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Questions tagged [tropical-geometry]

For questions about tropical geometry, piece-wise linear functions with integer slopes, tropical degenerations and applications of tropical geometry, max-plus algebra, and tropical semifields.

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65 votes
5 answers
18k views

Why tropical geometry?

Tropical geometry can be described as "algebraic geometry" over the semifield $\mathbb{T}$ of tropical numbers. As a set, $\mathbb{T}=\mathbb{R}\cup \{ -\infty\}$; this is endowed with addition being ...
46 votes
0 answers
2k views

Mikhalkin's tropical schemes versus Durov's tropical schemes

In Mikhalkin's unfinished draft book on tropical geometry, (available here) (page 26) he defines a notion of tropical schemes. It seems to me that this definition is not just a wholesale adaptation of ...
Jeffrey Giansiracusa's user avatar
40 votes
5 answers
4k views

How should one approach tropical mathematics?

Let me preface this by saying that my background is pretty meagre (i.e. solid undergrad). However, a few months ago I came across Litvinov - The Maslov dequantization, idempotent and tropical ...
39 votes
4 answers
4k views

What can we learn from the tropicalization of an algebraic variety?

I often hear people speaking of the many connections between algebraic varieties and tropical geometry and how geometric information about a variety can be read off from the associated tropical ...
J.C. Ottem's user avatar
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34 votes
4 answers
2k views

How is tropicalization like taking the classical limit?

There is a folk — I can't call it a theorem — "fact" that the mathematical relationship between Complex and Tropical geometry is analogous to the physical relationship between Quantum and ...
Theo Johnson-Freyd's user avatar
26 votes
1 answer
2k views

Important open questions in the field of Tropical geometry

What are some of the important unanswered questions in the field of tropical geometry?
25 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is the Ford-Fulkerson algorithm a tropical rational function?

The Ford-Fulkerson algorithm Let me recall the standard scenario of flow optimization (for integer flows at least): Let $\mathbb{N} = \left\{0,1,2,\ldots\right\}$. Consider a digraph $D$ with vertex ...
darij grinberg's user avatar
22 votes
2 answers
5k views

What is Tropicalization, and how is it applied

My question is: What is Tropicalization, how is it done, and what are some basic applications of it? motivation I am interested especially in how questions about enumerative algebraic geometry ...
Gil Kalai's user avatar
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21 votes
2 answers
6k views

Learning Tropical geometry

I'm interested in learning tropical geometry. But my background in algebraic geometry is limited. I know basic facts about varieties in affine and projective space, but nothing about sheaves, schemes ...
john's user avatar
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20 votes
1 answer
2k views

Tropical homological algebra

Has anyone out there thought about homological algebra over the tropical semifield $\mathbb{T}$? For example, I'm interested in the Hochschild homology and cyclic homology of tropical algebras, if ...
Jeffrey Giansiracusa's user avatar
19 votes
0 answers
852 views

Which manifolds decompose into pants?

In this nice paper Mikhalkin uses certain (more geometrical than algebraic) aspects of tropical geometry to prove that every complex projective hypersurface in $\mathbb C \mathbb P ^n$ decomposes as a ...
Bruno Martelli's user avatar
18 votes
1 answer
385 views

Categorical description of log as approximate rig homomorphism?

Summary The base-$\beta$ logarithm gives an isomorphism of topological spaces $$ \log_\beta\colon\mathbb{R}_{\geq0}\xrightarrow{\cong}[-\infty,\infty). $$ This continuous map preserves some algebraic ...
David Spivak's user avatar
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15 votes
1 answer
952 views

Is there a Galois theory for $\mathbb R_{\geq 0}$?

The broadest version of my question is the following: Where can I find algebrogeometric abstract nonsense that handles "rings" and "fields" like $\mathbb R_{\geq 0}$ in which ...
Theo Johnson-Freyd's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
592 views

Is there a straightforward generalization of min(x,y) to positive-semidefinite Hermitian matrices?

