Minimization of curve length through energy minimization using finite differences and numerical integration in Euclidean space

Fuente: arXiv
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Autore principale: Kitaoka, Akira
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Kitaoka, Akira
author_facet Kitaoka, Akira
contents We consider the approximation of minimal geodesics between two closed sets in $\mathbb{R}^D$ endowed with a smooth Riemannian metric. The continuous problem is formulated as the minimization of the energy functional over piecewise smooth curves joining the two sets. We study discrete approximations obtained by finite differences together with numerical integration, and reconstruct continuous curves from discrete minimizers by linear interpolation. Our main result is a direct convergence analysis of the trapezoidal-rule discretization. We prove that the energy of the linearly interpolated discrete minimizer converges to the minimum energy, and that the squared length of the reconstructed curve converges to the squared minimal length, both with rate $O(N^{-1/2})$ as the number of subintervals $N$ tends to infinity. We also obtain the corresponding reconstruction estimates for the left-endpoint rule. In addition, we give an explicit example showing that a direct discretization of the length functional does not, in general, converge to the minimal length.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_15566
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Minimization of curve length through energy minimization using finite differences and numerical integration in Euclidean space
Kitaoka, Akira
Numerical Analysis
Differential Geometry
Optimization and Control
65K10(primary), 54-04, 53C22, 58E10, 65N06(secondary)
We consider the approximation of minimal geodesics between two closed sets in $\mathbb{R}^D$ endowed with a smooth Riemannian metric. The continuous problem is formulated as the minimization of the energy functional over piecewise smooth curves joining the two sets. We study discrete approximations obtained by finite differences together with numerical integration, and reconstruct continuous curves from discrete minimizers by linear interpolation. Our main result is a direct convergence analysis of the trapezoidal-rule discretization. We prove that the energy of the linearly interpolated discrete minimizer converges to the minimum energy, and that the squared length of the reconstructed curve converges to the squared minimal length, both with rate $O(N^{-1/2})$ as the number of subintervals $N$ tends to infinity. We also obtain the corresponding reconstruction estimates for the left-endpoint rule. In addition, we give an explicit example showing that a direct discretization of the length functional does not, in general, converge to the minimal length.
title Minimization of curve length through energy minimization using finite differences and numerical integration in Euclidean space
topic Numerical Analysis
Differential Geometry
Optimization and Control
65K10(primary), 54-04, 53C22, 58E10, 65N06(secondary)
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.15566