The dual tree of a recursive triangulation of the disk

In the recursive lamination of the disk, one tries to add chords one after another at random; a chord is kept and inserted if it does not intersect any of the previously inserted ones. Curien and Le Gall [Ann. Probab. 39 (2011) 2224-2270] have proved that the set of chords converges to a limit triangulation of the disk encoded by a continuous process $\mathscr{M}$. Based on a new approach resembling ideas from the so-called contraction method in function spaces, we prove that, when properly rescaled, the planar dual of the discrete lamination converges almost surely in the Gromov-Hausdorff sense to a limit real tree $\mathscr{T}$, which is encoded by $\mathscr{M}$. This confirms a conjecture of Curien and Le Gall.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/13-AOP894 the Annals of Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aop/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Random non-crossing plane configurations: A conditioned Galton-Watson tree approach

We study various models of random non-crossing configurations consisting of diagonals of convex polygons, and focus in particular on uniform dissections and non-crossing trees. For both these models, we prove convergence in distribution towards Aldous' Brownian triangulation of the disk. In the case of dissections, we also refine the study of the maximal vertex degree and validate a conjecture of Bernasconi, Panagiotou and Steger. Our main tool is the use of an underlying Galton-Watson tree structure.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

Shortest Path in a Polygon using Sublinear Space

\renewcommand{\Re}{{\rm I\!\hspace{-0.025em} R}} \newcommand{\SetX}{\mathsf{X}} \newcommand{\VorX}[1]{\mathcal{V} \pth{#1}} \newcommand{\Polygon}{\mathsf{P}} \newcommand{\Space}{\overline{\mathsf{m}}} \newcommand{\pth}[2][\!]{#1\left({#2}\right)} We resolve an open problem due to Tetsuo Asano, showing how to compute the shortest path in a polygon, given in a read only memory, using sublinear space and subquadratic time. Specifically, given a simple polygon \Polygon with $n$ vertices in a read only memory, and additional working memory of size \Space, the new algorithm computes the shortest path (in \Polygon) in O( n^2 /\, \Space ) expected time. This requires several new tools, which we believe to be of independent interest

The quantum space-time of c=-2 gravity

We study the fractal structure of space-time of two-dimensional quantum gravity coupled to c=-2 conformal matter by means of computer simulations. We find that the intrinsic Hausdorff dimension d_H = 3.58 +/- 0.04. This result supports the conjecture d_H = -2 \alpha_1/\alpha_{-1}, where \alpha_n is the gravitational dressing exponent of a spinless primary field of conformal weight (n+1,n+1), and it disfavours the alternative prediction d_H = 2/|\gamma|. On the other hand ~ r^{2n} for n>1 with good accuracy, i.e. the boundary length l has an anomalous dimension relative to the area of the surface.Comment: 46 pages, 16 figures, 32 eps files, using psfig.sty and epsf.st

Simplicial and Cellular Trees

Much information about a graph can be obtained by studying its spanning trees. On the other hand, a graph can be regarded as a 1-dimensional cell complex, raising the question of developing a theory of trees in higher dimension. As observed first by Bolker, Kalai and Adin, and more recently by numerous authors, the fundamental topological properties of a tree --- namely acyclicity and connectedness --- can be generalized to arbitrary dimension as the vanishing of certain cellular homology groups. This point of view is consistent with the matroid-theoretic approach to graphs, and yields higher-dimensional analogues of classical enumerative results including Cayley's formula and the matrix-tree theorem. A subtlety of the higher-dimensional case is that enumeration must account for the possibility of torsion homology in trees, which is always trivial for graphs. Cellular trees are the starting point for further high-dimensional extensions of concepts from algebraic graph theory including the critical group, cut and flow spaces, and discrete dynamical systems such as the abelian sandpile model.Comment: 39 pages (including 5-page bibliography); 5 figures. Chapter for forthcoming IMA volume "Recent Trends in Combinatorics

How to Walk Your Dog in the Mountains with No Magic Leash

We describe a $O(\log n )$-approximation algorithm for computing the homotopic \Frechet distance between two polygonal curves that lie on the boundary of a triangulated topological disk. Prior to this work, algorithms were known only for curves on the Euclidean plane with polygonal obstacles. A key technical ingredient in our analysis is a $O(\log n)$-approximation algorithm for computing the minimum height of a homotopy between two curves. No algorithms were previously known for approximating this parameter. Surprisingly, it is not even known if computing either the homotopic \Frechet distance, or the minimum height of a homotopy, is in NP

Survey of semi-regular multiresolution models for interactive terrain rendering

Rendering high quality digital terrains at interactive rates requires carefully crafted algorithms and data structures able to balance the competing requirements of realism and frame rates, while taking into account the memory and speed limitations of the underlying graphics platform. In this survey, we analyze multiresolution approaches that exploit a certain semi-regularity of the data. These approaches have produced some of the most efficient systems to date. After providing a short background and motivation for the methods, we focus on illustrating models based on tiled blocks and nested regular grids, quadtrees and triangle bin-trees triangulations, as well as cluster-based approaches. We then discuss LOD error metrics and system-level data management aspects of interactive terrain visualization, including dynamic scene management, out-of-core data organization and compression, as well as numerical accurac