Discrete Morse functions for graph configuration spaces

We present an alternative application of discrete Morse theory for two-particle graph configuration spaces. In contrast to previous constructions, which are based on discrete Morse vector fields, our approach is through Morse functions, which have a nice physical interpretation as two-body potentials constructed from one-body potentials. We also give a brief introduction to discrete Morse theory. Our motivation comes from the problem of quantum statistics for particles on networks, for which generalized versions of anyon statistics can appear.Comment: 26 page

Triangleland. I. Classical dynamics with exchange of relative angular momentum

In Euclidean relational particle mechanics, only relative times, relative angles and relative separations are meaningful. Barbour--Bertotti (1982) theory is of this form and can be viewed as a recovery of (a portion of) Newtonian mechanics from relational premises. This is of interest in the absolute versus relative motion debate and also shares a number of features with the geometrodynamical formulation of general relativity, making it suitable for some modelling of the problem of time in quantum gravity. I also study similarity relational particle mechanics (`dynamics of pure shape'), in which only relative times, relative angles and {\sl ratios of} relative separations are meaningful. This I consider firstly as it is simpler, particularly in 1 and 2 d, for which the configuration space geometry turns out to be well-known, e.g. S^2 for the `triangleland' (3-particle) case that I consider in detail. Secondly, the similarity model occurs as a sub-model within the Euclidean model: that admits a shape--scale split. For harmonic oscillator like potentials, similarity triangleland model turns out to have the same mathematics as a family of rigid rotor problems, while the Euclidean case turns out to have parallels with the Kepler--Coulomb problem in spherical and parabolic coordinates. Previous work on relational mechanics covered cases where the constituent subsystems do not exchange relative angular momentum, which is a simplifying (but in some ways undesirable) feature paralleling centrality in ordinary mechanics. In this paper I lift this restriction. In each case I reduce the relational problem to a standard one, thus obtain various exact, asymptotic and numerical solutions, and then recast these into the original mechanical variables for physical interpretation.Comment: Journal Reference added, minor updates to References and Figure

State complexes for metamorphic robots

Abstract. A metamorphic robotic system is an aggregate of homogeneous robot units which can individually and selectively locomote in such a way as to change the global shape of the system. We introduce a mathematical framework for defining and analyzing general metamorphic robots. With this formal structure, combined with ideas from geometric group theory, we define a new type of configuration space for metamorphic robots — the state complex — which is especially adapted to parallelization. We present an algorithm for optimizing an input reconfiguration sequence with respect to elapsed time. A universal geometric property of state complexes — non-positive curvature — is the key to proving convergence to the globally time-optimal solution obtainable from the initial path