On the complexity of zero-dimensional multiparameter persistence

Multiparameter persistence is a natural extension of the well-known persistent homology, which has attracted a lot of interest. However, there are major theoretical obstacles preventing the full development of this promising theory. In this paper we consider the interesting special case of multiparameter persistence in zero dimensions which can be regarded as a form of multiparameter clustering. In particular, we consider the multiparameter persistence modules of the zero-dimensional homology of filtered topological spaces when they are finitely generated. Under certain assumptions, we characterize such modules and study their decompositions. In particular we identify a natural class of representations that decompose and can be extended back to form zero-dimensional multiparameter persistence modules. Our study of this set of representations concludes that despite the restrictions, there are still infinitely many classes of indecomposables in this set.

On the Baum-Connes Conjecture for Groups Acting on CAT(0)-Cubical Spaces

We give a new proof of the Baum--Connes conjecture with coefficients for any second countable, locally compact topological group that acts properly and cocompactly on a finite-dimensional CAT(0)-cubical space with bounded geometry. The proof uses the Julg-Valette complex of a CAT(0)-cubical space introduced by the first three authors, and the direct splitting method in Kasparov theory developed by the last author.

A numerical measure of the instability of Mapper-type algorithms

Mapper is an unsupervised machine learning algorithm generalising the notion of clustering to obtain a geometric description of a dataset. The procedure splits the data into possibly overlapping bins which are then clustered. The output of the algorithm is a graph where nodes represent clusters and edges represent the sharing of data points between two clusters. However, several parameters must be selected before applying Mapper and the resulting graph may vary dramatically with the choice of parameters. We define an intrinsic notion of Mapper instability that measures the variability of the output as a function of the choice of parameters required to construct a Mapper output. Our results and discussion are general and apply to all Mapper-type algorithms. We derive theoretical results that provide estimates for the instability and suggest practical ways to control it. We provide also experiments to illustrate our results and in particular we demonstrate that a reliable candidate Mapper output can be identified as a local minimum of instability regarded as a function of Mapper input parameters.

A self-organising eigenspace map for time series clustering

This paper presents a novel time series clustering method, the self-organising eigenspace map (SOEM), based on a generalisation of the well-known self-organising feature map (SOFM). The SOEM operates on the eigenspaces of the embedded covariance structures of time series which are related directly to modes in those time series. Approximate joint diagonalisation acts as a pseudo-metric across these spaces allowing us to generalise the SOFM to a neural network with matrix input. The technique is empirically validated against three sets of experiments; univariate and multivariate time series clustering, and application to (clustered) multi-variate time series forecasting. Results indicate that the technique performs a valid topologically ordered clustering of the time series. The clustering is superior in comparison to standard benchmarks when the data is non-aligned, gives the best clustering stage for when used in forecasting, and can be used with partial/non-overlapping time series, multivariate clustering and produces a topological representation of the time series objects.

The Geometry of Synchronization Problems and Learning Group Actions

We develop a geometric framework that characterizes the synchronization problem --- the problem of consistently registering or aligning a collection of objects. The theory we formulate characterizes the cohomological nature of synchronization based on the classical theory of fibre bundles. We first establish the correspondence between synchronization problems in a topological group $G$ over a connected graph $Gamma$ and the moduli space of flat principal $G$-bundles over $Gamma$, and develop a discrete analogy of the renowned theorem of classifying flat principal bundles with fix base and structural group using the representation variety. In particular, we show that prescribing an edge potential on a graph is equivalent to specifying an equivalence class of flat principal bundles, of which the triviality of holonomy dictates the synchronizability of the edge potential. We then develop a twisted cohomology theory for associated vector bundles of the flat principal bundle arising from an edge potential, which is a discrete version of the twisted cohomology in differential geometry. This theory realizes the obstruction to synchronizability as a cohomology group of the twisted de Rham cochain complex. We then build a discrete twisted Hodge theory --- a fibre bundle analog of the discrete Hodge theory on graphs --- which geometrically realizes the graph connection Laplacian as a Hodge Laplacian of degree zero. Motivated by our geometric framework, we study the problem of learning group actions --- partitioning a collection of objects based on the local synchronizability of pairwise correspondence relations. A dual interpretation is to learn finitely generated subgroups of an ambient transformation group from noisy observed group elements. A synchronization-based algorithm is also provided, and we demonstrate its efficacy using simulations and real data.

A Differential Complex for CAT(0) Cubical Spaces

In the 1980s Pierre Julg and Alain Valette, and also Tadeusz Pytlik and Ryszard Szwarc, constructed and studied a certain Fredholm operator associated to a simplicial tree. The operator can be defined in at least two ways: from a combinatorial flow on the tree, similar to the flows in Formans discrete Morse theory, or from the theory of unitary operator-valued coccyges. There are applications of the theory surrounding the operator to C*-algebra K-theory, to the theory of completely bounded representations of groups that act on trees, and to the Selberg principle in the representation theory of p-adic groups. The main aim of this paper is to extend the constructions of Julg and Valette, and Pytlik and Szwarc, to CAT(0) cubical spaces. A secondary aim is to illustrate the utility of the extended construction by developing an application to operator K-theory and giving a new proof of K-amenability for groups that act properly on bounded-geometry CAT(0)-cubical spaces.

Exactness of locally compact groups

We give some new characterizations of exactness for locally compact second countable groups. In particular, we prove that a locally compact second countable group is exact if and only if it admits a topologically amenable action on a compact Hausdorff space. This answers an open question by Anantharaman-Delaroche.

The periodic cyclic homology of crossed products of finite type algebras

We study the periodic cyclic homology groups of the cross-product of a finite type algebra $A$ by a discrete group $Gamma$. In case $A$ is commutative and $Gamma$ is finite, our results are complete and given in terms of the singular cohomology of the strata of fixed points. These groups identify our cyclic homology groups with the dlp orbifold cohomologydrp of the underlying (algebraic) orbifold. The proof is based on a careful study of localization at fixed points and of the resulting Koszul complexes. We provide examples of Azumaya algebras for which this identification is, however, no longer valid. As an example, we discuss some affine Weyl groups.

The local spectrum of the Dirac operator for the universal cover of $SL_2(mathbb R)$

Using representation theory, we compute the spectrum of the Dirac operator on the universal covering group of $SL_2(mathbb R)$, exhibiting it as the generator of $KK^1(mathbb C, mathfrak A)$, where $mathfrak A$ is the reduced $C^*$-algebra of the group. This yields a new and direct computation of the $K$-theory of $mathfrak A$. A fundamental role is played by the limit-of-discrete-series representation, which is the frontier between the discrete and the principal series of the group. We provide a detailed analysis of the localised spectra of the Dirac operator and compute the Dirac cohomology.

A homological characterization of topological amenability

Generalizing Block and Weinbergers characterization of amenability we introduce the notion of uniformly finite homology for a group action on a compact space and use it to give a homological characterization of topological amenability for actions. By considering the case of the natural action of $G$ on its Stone-vCech compactification we obtain a homological characterization of exactness of the group, answering a question of Nigel Higson.