A Lower Estimate for the Modified Steiner Functional

We prove inequality (1) for the modified Steiner functional A(M), which extends the notion of the integral of mean curvature for convex surfaces.We also establish an exression for A(M) in terms of an integral over all hyperplanes intersecting the polyhedralral surface M.Comment: 6 pages, Late

Convex Hulls in the Hyperbolic Space

We show that there exists a universal constant C>0 such that the convex hull of any N points in the hyperbolic space H^n is of volume smaller than C N, and that for any dimension n there exists a constant C_n > 0 such that for any subset A of H^n, Vol(Conv(A_1)) < C_n Vol(A_1) where A_1 is the set of points of hyperbolic distance to A smaller than 1.Comment: 7 page

Duality properties of indicatrices of knots

The bridge index and superbridge index of a knot are important invariants in knot theory. We define the bridge map of a knot conformation, which is closely related to these two invariants, and interpret it in terms of the tangent indicatrix of the knot conformation. Using the concepts of dual and derivative curves of spherical curves as introduced by Arnold, we show that the graph of the bridge map is the union of the binormal indicatrix, its antipodal curve, and some number of great circles. Similarly, we define the inflection map of a knot conformation, interpret it in terms of the binormal indicatrix, and express its graph in terms of the tangent indicatrix. This duality relationship is also studied for another dual pair of curves, the normal and Darboux indicatrices of a knot conformation. The analogous concepts are defined and results are derived for stick knots.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figure

On the Obstructions to non-Cliffordian Pin Structures

We derive the topological obstructions to the existence of non-Cliffordian pin structures on four-dimensional spacetimes. We apply these obstructions to the study of non-Cliffordian pin-Lorentz cobordism. We note that our method of derivation applies equally well in any dimension and in any signature, and we present a general format for calculating obstructions in these situations. Finally, we interpret the breakdown of pin structure and discuss the relevance of this to aspects of physics.Comment: 31 pages, latex, published in Comm. Math. Phys. 164, No. 1, pages 65-87 (1994

On the Geometry of the Nodal Lines of Eigenfunctions of the Two-Dimensional Torus

The width of a convex curve in the plane is the minimal distance between a pair of parallel supporting lines of the curve. In this paper we study the width of nodal lines of eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on the standard flat torus. We prove a variety of results on the width, some having stronger versions assuming a conjecture of Cilleruelo and Granville asserting a uniform bound for the number of lattice points on the circle lying in short arcs.Comment: 4 figures. Added some comments about total curvature and other detail

Topological transversals to a family of convex sets

Let $\mathcal F$ be a family of compact convex sets in $\mathbb R^d$. We say that $\mathcal F$ has a \emph{topological $\rho$-transversal of index $(m,k)$} ($\rho<m$, $0<k\leq d-m$) if there are, homologically, as many transversal $m$-planes to $\mathcal F$ as $m$-planes containing a fixed $\rho$-plane in $\mathbb R^{m+k}$. Clearly, if $\mathcal F$ has a $\rho$-transversal plane, then $\mathcal F$ has a topological $\rho$-transversal of index $(m,k),$ for $\rho<m$ and $k\leq d-m$. The converse is not true in general. We prove that for a family $\mathcal F$ of $\rho+k+1$ compact convex sets in $\mathbb R^d$ a topological $\rho$-transversal of index $(m,k)$ implies an ordinary $\rho$-transversal. We use this result, together with the multiplication formulas for Schubert cocycles, the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category of the Grassmannian, and different versions of the colorful Helly theorem by B\'ar\'any and Lov\'asz, to obtain some geometric consequences

On three-manifolds dominated by circle bundles

We determine which three-manifolds are dominated by products. The result is that a closed, oriented, connected three-manifold is dominated by a product if and only if it is finitely covered either by a product or by a connected sum of copies of the product of the two-sphere and the circle. This characterization can also be formulated in terms of Thurston geometries, or in terms of purely algebraic properties of the fundamental group. We also determine which three-manifolds are dominated by non-trivial circle bundles, and which three-manifold groups are presentable by products.Comment: 12 pages; to appear in Math. Zeitschrift; ISSN 1103-467

Knots, Braids and BPS States in M-Theory

In previous work we considered M-theory five branes wrapped on elliptic Calabi-Yau threefold near the smooth part of the discriminant curve. In this paper, we extend that work to compute the light states on the worldvolume of five-branes wrapped on fibers near certain singular loci of the discriminant. We regulate the singular behavior near these loci by deforming the discriminant curve and expressing the singularity in terms of knots and their associated braids. There braids allow us to compute the appropriate string junction lattice for the singularity and,hence to determine the spectrum of light BPS states. We find that these techniques are valid near singular points with N=2 supersymmetry.Comment: 38 page

Dilogarithm Identities in Conformal Field Theory and Group Homology

Recently, Rogers' dilogarithm identities have attracted much attention in the setting of conformal field theory as well as lattice model calculations. One of the connecting threads is an identity of Richmond-Szekeres that appeared in the computation of central charges in conformal field theory. We show that the Richmond-Szekeres identity and its extension by Kirillov-Reshetikhin can be interpreted as a lift of a generator of the third integral homology of a finite cyclic subgroup sitting inside the projective special linear group of all $2 \times 2$ real matrices viewed as a {\it discrete} group. This connection allows us to clarify a few of the assertions and conjectures stated in the work of Nahm-Recknagel-Terhoven concerning the role of algebraic $K$-theory and Thurston's program on hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Specifically, it is not related to hyperbolic 3-manifolds as suggested but is more appropriately related to the group manifold of the universal covering group of the projective special linear group of all $2 \times 2$ real matrices viewed as a topological group. This also resolves the weaker version of the conjecture as formulated by Kirillov. We end with the summary of a number of open conjectures on the mathematical side.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures not include

A geometric discretisation scheme applied to the Abelian Chern-Simons theory

We give a detailed general description of a recent geometrical discretisation scheme and illustrate, by explicit numerical calculation, the scheme's ability to capture topological features. The scheme is applied to the Abelian Chern-Simons theory and leads, after a necessary field doubling, to an expression for the discrete partition function in terms of untwisted Reidemeister torsion and of various triangulation dependent factors. The discrete partition function is evaluated computationally for various triangulations of $S^3$ and of lens spaces. The results confirm that the discretisation scheme is triangulation independent and coincides with the continuum partition functionComment: 27 pages, 5 figures, 6 tables. in late