TY - JOUR
T1 - Random colorings in manifolds
AU - Even-Zohar, Chaim
AU - Hass, Joel
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - We develop a general method for constructing random manifolds and sub-manifolds in arbitrary dimensions. The method is based on associating colors to the vertices of a triangulated manifold, as in recent work for curves in 3-dimensional space by Sheffield and Yadin (2014). We determine conditions on which submanifolds can arise, in terms of Stiefel–Whitney classes and other properties. We then consider the random submanifolds that arise from randomly coloring the vertices. Since this model generates submanifolds, it allows for studying properties and using tools that are not available in processes that produce general random subcomplexes. The case of 3 colors in a triangulated 3-ball gives rise to random knots and links. In this setting, we answer a question raised by de Crouy-Chanel and Simon (2019), showing that the probability of generating an unknot decays exponentially. In the general case of k colors in d-dimensional manifolds, we investigate the random submanifolds of different codimensions, as the number of vertices in the triangulation grows. We compute the expected Euler characteristic, and discuss relations to homological percolation and other topological properties. Finally, we explore a method to search for solutions to topological problems by generating random submanifolds. We describe computer experiments that search for a low-genus surface in the 4-dimensional ball whose boundary is a given knot in the 3-dimensional sphere.
AB - We develop a general method for constructing random manifolds and sub-manifolds in arbitrary dimensions. The method is based on associating colors to the vertices of a triangulated manifold, as in recent work for curves in 3-dimensional space by Sheffield and Yadin (2014). We determine conditions on which submanifolds can arise, in terms of Stiefel–Whitney classes and other properties. We then consider the random submanifolds that arise from randomly coloring the vertices. Since this model generates submanifolds, it allows for studying properties and using tools that are not available in processes that produce general random subcomplexes. The case of 3 colors in a triangulated 3-ball gives rise to random knots and links. In this setting, we answer a question raised by de Crouy-Chanel and Simon (2019), showing that the probability of generating an unknot decays exponentially. In the general case of k colors in d-dimensional manifolds, we investigate the random submanifolds of different codimensions, as the number of vertices in the triangulation grows. We compute the expected Euler characteristic, and discuss relations to homological percolation and other topological properties. Finally, we explore a method to search for solutions to topological problems by generating random submanifolds. We describe computer experiments that search for a low-genus surface in the 4-dimensional ball whose boundary is a given knot in the 3-dimensional sphere.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173716620&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11856-023-2509-5
DO - 10.1007/s11856-023-2509-5
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AN - SCOPUS:85173716620
SN - 0021-2172
VL - 256
SP - 153
EP - 211
JO - Israel Journal of Mathematics
JF - Israel Journal of Mathematics
IS - 1
ER -