Transport-majorization to analytic and geometric inequalities

We introduce a transport-majorization argument that establishes a majorization in the convex order between two densities, based on control of the gradient of a transportation map between them. As applications, we give elementary derivations of some delicate Fourier analytic inequalities, which in turn yield geometric “slicing-inequalities” in both continuous and discrete settings. As a further consequence of our investigation we prove that any strongly log-concave probability density majorizes the Gaussian density and thus the Gaussian density maximizes the Rényi and Tsallis entropies of all orders among all strongly log-concave densities.     

Dimensional behaviour of entropy and information

We develop an information-theoretic perspective on some questions in convex geometry, providing for instance a new equipartition property for log-concave probability measures, some Gaussian comparison results for log-concave measures, an entropic formulation of the hyperplane conjecture, and a new reverse entropy power inequality for log-concave measures analogous to V. Milman's reverse Brunn–Minkowski inequality.     

Small-Ball Probabilities for the Volume of Random Convex Sets

We prove small-deviation estimates for the volume of random convex sets. The focus is on convex hulls and Minkowski sums of line segments generated by independent random points. The random models considered include (Lebesgue) absolutely continuous probability measures with bounded densities and the class of log-concave measures.     

Reverse Brunn–Minkowski and reverse entropy power inequalities for convex measures

We develop a reverse entropy power inequality for convex measures, which may be seen as an affine-geometric inverse of the entropy power inequality of Shannon and Stam. The specialization of this inequality to log-concave measures may be seen as a version of Milman?s reverse Brunn–Minkowski inequality. The proof relies on a demonstration of new relationships between the entropy of high dimensional random vectors and the volume of convex bodies, and on a study of effective supports of convex measures, both of which are of independent interest, as well as on Milman?s deep technology of M-ellipsoids and on certain information-theoretic inequalities. As a by-product, we also give a continuous analogue of some Plünnecke–Ruzsa inequalities from additive combinatorics.     

Thin Shell Implies Spectral Gap Up to Polylog via a Stochastic Localization Scheme

We consider the isoperimetric inequality on the class of high-dimensional isotropic convex bodies. We establish quantitative connections between two well-known open problems related to this inequality, namely, the thin shell conjecture, and the conjecture by Kannan, Lovász, and Simonovits, showing that the corresponding optimal bounds are equivalent up to logarithmic factors. In particular we prove that, up to logarithmic factors, the minimal possible ratio between surface area and volume is attained on ellipsoids. We also show that a positive answer to the thin shell conjecture would imply an optimal dependence on the dimension in a certain formulation of the Brunn–Minkowski inequality. Our results rely on the construction of a stochastic localization scheme for log-concave measures.     

The Brunn–Minkowski Inequality for the <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-dimensional Logarithmic Capacity of Convex Bodies

We define the n-dimensional logarithmic capacity for convex bodies in Rⁿ, with n2; then, for this quantity, we prove a Brunn–Minkowski type inequality, and we characterize the corresponding equality case. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000) 31C15, 31A35, 52A20, 39B62.     

Supersymmetric Dirichlet operators

A canonical supersymmetric extension of classical Dirichlet forms and operators given by measures on linear spaces is considered. In the case of log-concave measures, the supersymmetric Dirichlet operator generates a hypercontractive semigroup. This setting is appropriate for infinite-dimensional geometry and quantum field theory.Dedicated to Yu. M. Berezanskii on the occasion of his seventieth birthdayPublished in Ukrainskii Matematicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 47, No. 5, pp. 583–592, May, 1995.The present work was supported by the DFG.     

Short universal generators via generalized ratio-of-uniforms method

We use inequalities to design short universal algorithms that can be used to generate random variates from large classes of univariate continuous or discrete distributions (including all log-concave distributions). The expected time is uniformly bounded over all these distributions for a particular generator. The algorithms can be implemented in a few lines of high level language code.

     

Properties of the probability density function of the non-central chi-squared distribution

In this paper we consider the probability density function (pdf) of a non-central χ² distribution with arbitrary number of degrees of freedom. For this function we prove that can be represented as a finite sum and we deduce a partial derivative formula. Moreover, we show that the pdf is log-concave when the degrees of freedom is greater or equal than 2. At the end of this paper we present some Turán-type inequalities for this function and an elegant application of the monotone form of l'Hospital's rule in probability theory is given.     

Kahane-Khinchin type averages

We prove a Kahane-Khinchin type result with a few random vectors, which are distributed independently with respect to an arbitrary log-concave probability measure on . This is an application of a small ball estimate and Chernoff's method, that has been recently used in the context of Asymptotic Geometric Analysis.

     

Functional inequalities for modified Bessel functions

In this paper, our aim is to show some mean value inequalities for the modified Bessel functions of the first and second kind. Our proofs are based on some bounds for the logarithmic derivatives of these functions, which are in fact equivalent to the corresponding Turán-type inequalities for these functions. As an application of the results concerning the modified Bessel function of the second kind, we prove that the cumulative distribution function of the gamma–gamma distribution is log-concave. At the end of this paper, several open problems are posed, which may be of interest for further research.     

