The problem of two sticks

DOI10.1016/J.EXMATH.2011.09.001MaRDI QIDQ765900zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Michael G. Crandall, Luis Caffarelli

Publication date 22 March 2012

Published in Expositiones Mathematicae (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1001.5186

zbMATH Keywords

finite dimensional Banach spacesHölder continuity

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

PDEs in connection with optics and electromagnetic theory (35Q60) Geometry and structure of normed linear spaces (46B20) Convexity and finite-dimensional Banach spaces (including special norms, zonoids, etc.) (aspects of convex geometry) (52A21)

Abstract: Let $l=[l_0,l_1]$ be the directed line segment from $l_{0}in{mathbbR}^n$ to $l_{1}in{mathbbR}^n.$ Suppose $$ is a second segment of equal length such that $$ satisfy the "two sticks condition": $$ Here $|cdot|$ is a norm on ${mathbbR}^n.$ We explore the manner in which $$ is then constrained when assumptions are made about "intermediate points" $l_{\ast }inl$, $$ Roughly speaking, our most subtle result constructs parallel planes separated by a distance comparable to $$ such that $$ must lie between these planes, provided that $|cdot|$ is "geometrically convex" and "balanced", as defined herein. The standard $p$-norms are shown to be geometrically convex and balanced. Other results estimate $$ in a Lipschitz or H"older manner by $$. All these results have implications in the theory of eikonal equations, from which this "problem of two sticks" arose.

Review text

Two directed line segments \([a_0,a_1]\) and \([b_0,b_1]\) in a Minkowski space are said to satisfy the ``two sticks condition if \(\|a_0-a_1\|\leq\|a_0-b_1\|\) and \(\|b_0-b_1\|\leq\|b_0-a_1\|\). This concept arises from the theory of eikonal equations. In a strictly convex space, two such sticks with equal length and different initial points (i.e., \(a_0\neq b_0\)) must be disjoint. So, if a family of sticks in such a space satisfies this condition pairwise, then the mapping from the set of all intermediate points of all sticks to the corresponding endpoints is well defined. Its continuity is studied here, in terms of the moduli and smoothness of the space. For an \(\ell_p\) norm, this mapping is Hölder continuous with exponent \(\min\{2/p,p/2\}\). Generalizing the \(\ell_p\) norms, a new geometric property for (smooth, strictly convex) Minkowski spaces is defined: There exist positive constants \(R, K\) such that for all non-zero vectors \(x,y\) with \(\|y\|\leq R\|x\|\), we have \[ \|x+y\|-\|x\|-N(x)(y)\leq K(\|x-y\|-\|x\|-N(x)(-y)). \] Here \(N(x)\) denotes the (norm one) support functional for \(x\). Actually, three equivalent formulations of this property are given. In this generality, a similar but technical conclusion about endpoints of the collection of sticks is drawn, under the assumption that all intermediate points (at fixed distance from the initial points) lie within a fixed small ball.

Recommendations

• The geometry of Minkowski spaces -- a survey. I
• Minimum chords in Minkowski planes
• Unique metric segments in the hyperspace over a strictly convex Minkowski space
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5487968
• On some arc length properties in Minkowski planes

Cites work

• A bound for the modulus of continuity for metric projections in a uniformly convex and uniformly smooth Banach space
• An estimate for Lipschitz constants of metric projections
• Convergence of the dual greedy algorithm in Banach spaces
• Convergence of the weak dual greedy algorithm in \(L_{p}\)-spaces.
• Distance Functions and Almost Global Solutions of Eikonal Equations
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3667375 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3187149 (Why is no real title available?)
• On the uniform convexity of L^p and l^p
• Relations between geometric convexity, doubling measures and property \Gamma

Cited in

(2)

• THE TWO GUARDS PROBLEM
• Relations between geometric convexity, doubling measures and property \Gamma

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