This is an open-ended question I have. Is there a function of two positive-semidefinite hermitian operators $\min(A,B)$ returning another positive-semidefinite Hermitian operator such that: If A and ...
saolof's user avatar
  • 1,947
13 votes
0 answers
496 views

Strange formula in arithmetic dynamic

Added: another function like that is $S_p f(z) = f(z)+\frac{f(\sqrt{zp})^2}{f(p)}$ in a field of characteristic two. We discovered the following operator which acts on the space of polynomials (or ...
Nikita Kalinin's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
1k views

Weight filtration and Hodge theory for tropical varieties

Many concepts is algebraic geometry have tropical analogues. Question: Is there an analogue of the weight filtration or Hodge filtration for tropical varieties? A tropical curve ends up being ...
Jeffrey Giansiracusa's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
709 views

Is there a tropical geometric proof for counting genus g curves in any n dimensional projective space?

Consider the following question: Let $X$ be a compact complex manifold and $\beta \in H_2(X, \mathbb{Z})$ a fixed homology class. Let $\mu_1, \mu_2, \ldots, \mu_k$ denote certain generic ...
Ritwik's user avatar
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10 votes
1 answer
302 views

What can we say about tropical maps $\mathbb{P}^1 \to A$ for an Abelian variety $A$?

It's well known that maps $\mathbb{P}^1_\mathbb{C} \to A$ are constant for any Abelian variety $A$ (in fact, for any complex torus). Is there any similar statement in the tropical case? Naively, the ...
Simon Rose's user avatar
  • 6,290
10 votes
0 answers
379 views

Does the tropicalization of a curve remember the curve's automorphism group?

For a tropical curve $Z$, let us call $Z_0$ this curve with its 1-valent points removed. (Def [5] of Joyner-Ksir-Grant Melles) Let the automorphism group of a tropical curve $Z$ be a map $g: Z \to Z$ ...
Catherine Ray's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
615 views

Properties from Tropical Geometry that do not imply their algebraic counterpart.

One of the motivations to study tropical geometry is that there are some hard Algebraic Questions that can be answered by proving them in the Tropical World. For example one can show that tropical ...
Santiago's user avatar
  • 345
8 votes
0 answers
204 views

Chow ring of extended tropicalizations

In Allermann-Rau '09, the authors define the Chow groups of an arbitrary abstract tropical cycle. In particular, one may take the tropical cycle to be the tropicalization of a subvariety of a torus. ...
Max Kutler's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
1k views

Origin of tropical mathematics

On Wikipedia, it is claimed without a source that Imre Simon founded tropical mathematics. The first work of his I was able to find on the subject is Limited subsets of a free monoid which uses the ...
Oussema's user avatar
  • 211
7 votes
1 answer
820 views

Has this generalization of a determinant (assigning multiplicities to the rows) been studied?

I'm working on some questions in tropical geometry, and my problem led me to create the following generalization of a determinant: Let $A$ be an $m \times n$ matrix with $m \le n$, and positive ...
Drew's user avatar
  • 1,509
7 votes
1 answer
567 views

Do amoebas obtain extra tentacles as we take the tropical limit?

Original Question In this question, we'll restrict ourselves to plane curves. Define the $t$-amoeba of a polynomial $p(z,w) = \sum_{i,j \in \mathbb{N}} a_{ij} z^i w^j$ to be the set $\mathcal{A}_t(p) =...
mijucik's user avatar
  • 177
7 votes
1 answer
546 views

Is there a direct translation between Tropical and Algebraic geometry?

I am thinking of doing research in Tropical Geometry for my senior thesis, and I was wondering to what degree we can translate problems in Algebraic Geometry to Tropical Geometry. We know that there ...
mijucik's user avatar
  • 177
7 votes
0 answers
120 views

What is the closed cone generated by constant and coordinate functions and closed under taking $f\mapsto\max(f,0)$?

