Title: Discrete Gradient Line Fields on Surfaces,
Abstract: A line field on a manifold is a smooth map which assigns a tangent line to
all but a finite number of points of the manifold. As such, it can be seen as a
generalization of vector fields. They model a number of geometric and physical
properties, e.g. the principal curvature directions dynamics on surfaces or the
stress flux in elasticity.
We propose a discretization of a Morse-Smale line field on surfaces,
extending Forman's construction for discrete vector fields. More general
critical elements and their indices are defined from local matchings, for which
Euler theorem and the characterization of homotopy type in terms of critical
cells still hold.