Dynamic data structures for fat objects and their applications

We present several efficient dynamic data structures for point-enclosure queries, involving convex fat objects in or . Our planar structures are actually fitted for a more general class of objects – (β,δ)-covered objects – which are not necessarily convex, see definition below. These structures are more efficient than alternative known structures, because they exploit the fatness of the objects. We then apply these structures to obtain efficient solutions to two problems: (i) finding a perfect containment matching between a set of points and a set of convex fat objects, and (ii) finding a piercing set for a collection of convex fat objects, whose size is optimal up to some constant factor.     

On Overlays and Minimization Diagrams

The overlay of 2≤m≤d minimization diagrams of n surfaces in ℝ ^d is isomorphic to a substructure of a suitably constructed minimization diagram of mn surfaces in ℝ ^d+m−1. This elementary observation leads to a new bound on the complexity of the overlay of minimization diagrams of collections of d-variate semi-algebraic surfaces, a tight bound on the complexity of the overlay of minimization diagrams of collections of hyperplanes, and faster algorithms for constructing such overlays. Further algorithmic implications are discussed. Work by V. Koltun was supported by NSF CAREER award CCF-0641402. Work by M. Sharir was supported by NSF Grants CCR-00-98246 and CCF-05-14079, by a grant from the Israeli Academy of Sciences for a Center of Excellence in Geometric Computing at Tel Aviv University, and by the Hermann Minkowski Minerva Center for Geometry at Tel Aviv University.     

Two-Sided Optimal Bounds for Green Functions of Half-Spaces for Relativistic <Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis>-Stable Process

The purpose of this paper is to find optimal estimates for the Green function of a half-space of the relativistic α -stable process with parameter m on ℝ ^d space. This process has an infinitesimal generator of the form mI–(m ^2/α I–Δ) ^α/2, where 0<α<2, m>0, and reduces to the isotropic α-stable process for m=0. Its potential theory for open bounded sets has been well developed throughout the recent years however almost nothing was known about the behaviour of the process on unbounded sets. The present paper is intended to fill this gap and we provide two-sided sharp estimates for the Green function for a half-space. As a byproduct we obtain some improvements of the estimates known for bounded sets. Our approach combines the recent results obtained in Byczkowski et al. (Bessel Potentials, Hitting Distributions and Green Functions (2006) (preprint). ), where an explicit integral formula for the m-resolvent of a half-space was found, with estimates of the transition densities for the killed process on exiting a half-space. The main result states that the Green function is comparable with the Green function for the Brownian motion if the points are away from the boundary of a half-space and their distance is greater than one. On the other hand for the remaining points the Green function is somehow related the Green function for the isotropic α-stable process. For example, for d≥3, it is comparable with the Green function for the isotropic α-stable process, provided that the points are close enough. Research supported by KBN Grants.     

Cutting Triangular Cycles of Lines in Space

We show that n lines in 3-space can be cut into O(n^2-1/69log^16/69n) pieces, such that all depth cycles defined by triples of lines are eliminated. This partially resolves a long-standing open problem in computational geometry, motivated by hidden-surface removal in computer graphics.     

The combinatorics of the Baer-Specker group

We study subgroups of ℤ^ℕ which possess group theoretic properties analogous to properties introduced by Menger (1924), Hurewicz (1925), Rothberger (1938), and Scheepers (1996). The studied properties were introduced independently by Kočinac and Okunev. We obtain purely combinatorial characterizations of these properties, and combine them with other techniques to solve several questions of Babinkostova, Kočinac, and Scheepers. The first author was supported by the EU Research and Training Network HPRN-CT-2002-00287. The second author was partially supported by the Koshland Center for Basic Research.     

On the performance of the ICP algorithm

We present upper and lower bounds for the number of iterations performed by the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm. This algorithm has been proposed by Besl and McKay as a successful heuristic for matching of point sets in d-space under translation, but so far it seems not to have been rigorously analyzed. We consider two standard measures of resemblance that the algorithm attempts to optimize: The RMS (root mean squared distance) and the (one-sided) Hausdorff distance. We show that in both cases the number of iterations performed by the algorithm is polynomial in the number of input points. In particular, this bound is quadratic in the one-dimensional problem, under the RMS measure, for which we present a lower bound construction of Ω(nlogn) iterations, where n is the overall size of the input. Under the Hausdorff measure, this bound is only O(n) for input point sets whose spread is polynomial in n, and this is tight in the worst case.We also present several structural geometric properties of the algorithm under both measures. For the RMS measure, we show that at each iteration of the algorithm the cost function monotonically and strictly decreases along the vector Δt of the relative translation. As a result, we conclude that the polygonal path π, obtained by concatenating all the relative translations that are computed during the execution of the algorithm, does not intersect itself. In particular, in the one-dimensional problem all the relative translations of the ICP algorithm are in the same (left or right) direction. For the Hausdorff measure, some of these properties continue to hold (such as monotonicity in one dimension), whereas others do not.     

On the number-average molecular weight of poly(1,4-trans isoprene) determined by conventional GPC

We became aware, in the course of our on-going research, that the number-average molecular weight of poly(1,4-trans isoprene) determined by conventional gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) using polystyrene standards differs from its true value by a factor 2. As far as we know, the Mark-Houwink coefficients of this polymer in a widespread GPC eluent such as THF have never been determined. We provide in this contribution a simple relationship between the number-average molecular weight of poly(1,4-trans isoprene) determined by GPC in THF using polystyrene standards and its true value.     

Planning a purely translational motion for a convex object in two-dimensional space using generalized Voronoi diagrams

AnO(n logn) algorithm for planning a purely translational motion for a simple convex object amidst polygonal barriers in two-dimensional space is given. The algorithm is based on a new generalization of Voronoi diagrams (similar to that proposed by Chew and Drysdale [1] and by Fortune [2]), and adapts and uses a recent technique of Yap for the efficient construction of these diagrams.Work on this paper by the second author has been supported in part by a grant from the U.S.-Israeli Binational Science Foundation.     

Fission fragment mass yields of Th to Rf even-even nuclei

Fission properties of the actinide nuclei are deduced from theoretical analysis. We investigate potential energy surfaces and fission barriers and predict the fission fragment mass yields of actinide isotopes. The results are compared with experimental data where available. The calculations were performed in the macroscopic-microscopic approximation with the Lublin-Strasbourg Drop (LSD) for the macroscopic part, and the microscopic energy corrections were evaluated in the Yukawa-folded potential. The Fourier nuclear shape parametrization is used to describe the nuclear shape, including the non-axial degree of freedom. The fission fragment mass yields of the nuclei considered are evaluated within a 3D collective model using the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.