The Gromov-Hausdorff Distance Between Consecutive Spheres

Abstract

We determine the Gromov-Hausdorff distance between consecutive unit round spheres equipped with their geodesic metrics. Put $ζ_n:=\arccos(-\tfrac{1}{n+1}),$ the common geodesic distance between distinct vertices of a regular simplex with $n+2$ vertices inscribed in $\mathbb{S}^n$. We prove that $$ d_{\mathrm{GH}}(\mathbb{S}^n,\mathbb{S}^{n+1})=\frac{ζ_n}{2} \qquad(n\geq1), $$ resolving a conjecture of Lim, Mémoli, and Smith. All cases $n\geq4$ were previously open. This equality is established by explicitly constructing a family of correspondences $\mathcal R_n\subseteq \mathbb{S}^{n+1}\times \mathbb{S}^n$, whose distortion matches the known quantitative Borsuk-Ulam lower bound $ζ_n$. We also introduce synchronized spherical joins and suspensions of correspondences and prove that the distortion of a join is exactly the maximum of the distortions of its factors. In particular, suspension preserves distortion. Applying these join and suspension operations to the optimal correspondences $\mathcal R_n$ yields new bounds for spheres of nonconsecutive dimensions, including $$ \lim_{m\to\infty} d_{\mathrm{GH}}\bigl(\mathbb{S}^m,\mathbb{S}^{m+d(m)}\bigr) = \fracπ{4} \qquad\text{whenever } d(m)\geq1,\ \text{and }d(m)=o(m).$$