Riemannian geometry as a special case of Finsler geometry

Author(s):  
Shiing-shen Chern
2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (08n09) ◽  
pp. 1678-1685 ◽  
Author(s):  
REZA TAVAKOL

A central assumption in general relativity is that the underlying geometry of spacetime is pseudo-Riemannian. Given the recent attempts at generalizations of general relativity, motivated both by theoretical and observational considerations, an important question is whether the spacetime geometry can also be made more general and yet still remain compatible with observations? Here I briefly summarize some earlier results which demonstrate that there are special classes of Finsler geometry, which is a natural metrical generalization of the Riemannian geometry, that are strictly compatible with the observations regarding the motion of idealised test particles and light rays. I also briefly summarize some recent attempts at employing Finsler geometries motivated by more recent developments such as those in String theory, whereby Lorentz invariance is partially broken.


1962 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 87-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Vanstone

Modern differential geometry may be said to date from Riemann's famous lecture of 1854 (9), in which a distance function of the form F(xi, dxi) = (γij(x)dxidxj½ was proposed. The applications of the consequent geometry were many and varied. Examples are Synge's geometrization of mechanics (15), Riesz’ approach to linear elliptic partial differential equations (10), and the well-known general theory of relativity of Einstein.Meanwhile the results of Caratheodory (4) in the calculus of variations led Finsler in 1918 to introduce a generalization of the Riemannian metric function (6). The geometry which arose was more fully developed by Berwald (2) and Synge (14) about 1925 and later by Cartan (5), Busemann, and Rund. It was then possible to extend the applications of Riemannian geometry.


Author(s):  
Changfeng Gui

We study the existence and asymptotic behaviour of positive solutions of a semilinear elliptic equation in entire space. A special case of this equation is the scalar curvature equation which arises in Riemannian geometry.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (supp02) ◽  
pp. 1941004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Pfeifer

Finsler geometry naturally appears in the description of various physical systems. In this review, I divide the emergence of Finsler geometry in physics into three categories: dual description of dispersion relations, most general geometric clock and geometry being compatible with the relevant Ehlers–Pirani–Schild axioms. As Finsler geometry is a straightforward generalization of Riemannian geometry there are many attempts to use it as generalized geometry of spacetime in physics. However, this generalization is subtle due to the existence of non-trivial null directions. I review how a pseudo-Finsler spacetime geometry can be defined such that it provides a precise notion of causal curves, observers and their measurements as well as a gravitational field equation determining the Finslerian spacetime geometry dynamically. The construction of such Finsler spacetimes lays the foundation for comparing their predictions with observations, in astrophysics as well as in laboratory experiments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
WILMER LEAL ◽  
GUILLERMO RESTREPO ◽  
PETER F. STADLER ◽  
JÜRGEN JOST

Hypergraphs serve as models of complex networks that capture more general structures than binary relations. For graphs, a wide array of statistics has been devised to gauge different aspects of their structures. Hypergraphs lack behind in this respect. The Forman–Ricci curvature is a statistics for graphs based on Riemannian geometry, which stresses the relational character of vertices in a network by focusing on the edges rather than on the vertices. Despite many successful applications of this measure to graphs, Forman–Ricci curvature has not been introduced for hypergraphs. Here, we define the Forman–Ricci curvature for directed and undirected hypergraphs such that the curvature for graphs is recovered as a special case. It quantifies the trade-off between hyperedge (arc) size and the degree of participation of hyperedge (arc) vertices in other hyperedges (arcs). Here, we determine upper and lower bounds for Forman–Ricci curvature both for hypergraphs in general and for graphs in particular. The measure is then applied to two large networks: the Wikipedia vote network and the metabolic network of the bacterium Escherichia coli. In the first case, the curvature is governed by the size of the hyperedges, while in the second example, it is dominated by the hyperedge degree. We found that the number of users involved in Wikipedia elections goes hand-in-hand with the participation of experienced users. The curvature values of the metabolic network allowed detecting redundant and bottle neck reactions. It is found that ADP phosphorylation is the metabolic bottle neck reaction but that the reverse reaction is not similarly central for the metabolism. Furthermore, we show the utility of the Forman–Ricci curvature for quantification of assortativity in hypergraphs and illustrate the idea by investigating three metabolic networks.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Crimston ◽  
Matthew J. Hornsey

AbstractAs a general theory of extreme self-sacrifice, Whitehouse's article misses one relevant dimension: people's willingness to fight and die in support of entities not bound by biological markers or ancestral kinship (allyship). We discuss research on moral expansiveness, which highlights individuals’ capacity to self-sacrifice for targets that lie outside traditional in-group markers, including racial out-groups, animals, and the natural environment.


Author(s):  
Dr. G. Kaemof

A mixture of polycarbonate (PC) and styrene-acrylonitrile-copolymer (SAN) represents a very good example for the efficiency of electron microscopic investigations concerning the determination of optimum production procedures for high grade product properties.The following parameters have been varied:components of charge (PC : SAN 50 : 50, 60 : 40, 70 : 30), kind of compounding machine (single screw extruder, twin screw extruder, discontinuous kneader), mass-temperature (lowest and highest possible temperature).The transmission electron microscopic investigations (TEM) were carried out on ultra thin sections, the PC-phase of which was selectively etched by triethylamine.The phase transition (matrix to disperse phase) does not occur - as might be expected - at a PC to SAN ratio of 50 : 50, but at a ratio of 65 : 35. Our results show that the matrix is preferably formed by the components with the lower melting viscosity (in this special case SAN), even at concentrations of less than 50 %.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 204-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie Lacot ◽  
Mohammad H. Afzali ◽  
Stéphane Vautier

Abstract. Test validation based on usual statistical analyses is paradoxical, as, from a falsificationist perspective, they do not test that test data are ordinal measurements, and, from the ethical perspective, they do not justify the use of test scores. This paper (i) proposes some basic definitions, where measurement is a special case of scientific explanation; starting from the examples of memory accuracy and suicidality as scored by two widely used clinical tests/questionnaires. Moreover, it shows (ii) how to elicit the logic of the observable test events underlying the test scores, and (iii) how the measurability of the target theoretical quantities – memory accuracy and suicidality – can and should be tested at the respondent scale as opposed to the scale of aggregates of respondents. (iv) Criterion-related validity is revisited to stress that invoking the explanative power of test data should draw attention on counterexamples instead of statistical summarization. (v) Finally, it is argued that the justification of the use of test scores in specific settings should be part of the test validation task, because, as tests specialists, psychologists are responsible for proposing their tests for social uses.


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