Topological persistence for circle-valued maps (Q2391833)

This paper considers the `persistence' of the homology of the fibres of a circle-valued map. The authors derive a number of computable invariants which answer basic questions on persistence. In fact persistence as it is used in the case of real valued maps does not make complete sense for circle valued maps as the fibres return on tracing the circle. However there is an additional notion called a Jordan cell which encodes the way in which the homology of the fibres returns. The name Jordan cell is chosen because of the appearance of Jordan matrices in the representation of circle graphs with directed edges that arises in the description of the way in which the homology classes return on making a circuit of the circle. The paper shows that the bar codes, which are parallel to those found in the case of real valued maps [\textit{H. Edelsbruner} et al., Discrete Comput. Geom. 28, No. 4, 511--533 (2002; Zbl 1011.68152)] and Jordan cells are effectively computable. The paper describes an algorithm which given a circle valued tame map \(f : X \rightarrow S^{1}\) computes the bar codes and the Jordan cells for this map.