Dense packings with nonparallel cylinders

DOI10.4171/EM/387MaRDI QIDQ2337366zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Piotr Laskawiec, Dan Ismailescu

Publication date 19 November 2019

Published in Elemente der Mathematik (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.10721

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Packing and covering in (n) dimensions (aspects of discrete geometry) (52C17)

Abstract: A emph{cylinder packing} is a family of congruent infinite circular cylinders with mutually disjoint interiors in $3$-dimensional Euclidean space. The emph{local density} of a cylinder packing is the ratio between the volume occupied by the cylinders within a given sphere and the volume of the entire sphere. The emph{global density} of the cylinder packing is obtained by letting the radius of the sphere approach infinity. It is known that the greatest global density is obtained when all cylinders are parallel to each other and each cylinder is surrounded by exactly six others. In this case, the global density of the cylinder packing equals $pi/sqrt12=0.90689ldots$. The question is how large a density can a cylinder packing have if one imposes the restriction that emph{no two cylinders are parallel}. In this paper we prove two results. First, we show that there exist cylinder packings with no two cylinders parallel to each other, whose local density is arbitrarily close to the local density of a packing with parallel cylinders. Second, we construct a cylinder packing with no two cylinders parallel to each other whose global density is $1/2$. This improves the results of K. Kuperberg, C. Graf and P. Paukowisch.

Review text

The paper under review considers packing of infinite cylinders in \(3\)-dimensional Euclidean space. It is known that densest such packing is achieved by a collection of parallel cylinders, whose perpendicular \(2\)-dimensional section is a hexagonal circle packing in the plane; this density is \(\pi/\sqrt{12} = 0.9068\dots\) [\textit{A. Bezdek} and \textit{W. Kuperberg}, Mathematika 37, No. 1, 74--80 (1990; Zbl 0715.52006)]. This result raises a natural question: how a dense can a packing of nonparallel cylinders be? Nonparallel cylinder packings with density \(\pi^2/576 = 0.017\dots\) were constructed in [\textit{K. Kuperberg}, Mathematika 37, No. 2, 324--331 (1990; Zbl 0721.52012)], and a refined construction with density \(5/12 = 0.4166\dots\) was given in [\textit{C. Graf} and \textit{P. Paukowitsch}, Elem. Math. 52, No. 2, 71--83 (1997; Zbl 0904.52008)]. In the current paper, the authors produce such a construction with density \(1/2\). Moreover, they show that there exist packings in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) with no two cylinders parallel, whose local density is arbitrarily close to the local density of a packing with parallel cylinders.

Recommendations

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Cites work

• A nonparallel cylinder packing with positive density
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 739006 (Why is no real title available?)
• Maximum density packing with congruent circular cylinders with pairwise askew axes
• Maximum density space packing with congruent circular cylinders of infinite length

Cited in

(3)

• Non-uniform packings
• On the densest packing of polycylinders in any dimension
• A nonparallel cylinder packing with positive density

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