A Comparison Framework For Interleaved Persistence Modules and Applications of Persistent Homology to Problems in Fluid Dynamic

We prove an algebraic stability theorem for interleaved persistence modules that is more general than any formulations currently in the literature. We show how this generalization leads to a framework that may be used to compare persistence modules locally, enabling the computation of non-uniform error bounds for persistence diagrams. We give several examples of how to use this comparison framework, and also address an open problem on non-uniform sublevel set filtrations.;We also give two applications of persistent homology to problems in fluid dynamics. Our first application examines the structure of the dynamics of a time-evolving system on a two-dimensional domain, where we give examples for studying fixed points and periodic orbits. Our second application uses persistent homology in conjunction with techniques in computer vision to study pattern defects in the spiral defect chaos regime of Rayleigh-Bénard convection.