Hedgehog theory via Euler calculus (Q747562)

Let \(h\in C^2(S^{n})\) be a twice differentiable function on \(S^n\). The hypersurface in \(\mathbb{R}^{n+1}\) with parametrization given by \(x_h:S^n\to\mathbb{R}^{n+1}\), \(u\mapsto h(u)u+(\nabla h)(u)\) is called a \(C^2\)-hedgehog. Classical hedgehogs are interpreted as the difference of support functions of convex bodies. For a hedgehog \(H_h\) defined by \(h\in C^2(S^n)\), the Kronecker index \(i_h(x)\) of a \(x\in\mathbb{R}^{n+1}\setminus H_h\) with respect to \(H_h\) is defined as the degree of the map \(u\mapsto \frac{x_h(u)-x}{\|x_h(u)-x\|}\) and can be interpreted as the algebraic intersection number of an oriented half-line with origin \(x\) with the hypersurface \(H\). For \(n=1\), the Kronecker index \(i_h(x)\) coincides with the winding number around \(x\). In the paper under review, the author studies analytical hedgehogs, i.e., hedgehogs defined by an analytical function \(h\in C^{\omega}(S^n)\). He obtains an expression for the Kronecker index of \(H_h\) only in terms of the Euler index of \(h\). He also shows that the convolution of the Euler index of \(H_h\) and \(H_g\), \(h,g\in C^{\omega}(S^n)\), is the Euler index of \(H_{h+g}\). This result can be seen as an analogous to the fact that the convolution of the Euler characteristic of convex bodies \(K\) and \(L\) is the Euler characteristic of the sum \(K+L\). In the last section, some consequences of the results are given. For instance, the mixed volume of the convex bodies \(K,L\) in \(\mathbb{R}^2\) with \(C^2\) boundary, strictly positive curvature and \(L\) centrally symmetric is expressed as \[ V(K,L)=\frac{1}{8}\int_{K+L}n_{k-l}dx, \] where \(n_{k-l}(x)=\#\{u\in S^1\,:\,h(K,u)-\langle x,u\rangle=h(L,u)\}\) and \(h(K,\cdot)\) denotes the support function of \(K\).