A discrete Laplace-Beltrami operator for simplicial surfaces (Q2471720)

Given a finite two-dimensional simplicial complex \(S\) in \(\mathbb R^3\) and a function \(f\) from \(S\) to \(\mathbb R\) that is linear on each simplex, it can be defined the Dirichlet energy and the discrete Laplacian of the function. The Laplacian operator can be described by the ``cotan formula'' assigning a set of weights to each flag point-edge. However, the discrete Laplacian has, according to the authors, two main disadvantages: The weights used to define the Laplacian operator can be negative. Moreover, given two distinct but isometric simplicial complexes, their Laplacians operator need not be the same. So this Laplacian is not intrinsic in the terms of the geometry of the underlying simplicial surface, but takes into account the triangulation of the surface defined by the simplices. The authors work with piecewise flat surfaces, that are defined as surfaces, possibly with boundary, with a metric such that each point of the surface has a neighborhood that is isometric either to a neighborhood in the Euclidean plane or to an apex of an Euclidean cone. Every such a surface is proved to have a Delaunay tessellation. If this is not already a triangulation, any triangulation refining this tessellation is called a Delaunay triangulation. It is provided an algorithm to compute a Delaunay triangulation starting from any triangulation adapting the classical edge flipping algorithm to these surfaces. Delaunay triangulations are proved to be those triangulations minimizing Musin's ``harmonic index''. Using any Delaunay triangulation of a simplicial surface \(S\), the authors are able to define the discrete Laplace-Beltrami operator, where the weights on the vertices of the simplices are derived from the angles appearing in the triangles of the Delaunay configuration. This Laplace-Beltrami operator is intrinsic. That is, two isometric simplicial surfaces have the same discrete Laplacian-Beltrami operator. Any other Laplace operator associated to a triangulation \(T\) of the vertices has non-negative weights if and only if the triangulation is Delaunay.