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Let $S$ be a subset in a real vector space $\mathbb{R}^n$. Define the asymptotic cone $S\infty:=\{y\in\mathbb{R}^n\mid\textrm{there exists a sequence }(y_k,\varepsilon_k)\in S\times\mathbb{R}^+\textrm{ such that }\lim\limits_{k\rightarrow+\infty}\varepsilon_ky_k=y\textrm{ and }\lim\limits_{k\rightarrow+\infty}\varepsilon_k=0\}$.

The definition for asymptotic cone is clear. However, it is not quite clear to me how to compute the asymptotic cone for a set in a convenience way. Please forgive me if the question is too elementary here because I am learning representation theory and am not quite good at analysis.

For example, if $S=\{m, m+2, m+4, \cdots\}\subset\mathbb{R}$ for some $m\in\mathbb{Z}^+$, then $S\infty=\mathbb{R}_{\geq0}$. This seems not hard to imagine. But if $S=\{(x,y)\in\mathbb{R}^2\mid y^2-x^2>1,y>0\}$, then $S\infty=\{(x,y)\in\mathbb{R}^2\mid y\geq|x|\}$, which is not easy to imagine.

Hence, I wonder whether there is any geometrical interpretation for asymptotic cone so that people may work out the asymptotic cones for most of the sets intuitively.

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  • $\begingroup$ Just draw the picture of your set with a far away scale (namely draw $S\cap [-100,100]^2$ in a square) and you have a good representation of what is the asymptotic cone. $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Aug 27, 2021 at 16:17
  • $\begingroup$ @YCor Sorry, I do not quite understand what you mean. Could you please make it more explicit? $\endgroup$
    – Hebe
    Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 5:16
  • $\begingroup$ I mean: if when $r\to 0$, the subsets $rS$ converge (say in Hausdorff topology, locally), the asymptotic cone is the limit. Since rescaling $S$ as $rS$ with small $r$ is like looking $S$ from far away, you see the asymptotic cone by looking $S$ from far away as the limit shape. (And the asymptotic cone is always closed.) $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 8:16
  • $\begingroup$ @YCor I see. Thank you! This is indeed a good way to imagine the asymptotic cone. $\endgroup$
    – Hebe
    Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 8:42
  • $\begingroup$ However the sequence of subset $(1/n)S$ might not converge (think of $S=\bigcup_n [2^{2^n},n2^{2^n}]$ in $\mathbf{R}$). The definition I'm aware is that asymptotic cones are all limit points of this sequence (they exist by compactness). The definition you use is rather some kind of limsup (possibly the closure of the union of all asymptotic cones, in my sense). When it converges these coincide. $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 9:25

1 Answer 1

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$\newcommand{\ep}{\varepsilon}\newcommand{\R}{\mathbb R}$First, some simple preliminary cleaning: In the trivial case when $S=\emptyset$, we have $S\infty=\emptyset$. So, in what follows assume that $S\ne\emptyset$. Note that $0=\lim\limits_k\frac1k\,y\in S\infty$, where $y$ is any point in $S$.

For each natural $m$, consider the radial projection $$A_m:=\Big\{\frac y{|y|}\colon y\in S,|y|\ge m\Big\}$$ on the unit sphere in $\mathbb R^n$ of the part of the set $S$ at distance $\ge m$ from the origin, where $|y|$ is Euclidean norm of $y$. Let then $$A:=\{0\}\cup\bigcap_m\,\overline{A_m},$$ where $\overline{A_m}$ is the closure of $A_m$.

Then the asymptotic cone $S\infty$ of $S$ coincides with \begin{equation} [0,\infty)A=\{tx\colon t\in[0,\infty),x\in A\}. \end{equation} This characterization of the asymptotic cone may be easier to visualize.


Proof of this characterization:

(i) Take any $y\in S\infty$, so that $\ep_k y_k\to y$ and $\ep_k\to0$ (as $k\to\infty$) for some sequence $((y_k,\ep_k))$ in $S\times[0,\infty)$. We want to show that then $y\in[0,\infty)A$. If $y=0$, then $y\in A$ and hence $y\in[0,\infty)A$. So, without loss of generality (wlog) $y\ne0$ and hence $|y_k|\to\infty$. So, for each natural $m$ and all large enough $k$ (depending on $m$) we have $z_k:=y_k/|y_k|\in A_m$ and $\ep_k>0$, whence \begin{equation} z_k=\frac{\ep_k y_k}{\ep_k|y_k|}\to\frac y{|y|}, \end{equation} so that $\frac y{|y|}\in\overline{A_m}$. It follows that $\frac y{|y|}\in A$ and thus $y\in[0,\infty)A$, as desired.

(ii) Take any $y\in[0,\infty)A$. We want to show that then $y\in S\infty$. If $y=0$, then $y\in S\infty$. So, wlog $y\ne0$ and hence $\frac y{|y|}\in\bigcap_m\,\overline{A_m}$, so that for each natural $m$ there is some $x_m\in A_m$ such that $|\frac y{|y|}-x_m|<\frac1m$. Since $x_m=\frac{y_m}{|y_m|}$ for some $y_m\in S$ with $|y_m|\ge m$, for all natural $m$ we have \begin{equation} |y-\ep_m y_m|<\frac{|y|}m, \end{equation} where $\ep_m:=\frac{|y|}{|y_m|}\to0$ (as $m\to\infty$). Thus, $y\in S\infty$, as desired.


In your comment, you also seem to ask how to use this characterization of the asymptotic cone to show that for $S=\{(a,b)\in\R^2\colon b>a^2\}$ we have $S\infty=C:=\{(0,b)\in\R^2\colon b\ge0\}$. This follows because here $\overline{A_m}$ is the set of all unit vectors in $\R^2$ with a positive second coordinate and the absolute value of the first coordinate $\le\sqrt{\dfrac{\sqrt{4 m^2+1}-1}{2m^2}}\to0$ (as $m\to\infty$). Here is the set $\overline{A_m}$ for $m=10$ (red):

enter image description here


Comment: The visualization suggestion in the first comment by YCor should apparently work when the set $S$ is convex, but not in general. Pictured below is the set $S\cap[-100,100]^2$ (blue) with $$S:=\{e^{t/5}(r\cos t,r\sin t)\colon 1\le r\le2,t\in\R\},$$ a "fat logarithmic spiral" set:

enter image description here

Here the set $S\cap[-m,m]^2$ will not look like a cone, for any natural $m$, because the image of $S$ under any homothety with the fixed point at the origin is obtained by a rotation of $S$.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for your answer. This characterization seems much easier, but how to show the equivalence between the two definitions? $\endgroup$
    – Hebe
    Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 5:14
  • $\begingroup$ But when $S=\{(x,y)\in\mathbb{R}^2\mid y>x^2\}$, why $S\infty=\{(0,y)\in\mathbb{R}^2\mid y\geq0\}$? $\endgroup$
    – Hebe
    Commented Aug 28, 2021 at 6:03
  • $\begingroup$ @Hebe : Your comments have now been addressed. I am glad that this characterization seems much easier to you. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 29, 2021 at 3:07
  • $\begingroup$ That is great! Thank you so much! $\endgroup$
    – Hebe
    Commented Aug 29, 2021 at 7:48
  • $\begingroup$ I have added a "comment" to the answer. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 29, 2021 at 12:49

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