On cluster points of alternating projections

Abstract

Suppose that $A$ and $B$ are closed subsets of a Euclidean space such that $A\cap B\ne \varnothing$, and we aim to find a point in this intersection with the help of the sequences $(a_n)_\nnn$ and $(b_n)_\nnn$ generated by the \emph{method of alternating projections}. It is well known that if $A$ and $B$ are convex, then $(a_n)_\nnn$ and $(b_n)_\nnn$ converge to some point in $A\cap B$. The situation in the nonconvex case is much more delicate. In 1990, Combettes and Trussell presented a dichotomy result that guarantees either convergence to a point in the intersection or a nondegenerate compact continuum as the set of cluster points. In this note, we construct two sets in the Euclidean plane illustrating the continuum case. The sets $A$ and $B$ can be chosen as countably infinite unions of closed convex sets. In contrast, we also show that such behaviour is impossible for finite unions.