Complexity and speed of semi-algebraic multi-persistence

Abstract

Let $\mathrm{R}$ be a real closed field, $S \subset \mathrm{R}^n$ a closed and bounded semi-algebraic set and $\mathbf{f} = (f_1,\ldots,f_p):S \rightarrow \mathrm{R}^p$ a continuous semi-algebraic map. We study the poset module structure in homology induced by the simultaneous filtrations of $S$ by the sub-level sets of the functions $f_i$ from an algorithmic and quantitative point of view. For fixed dimensional homology we prove a singly exponential upper bound on the complexity of these modules which are encoded as certain semi-algebraically constructible functions on $\mathrm{R}^p \times \mathrm{R}^p$. We also deduce for semi-algebraic filtrations of bounded complexity, upper bounds on the number of equivalence classes of finite poset modules that such a filtration induces -- establishing a tight analogy with a well-known graph theoretical result on the "speed'' of algebraically defined graphs.