Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We give a recognition and reconstruction theorem for finite strictly convex tetrahedra in ${\rm dS}^3$ and ${\rm AdS}^3$ with spacelike, timelike, or null faces. The input consists of four nontrivial based ${\rm SO}^+(1,2)$ holonomies satisfying the closure relation. We construct their Gram data and give a global condition ensuring that the reconstructed tetrahedron lies within the required geometric domain. This condition is strict copositivity of the signed inverse Gram form on the outward branch. Together with nondegeneracy of the Gram data, it guarantees a unique finite tetrahedron up to ambient isometry, with exactly the prescribed Levi--Civita face holonomies. We express this criterion as finitely many polynomial inequalities in trace coordinates, leading to an identification of the finite tetrahedra and a subset of the relative ${\rm SL}(2,\mathbb R)$ character varieties of the four-holed sphere. We also discuss the degenerate Gram strata, vector closure in the curvature-zero limit, and the projective dual tetrahedra, which include ideal and hyperideal tetrahedral sectors. The results provide classical geometric input for quantizing Lorentzian curved tetrahedra and for quantum gravity models with a nonzero cosmological constant.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Liu, Hongguang, Pan, Qiaoyin
Institutions: Westlake University, Tsinghua University
Language: English
Subfield: Geometry and Topology
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7162560195