Combinatorial and Hodge Laplacians: Similarity and Difference
From MaRDI portal
Publication:6397485
arXiv2204.12218MaRDI QIDQ6397485FDOQ6397485
Authors: Emily Ribando-Gros, Rui Wang, Jiahui Chen, Yiying Tong, G. W. Wei 
Publication date: 26 April 2022
Abstract: As key subjects in spectral geometry and spectral graph theory respectively, the Hodge Laplacian and the graph Laplacian share similarities in their realization of vector calculus, through the gradient, curl, and divergence, and by revealing the topological dimension and geometric shape of data. These similarities are reflected in the popular usage of "Hodge Laplacians on graphs" in the literature. However, these Laplacians are intrinsically different in their domains of definitions and applicability to specific data formats, hindering any in-depth comparison of the two approaches. To bring the graph Laplacian and Hodge Laplacian on an equal footing for manifolds with boundary, we introduce Boundary-Induced Graph (BIG) Laplacians using tools from Discrete Exterior Calculus (DEC). BIG Laplacians are defined on discrete domains with appropriate boundary conditions to characterize the topology and shape of data. The similarities and differences of the graph Laplacian, BIG Laplacian, and Hodge Laplacian are examined. Through an Eulerian representation of 3D domains as level-set functions on regular grids, we show experimentally the conditions for the convergence of BIG Laplacian eigenvalues to those of the Hodge Laplacian for elementary shapes.
Has companion code repository: https://github.com/eribandogros/biglaplacians
Graphs and linear algebra (matrices, eigenvalues, etc.) (05C50) Cohomology theory for linear algebraic groups (20G10) Hodge theory in global analysis (58A14)
This page was built for publication: Combinatorial and Hodge Laplacians: Similarity and Difference
Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q6397485)
