Analyzing Time-Varying Scalar Fields using Piecewise-Linear Morse-Cerf Theory

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Main Authors: Dhar, Amritendu, Chakraborty, Apratim, Natarajan, Vijay
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Dhar, Amritendu
Chakraborty, Apratim
Natarajan, Vijay
author_facet Dhar, Amritendu
Chakraborty, Apratim
Natarajan, Vijay
contents Morse-Cerf theory considers a one-parameter family of smooth functions defined on a manifold and studies the evolution of their critical points with the parameter. This paper presents an adaptation of Morse-Cerf theory to a family of piecewise-linear (PL) functions. The vertex diagram and Cerf diagram are introduced as representations of the evolution of critical points of the PL function. The characterization of a crossing in the vertex diagram based on the homology of the lower links of vertices leads to the definition of a topological descriptor for time-varying scalar fields. An algorithm for computing the Cerf diagram and a measure for comparing two Cerf diagrams are also described together with experimental results on time-varying scalar fields.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_00725
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Analyzing Time-Varying Scalar Fields using Piecewise-Linear Morse-Cerf Theory
Dhar, Amritendu
Chakraborty, Apratim
Natarajan, Vijay
Graphics
Computational Geometry
I.3.5
Morse-Cerf theory considers a one-parameter family of smooth functions defined on a manifold and studies the evolution of their critical points with the parameter. This paper presents an adaptation of Morse-Cerf theory to a family of piecewise-linear (PL) functions. The vertex diagram and Cerf diagram are introduced as representations of the evolution of critical points of the PL function. The characterization of a crossing in the vertex diagram based on the homology of the lower links of vertices leads to the definition of a topological descriptor for time-varying scalar fields. An algorithm for computing the Cerf diagram and a measure for comparing two Cerf diagrams are also described together with experimental results on time-varying scalar fields.
title Analyzing Time-Varying Scalar Fields using Piecewise-Linear Morse-Cerf Theory
topic Graphics
Computational Geometry
I.3.5
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.00725