Beyond topological persistence: Starting from networks

Nowadays, data generation, representation and analysis occupy central roles in human society. Therefore, it is necessary to develop frameworks of analysis able of adapting to diverse data structures with minimal effort, much as guaranteeing robustness and stability. While topological persistence allows to swiftly study simplicial complexes paired with continuous functions, we propose a new theory of persistence that is easily generalizable to categories other than topological spaces and functors other than homology. Thus, in this framework, it is possible to study complex objects such as networks and quivers without the need of auxiliary topological constructions. We define persistence functions by directly considering relevant features (even discrete) of the objects of the category of interest, while maintaining the properties of topological persistence and persistent homology that are essential for a robust, stable and agile data analysis.