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The Slicing Problem by Bourgain

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Abstract

In the context of his work on maximal functions in the 1980s, Jean Bourgain came across the following geometric question: Is there c > 0 such that for any dimension n and any convex body \(K \subseteq \mathbb R^n\) of volume one, there exists a hyperplane H such that the (n − 1)-dimensional volume of K ∩ H is at least c? This innocent and seemingly obvious question (which remains unanswered!) has established a new direction in high-dimensional geometry. It has emerged as an “engine” that inspired the discovery of many deep results and unexpected connections. Here we provide a survey of these developments, including many of Bourgain’s results.

Dedicated to the memory of Jean Bourgain

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Klartag, B., Milman, V. (2022). The Slicing Problem by Bourgain. In: Avila, A., Rassias, M.T., Sinai, Y. (eds) Analysis at Large. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05331-3_9

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