Linear slice conjecture for electrostatic potentials

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Let A1,…,An∈R3A_1,\ldots,A_n\in\mathbb{R}^3 be charge locations, and let

V ⁣:R3∖{A1,A2,…,An}→RV\colon\mathbb{R}^3\setminus\{A_1,A_2,\ldots,A_n\}\to\mathbb{R}

be the electrostatic potential defined in the source. An equilibrium of a restriction is a critical point of that restriction.

Linear slice conjecture. The restriction of VV to any straight line or flat plane in R3\mathbb{R}^3 has at most O(n)O(n) equilibria.

This conjecture seeks a linear bound for one- and two-dimensional slices, extending the known linear-cell behavior for certain one-dimensional tessellations. The supplied text gives no resolution.

References

Primary source

Herbert Edelsbrunner, Christopher Fillmore and Gonçalo Oliveira, “Counting Equilibria of the Electrostatic Potential”, arXiv:2501.05315 (2025).

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