Asymmetry measures for convex distance functions

Abstract

Gauges, or convex distance functions are, roughly speaking, norms without symmetry. In this paper we intend to quantify how asymmetric a planar gauge can be. We introduce asymmetry measures for smooth gauges and for strictly convex gauges, prove that they are invariant under isometries, and investigate lower and upper bounds for them. Identifying a gauge with a convex body containing the origin in its interior (the unit ball of the gauge), we also prove that all introduced asymmetry measures are continuous in the Hausdorff distance. Finally, we show that, modifying one of the constructed asymmetry measures, a certain duality principle holds.