetrahedron whose edge lengths are these dimensions. The goal of this paper is to prove and explain this formula by using geometric quantization. A surprising spin-off is that a generic Euclidean tetrahedron gives rise to a family of twelve scissors-congruent but non-congruent tetrahedra.Comment: 46 pages. Published copy, also available at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/gt/GTVol3/paper2.abs.htm

Nodal count of graph eigenfunctions via magnetic perturbation

We establish a connection between the stability of an eigenvalue under a magnetic perturbation and the number of zeros of the corresponding eigenfunction. Namely, we consider an eigenfunction of discrete Laplacian on a graph and count the number of edges where the eigenfunction changes sign (has a "zero"). It is known that the $n$-th eigenfunction has $n-1+s$ such zeros, where the "nodal surplus" $s$ is an integer between 0 and the number of cycles on the graph. We then perturb the Laplacian by a weak magnetic field and view the $n$-th eigenvalue as a function of the perturbation. It is shown that this function has a critical point at the zero field and that the Morse index of the critical point is equal to the nodal surplus $s$ of the $n$-th eigenfunction of the unperturbed graph.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure

Morse theory, closed geodesics, and the homology of free loop spaces

This is a survey paper on Morse theory and the existence problem for closed geodesics. The free loop space plays a central role, since closed geodesics are critical points of the energy functional. As such, they can be analyzed through variational methods. The topics that we discuss include: Riemannian background, the Lyusternik-Fet theorem, the Lyusternik-Schnirelmann principle of subordinated classes, the Gromoll-Meyer theorem, Bott's iteration of the index formulas, homological computations using Morse theory, $SO(2)$- vs. $O(2)$-symmetries, Katok's examples and Finsler metrics, relations to symplectic geometry, and a guide to the literature. The Appendix written by Umberto Hryniewicz gives an account of the problem of the existence of infinitely many closed geodesics on the $2$-sphere.Comment: 45 pages, 5 figures. Appendix by Umberto Hryniewic