A Geodesic Stratification of Two-dimensional Semi-algebraic Sets

Given any arbitrary semi-algebraic set $X$, any two points in $X$ may be joined by a piecewise $C^2$ path $γ$ of shortest length. Suppose $\mathcal{A}$ is a semi-algebraic stratification of $X$ such that each component of $γ\cap \mathcal{A}$ is either a singleton or a real analytic geodesic segment in $\mathcal{A}$, the question is whether $γ\cap \mathcal{A}$ has at most finitely many such components. This paper gives a semi-algebraic stratification, in particular a cell decomposition, of a real semi-algebraic set in the plane whose open cells have this finiteness property. This provides insights for high dimensional stratifications of semi-algebraic sets in connection with geodesics.

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