In convex geometry, the projection body ${\displaystyle \Pi K}$ of a convex body ${\displaystyle K}$ in n-dimensional Euclidean space is the convex body such that for any vector ${\displaystyle u\in S^{n-1}}$, the support function of ${\displaystyle \Pi K}$ in the direction u is the (n – 1)-dimensional volume of the projection of K onto the hyperplane orthogonal to u.

Hermann Minkowski showed that the projection body of a convex body is convex. Petty (1967) and Schneider (1967) used projection bodies in their solution to Shephard's problem.

For ${\displaystyle K}$ a convex body, let ${\displaystyle \Pi ^{\circ }K}$ denote the polar body of its projection body. There are two remarkable affine isoperimetric inequality for this body. Petty (1971) proved that for all convex bodies ${\displaystyle K}$,

${\displaystyle V_{n}(K)^{n-1}V_{n}(\Pi ^{\circ }K)\leq V_{n}(B^{n})^{n-1}V_{n}(\Pi ^{\circ }B^{n}),}$

where ${\displaystyle B^{n}}$ denotes the n-dimensional unit ball and ${\displaystyle V_{n}}$ is n-dimensional volume, and there is equality precisely for ellipsoids. Zhang (1991) proved that for all convex bodies ${\displaystyle K}$,

${\displaystyle V_{n}(K)^{n-1}V_{n}(\Pi ^{\circ }K)\geq V_{n}(T^{n})^{n-1}V_{n}(\Pi ^{\circ }T^{n}),}$

where ${\displaystyle T^{n}}$ denotes any ${\displaystyle n}$-dimensional simplex, and there is equality precisely for such simplices.

The intersection body IK of K is defined similarly, as the star body such that for any vector u the radial function of IK from the origin in direction u is the (n – 1)-dimensional volume of the intersection of K with the hyperplane u^⊥. Equivalently, the radial function of the intersection body IK is the Funk transform of the radial function of K. Intersection bodies were introduced by Lutwak (1988).

Koldobsky (1998a) showed that a centrally symmetric star-shaped body is an intersection body if and only if the function 1/||x|| is a positive definite distribution, where ||x|| is the homogeneous function of degree 1 that is 1 on the boundary of the body, and Koldobsky (1998b) used this to show that the unit balls l^p
_n, 2 < p ≤ ∞ in n-dimensional space with the l^p norm are intersection bodies for n=4 but are not intersection bodies for n ≥ 5.

See also

• Busemann–Petty problem
• Shephard's problem

References

• Bourgain, Jean; Lindenstrauss, J. (1988), "Projection bodies", Geometric aspects of functional analysis (1986/87), Lecture Notes in Math., vol. 1317, Berlin, New York: Springer-Verlag, pp. 250–270, doi:10.1007/BFb0081746, ISBN 978-3-540-19353-1, MR 0950986
• Koldobsky, Alexander (1998a), "Intersection bodies, positive definite distributions, and the Busemann-Petty problem", American Journal of Mathematics, 120 (4): 827–840, CiteSeerX 10.1.1.610.5349, doi:10.1353/ajm.1998.0030, ISSN 0002-9327, MR 1637955
• Koldobsky, Alexander (1998b), "Intersection bodies in R⁴", Advances in Mathematics, 136 (1): 1–14, doi:10.1006/aima.1998.1718, ISSN 0001-8708, MR 1623669
• Lutwak, Erwin (1988), "Intersection bodies and dual mixed volumes", Advances in Mathematics, 71 (2): 232–261, doi:10.1016/0001-8708(88)90077-1, ISSN 0001-8708, MR 0963487
• Petty, Clinton M. (1967), "Projection bodies", Proceedings of the Colloquium on Convexity (Copenhagen, 1965), Kobenhavns Univ. Mat. Inst., Copenhagen, pp. 234–241, MR 0216369
• Petty, Clinton M. (1971), "Isoperimetric problems", Proceedings of the Conference on Convexity and Combinatorial Geometry (Univ. Oklahoma, Norman, Okla., 1971). Dept. Math., Univ. Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, pp. 26–41, MR 0362057
• Schneider, Rolf (1967). "Zur einem Problem von Shephard über die Projektionen konvexer Körper". Mathematische Zeitschrift (in German). 101: 71–82. doi:10.1007/BF01135693.
• Zhang, Gaoyong (1991), "Restricted chord projection and affine inequalities", Geometriae Dedicata, 39 (4): 213–222, doi:10.1007/BF00182294, MR 1119653