Let $C$ be the smallest closed convex cone of functions from $\mathbb{R}^n$ to $\mathbb{R}$ that contains all constant functions, all coordinate functions, and such that $\max(f,0)\in C$ whenever $f\...
alesia's user avatar
  • 2,772
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is there any "fundamental" distinction between min-plus, max-plus, min-product, and max-product algebras?

In the paper Faster Algorithms for Max-Product Message Passing by McAuley and Caetano (see e.g. here or here), several statements are made which seem mathematically questionable to me. For ...
Chill2Macht's user avatar
  • 2,680
6 votes
2 answers
483 views

Can Hausdorff dimension make sets into a Tropical Semiring?

If $X$ is a metric space, we construct Hausdorff $d$ measure from the outer measure \begin{equation} H^d(U) = \lim_{\delta \to 0}\inf\left\{\sum_{i=1}^\infty \left(\text{diam}(E_i)\right)^d : \...
Greg Zitelli's user avatar
  • 1,124
6 votes
1 answer
369 views

Does solving polynomial equations commute with tropicalization? (particularly for the field of Puiseux series)

The field of Puiseux series over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero is also an algebraically closed field, and furthermore it has a valuation so that our Puiseux series can be ...
saolof's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is there any structure theorem for piecewise linear functions?

I was wondering if such statements are known like "any piecewise linear function from $\mathbb{R}^d \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ can be written as $\sum_{i=1}^k \alpha_i (\text{ some $2$ piece linear ...
gradstudent's user avatar
  • 2,246
6 votes
1 answer
407 views

Hodge Bundles on Tropical Spaces

I am not sure that this question even makes sense, which I suppose is part of the questions itself. In any case, I attended a talk recently wherin there was some discussion about a "tropical ...
Johannas's user avatar
  • 255
6 votes
0 answers
145 views

The proof of the fundamental theorem of tropical algebraic geometry in Maclagan-Sturmfels

I am trying to understand the proof of the fundamental theorem of tropical algebraic geometry from Maclagan-Sturmfels (Introduction to Tropical Geometry, Section 3.2 of the 2015 edition). Is the ...
pinaki's user avatar
  • 5,359
6 votes
0 answers
221 views

Motives in tropical geometry

Is there a notion of motives in tropical geometry? Similar like the notion introduced by Grothendieck in algebraic geometry.
Raoul's user avatar
  • 163
6 votes
0 answers
269 views

Tropical abelian variety as a limit

A tropical abelian variety is given by a quotient of a real vector space $V \cong \mathbb{R}^g$ with a fixed integral structure $\Gamma_2$, by a lattice $\Gamma_1$, equipped with some aditional ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 61
5 votes
2 answers
647 views

Is anything known about the enumeration of degree d, genus g curves in CP^2 where g >1 ?

I wanted to know if there is something analogous to Kontsevich's recursion formula for enumeration of genus zero curves in $\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}^2$, for higher genus curves. There is a similar ...
Ritwik's user avatar
  • 3,245
5 votes
0 answers
710 views

$L_1$ and $L_\infty$ Voronoi diagrams and tropical geometry: Connection?

I just realized that there is a visual similarity between Voronoi diagrams in the $L_1$ and $L_\infty$ metrics (two images below)     Left: O'Rourke, "Computing Relative Neighborhood graph ...
Joseph O'Rourke's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
464 views

Tropical charts (coordinates) and differential forms in non-archimedean geometry

Chambert-Loir and Ducros have introduced real differential forms and currents on Berkovich spaces.(See Gubler's survey for example). In that survey, a tropical chart $V$ is defined on an ...
Hang's user avatar
  • 2,789
4 votes
1 answer
230 views

Poles of an integral of a meromorphic function with toric poles

Suppose I have a meromorphic function in several variables $f(x_1,\ldots,x_k,y_1,\ldots,y_m)$ and I want to integrate along the torus $T^m$ given by $|y_1|=\cdots=|y_m|=1$. It is not true in general ...
Anton Mellit's user avatar
  • 3,772
4 votes
1 answer
719 views

