On the moduli spaces of multipolygonal linkages in the plane

DOI10.1016/J.TOPOL.2006.04.003MaRDI QIDQ857043zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Michael Holcomb

Publication date 14 December 2006

Published in Topology and its Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0307001

zbMATH Keywords

algebraic varietyfree linkagemoduli spacemultipolygonal linkagepolygon

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Graph theory (05C99) Real algebraic and real-analytic geometry (14P99) Discrete geometry (52C99) Discriminantal varieties and configuration spaces in algebraic topology (55R80)

Abstract: The geometric, topological, and symplectic properties of moduli spaces (spaces of configurations modulo rotations and translations) of polygonal linkages have been studied by Kapovich, Millson, and Kamiyama, et. al. One can form a polygonal linkage by taking two free linkages and identifying initial and terminal vertices. This can be generalized so that one takes three free linkages and identifies initial and terminal vertices. Then one obtains a linkage which contains multiple polygons, any two of which have shared edges. The geometric and topological properties of moduli spaces of these multipolygonal linkages are studied. These spaces turn out to be compact algebraic varieties. Some conditions under which these spaces are smooth manifolds, cross products or disjoint unions of moduli spaces of polygonal linkages, or connected, are determined. In addition, dimensions in the smooth manifold cases and some Euler characteristics are computed.

Review text

A polygonal linkage can be considered as two free linkages with initial and terminal vertices identified. As its generalization one can consider the linkages formed from three free linkages with initial and terminal vertices identified, and the resulting linkage is called a multipolygonal linkage. In this paper the author studies the geometric and topological properties of moduli spaces of multipolygonal linkages embedded in \(\mathbb R^2\). In particular, he proves that this space is a compact Hausdorff real algebraic variety and that it becomes a compact smooth manifold under some conditions. Moreover, he computes the dimension in the latter case, and he also investigates several properties of multipolygonal linkages (e.g. the fibered product of multipolygonal linkages, the disjoint union of polygonal moduli spaces, connectedness, union modulo a subspace, bundle structure, topological type) and multiquadrilateral linkages as a generalization of multipolygonal linkages.

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Cites work

• Homology of the configuration spaces of quasi-equilateral polygon linkages
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4029737 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3235051 (Why is no real title available?)
• On the moduli space of polygons in the Euclidean plane

Cited in

(17)

• Moduli space of a planar polygonal linkage: a combinatorial description
• Universality theorems for configuration spaces of planar linkages
• Topology of equilateral polygon linkages in the Euclidean plane modulo isometry group
• The smooth structure of the moduli space of a weighted series-parallel graph
• Swap action on moduli spaces of polygonal linkages
• Linking (n-2)-dimensional panels in n-space. II: (n-2,2)-frameworks and body and Hinge structures
• Homology of planar polygon spaces
• Visualization of configuration spaces of polygonal linkages
• Intersection homology of linkage spaces
• Remarks on bicentric quadrilaterals
• Generic singular configurations of linkages
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1254148 (Why is no real title available?)
• Configuration spaces of convex and embedded polygons in the plane
• Configuration spaces of spatial linkages: Taking Collisions Into Account
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6288774 (Why is no real title available?)
• The configuration space of planar spidery linkages
• Moduli spaces of bicentric quadrilaterals

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