Large parallel volumes of finite and compact sets in d-dimensional Euclidean space (Q1946068)

Summary: The \(r\)-parallel volume \(V(C_r)\) of a compact subset \(C\) in \(d\)-dimensional Euclidean space is the volume of the set \(C_r\) of all points of Euclidean distance at most \(r>0\) from \(C\). According to Steiner's formula, \(V(C_r)\) is a polynomial in \(r\) when \(C\) is convex. For finite sets \(C\) satisfying a certain geometric condition, a Laurent expansion of \(V(C_r)\) for large \(r\) is obtained. The dependence of the coefficients on the geometry of \(C\) is explicitly given by so-called intrinsic power volumes of \(C\). In the planar case such an expansion holds for all finite sets \(C\). Finally, when \(C\) is a compact set in arbitrary dimension, it is shown that the difference of large \(r\)-parallel volumes of \(C\) and of its convex hull behaves like \(cr^{d-3}\), where \(c\) is an intrinsic power volume of \(C\).