Weighted persistent homology (Q5916075)

This paper merges persistent homology [\textit{H. Edelsbrunner} et al., Discrete Comput. Geom. 28, No. 4, 511--533 (2002; Zbl 1011.68152)] with weighted homology [\textit{R. J. MacG. Dawson}, Cah. Topologie Géom. Différ. Catégoriques 31, No. 3, 229--243 (1990; Zbl 0735.18011)]. More than half of the paper is devoted to recalling simplicial complexes, chain complexes, homology, persistence and in particular weighted homology. This last functor differs from ordinary homology in the definition of the boundary operator; it can yield torsion also for a collapsible complex (Fig. 1), registering a nonconstant labeling on the vertices. Besides extending weighted homology to principal ideal domains, the authors apply it to filtered weighted simplicial complexes, so that filtered complexes, on which ordinary persistence yields the same persistence modules, can be distinguished on the base of the weights of particular vertices. An algorithm for the computation of weighted persistent homology is supplied.