Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 1510.08797

Convexity in Tree Spaces

Abstract

We study the geometry of metrics and convexity structures on the space of phylogenetic trees, which is here realized as the tropical linear space of all \ ultrametrics. The ${\rm CAT}(0)$-metric of Billera-Holmes-Vogtman arises from the theory of orthant spaces. While its geodesics can be computed by the Owen-Provan algorithm, geodesic triangles are complicated. We show that the dimension of such a triangle can be arbitrarily high. Tropical convexity and the tropical metric behave better. They exhibit properties desirable for geometric statistics, such as geodesics of small depth.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Bo Lin, Bernd Sturmfels, Xiaoxian Tang, Ruriko Yoshida. 2016-06-14. Convexity in Tree Spaces. https://doi.org/10.1137/16m1079841

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

$β$-Uniform Convexity and Divisible Domains

Divisible convex sets have long been important in the study of Hilbert geometries. When a divisible convex set is an ellipsoid, the Hilbert geometry it induces is the hyperbolic space. In general, strictly convex divisible domains exhibit negative curvature properties, but only the ellipsoid is a CAT(0) space. The notion of p-uniform convexity from the theory of Banach spaces has been proposed by Shin-Ichi Ohta as a generalization of the Alexandrov-Toponogov comparison theorems to Finsler manifolds. We prove that a natural Finsler metric on a strictly convex divisible domain is $β$-uniformly convex, where the constant $β$ is related to the regularity of the boundary. We use this to show, with AI assistance, that the Hilbert metric, under suitable local and scale-dependent assumptions, is $β$-uniformly convex on such domains.

math.MG

A positive solution to the $L^p$ projection centroid conjecture

In a classical paper [21] in 2000, Lutwak-Yang-Zhang established the $L^p$ analog of the Petty projection inequality and the $L^p$ analog of the Busemann-Petty centroid inequality. In Section 7 of [21], Lutwak-Yang-Zhang proposed the important $L^p$ projection centroid conjecture. We give a positive solution to the $L^p$ projection centroid conjecture in this work.

math.MG

Minimal central slices of the regular simplex

We prove that minimal-volume hyperplane sections of the regular simplex through its centroid are parallel to a facet. The proof combines variational methods with Fourier-analytic techniques and zero-diminishing arguments to show that every critical normal vector has at most three distinct non-zero coordinates. Analysis of the two- and three-value cases then yields the sharp lower bound.

math.MG