The first variation of the total mass of log-concave functions and related inequalities

On the class of log-concave functions on Rⁿ${\mathbb{R}}^n$, endowed with a suitable algebraic structure, we study the first variation of the total mass functional, which corresponds to the volume of convex bodies when restricted to the subclass of characteristic functions. We prove some integral representation formulae for such a first variation, which suggest to define in a natural way the notion of area measure for a log-concave function. In the same framework, we obtain a functional counterpart of Minkowski’s first inequality for convex bodies; as corollaries, we derive a functional form of the isoperimetric inequality, and a family of logarithmic-type Sobolev inequalities with respect to log-concave probability measures. Finally, we propose a suitable functional version of the classical Minkowski’s problem for convex bodies, and prove some partial results towards its solution.     

Choquet order for spectra of higher Lamé operators and orthogonal polynomials

We establish a hierarchy of weighted majorization relations for the singularities of generalized Lamé equations and the zeros of their Van Vleck and Heine–Stieltjes polynomials as well as for multiparameter spectral polynomials of higher Lamé operators. These relations translate into natural dilation and subordination properties in the Choquet order for certain probability measures associated with the aforementioned polynomials. As a consequence we obtain new inequalities for the moments and logarithmic potentials of the corresponding root-counting measures and their weak-^* limits in the semi-classical and various thermodynamic asymptotic regimes. We also prove analogous results for systems of orthogonal polynomials such as Jacobi polynomials.     

The Fermat–Torricelli Problem in Normed Planes and Spaces

We investigate the Fermat–Torricelli problem in d-dimensional real normed spaces or Minkowski spaces, mainly for d=2. Our approach is to study the Fermat–Torricelli locus in a geometric way. We present many new results, as well as give an exposition of known results that are scattered in various sources, with proofs for some of them. Together, these results can be considered to be a minitheory of the Fermat–Torricelli problem in Minkowski spaces and especially in Minkowski planes. This demonstrates that substantial results about locational problems valid for all norms can be found using a geometric approach.     

A Remarkable Measure Preserving Diffeomorphism between two Convex Bodies in ℝ n

We prove that for any two convex open bounded bodies K and T there exists a diffeomorphism f : K T preserving volume ratio (i.e. with constant determinant of the Jacobian) and such that the Minkowski sum K + T { x + f (x) | x K }. As an application of this method, we prove some of the Alexandov–Fenchel inequalities.     

An isoperimetric inequality for uniformly log-concave measures and uniformly convex bodies

We prove an isoperimetric inequality for the uniform measure on a uniformly convex body and for a class of uniformly log-concave measures (that we introduce). These inequalities imply (up to universal constants) the log-Sobolev inequalities proved by Bobkov, Ledoux [S.G. Bobkov, M. Ledoux, From Brunn-Minkowski to Brascamp-Lieb and to logarithmic Sobolev inequalities, Geom. Funct. Anal. 10 (5) (2000) 1028-1052] and the isoperimetric inequalities due to Bakry, Ledoux [D. Bakry, M. Ledoux, Lévy-Gromov's isoperimetric inequality for an infinite-dimensional diffusion generator, Invent. Math. 123 (2) (1996) 259-281] and Bobkov, Zegarliński [S.G. Bobkov, B. Zegarliński, Entropy bounds and isoperimetry, Mem. Amer. Math. Soc. 176 (829) (2005), x+69]. We also recover a concentration inequality for uniformly convex bodies, similar to that proved by Gromov, Milman [M. Gromov, V.D. Milman, Generalization of the spherical isoperimetric inequality to uniformly convex Banach spaces, Compos. Math. 62 (3) (1987) 263-282].     

On Hadamard Inequality for Log-Concave Functions

Some improvements and generalizations of Finks results about Hadamards inequality for log-concave functions are given.AMS Subject Classification: 26D07, 26D15, 26A51.     

Three solutions for an obstacle problem for a class of variational–hemivariational inequalities

In this paper, we consider a class of obstacle problems for variational–hemivariational inequalities, by using nonsmooth version of three points critical theory in [S.A. Marano, D. Motreanu, On a three critical points theorem for non-differentiable functions and application to nonlinear boundary value problems, Nonlinear Anal. 48 (2002) 37–52], the existence of three solutions for the problem is obtained.     

The $${\varphi}$$-Brunn–Minkowski inequality

For strictly increasing concave functions \({\varphi}\) whose inverse functions are log-concave, the \({\varphi}\)-Brunn–Minkowski inequality for planar convex bodies is established. It is shown that for convex bodies in \({\mathbb{R}^n}\) the \({\varphi}\)-Brunn–Minkowski is equivalent to the \({\varphi}\)-Minkowski mixed volume inequalities.     

Boundary Hemivariational Inequalities of Hyperbolic Type and Applications

In this paper we examine two classes of nonlinear hyperbolic initial boundary value problems with nonmonotone multivalued boundary conditions characterized by the Clarke subdifferential. We prove two existence results for multidimensional hemivariational inequalities: one for the inequalities with relation between reaction and velocity and the other for the expressions containing the reaction–displacement law. The existence of weak solutions is established by using a surjectivity result for pseudomonotone operators and a priori estimates. We present also an example of dynamic viscoelastic contact problem in mechanics which illustrate the applicability of our results.Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000). 34G20, 35A15, 35L85, 35L70, 74H20