Intersection of curves on projective toric surface and some enumerative questions

Reading on the tropical approach to enumerative geometry I have come across the claim: given a projective toric surface from a polygon P, we can consider a tautological bundle of algebraic / ...
Yaniv Ganor's user avatar
  • 1,893
4 votes
1 answer
272 views

Family of hypersurfaces in (C^*)^2 corresponding to tropical family

Edit: I realize the mathematics below is lacking a precise phrasing. I hope that the intuitiion behind the question is clear enough that a reader will understand the question and provide guidance. The ...
Eleanor Von Hohlandsbourg's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
255 views

Economic equilibrium and tropical geometry

There is a famous saying in economics: When everyone pursues his or her own interests, there is an invisible hand that brings the market to equilibrium. However, this is not always the case. Here is ...
Surpass2019's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
206 views

History of tropical mathematics

This is a follow-up to this question about the origin of tropical mathematics. Are there any articles, websites or books which deal with the history of tropical mathematics? I have been trying to find ...
Oussema's user avatar
  • 211
4 votes
0 answers
215 views

Does the tropical semiring admit a universal property?

Each of the rings $\mathbf{Q}$, $\mathbf{Z}_p$, $\mathbf{Q}_p$, $\mathbf{R}$ admits a universal construction: the rationals are the field of fractions of the integers: $\mathbf{Q}:=\mathrm{Frac}(\...
Emily's user avatar
  • 11.8k
4 votes
0 answers
163 views

Tropical lie algebra

In this article https://arxiv.org/pdf/1705.01075.pdf are we mean that Lie semialgebras over semirings with a negation map is tropical version of Lie algebra?. And what we do when we define lifting? ...
user135447's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
164 views

Two variants of the Littlewood-Offord theorem

I found two different looking things being called the Littlewood-Offord theorem, If $\vec{a} \in \mathbb{R}^k \setminus 0$ and $t \in \mathbb{R}$ then there are $O(\frac{2^k}{\sqrt{k}})$ points $x \...
gradstudent's user avatar
  • 2,246
4 votes
0 answers
577 views

Tropical Properties From Algebraic Geometry

What properties of tropical geometry (Starting from a valued Field) can be proven to be true using their analogue in algebraic geometry? For example, using the valuation on the Puiseux series $\mathbb{...
Santiago's user avatar
  • 345
4 votes
1 answer
221 views

Does a nontrivial notion of integral under logarithmic deformations of $\mathbb{R}_+$ exist?

Background The upper and lower Maslov dequantizations are respectively the limits $h \downarrow 0$ and $h \uparrow 0$ of deformations of the semifield $(\mathbb{R}_+,+,\cdot)$ defined for $0 \ne h \...
Steve Huntsman's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
270 views

Motivational distinctions between max and min conventions in tropical geometry

I am aware that algebraically, there is no real distinction between the tropical semirings $A = (\mathbb{R} \cup \{ \infty \}, \text{min}, \infty, +, 0)$ $B = (\mathbb{R} \cup \{ - \infty \}, \text{...
mijucik's user avatar
  • 177
3 votes
1 answer
529 views

How to recover toric invariants tropically?

My excuses in advance in case my question is too vague (which is mainly due to the fact that I'm not really familiar with tropical/toric geometry, but at least I still believe that the content of the ...
user5831's user avatar
  • 2,029
3 votes
1 answer
614 views

Hypersurfaces in Toric Varieties, Help understand a proof from Mikhalkin's paper

Hello, in G. Mikhalkin's Papaer "DECOMPOSITION INTO PAIRS-OF-PANTS FOR COMPLEX ALGEBRAIC HYPERSURFACES": http://arxiv.org/pdf/math/0205011.pdf There is a lemma about the relation between intersection ...
Yaniv Ganor's user avatar
  • 1,893