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bibliography:
- 'persistence\_fp.bib'
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[**Contractibility of a persistence map preimage**]{}

0.5cm [Jacek Cyranka$^{*,\dag}$ and Konstantin Mischaikow$^{*}$ ]{} 0.5cm [$^*$ Department of Mathematics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,\
110 Frelinghusen Rd, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019, USA]{}\
0.5cm [$^\dag$ Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University California, San Diego,\
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0404, USA]{} 0.5cm [jcyranka@gmail.com, mischaik@math.rutgers.edu]{} 0.5cm

[**Abstract.**]{} This work is motivated by the following question in data-driven study of dynamical systems: given a dynamical system that is observed via time series of persistence diagrams that encode topological features of solutions snapshots, what conclusions can be drawn about solutions of the original dynamical system? In this paper we provide a definition of a persistence diagram for a point in ${\mathbb{R}}^N$ modeled on piecewise monotone functions. We then provide conditions under which time series of persistence diagrams can be used to guarantee the existence of a fixed point of the flow on ${\mathbb{R}}^N$ that generates the time series. To obtain this result requires an understanding of the preimage of the persistence map. The main theorem of this paper gives conditions under which these preimages are contractible simplicial complexes.

#### Keywords:

[ Topological data analysis, persistent homology, dynamical 