Homological Percolation: The Formation of Giant k-Cycles

Abstract In this paper we introduce and study a higher dimensional analogue of the giant component in continuum percolation. Using the language of algebraic topology, we define the notion of giant $k$-dimensional cycles (with $0$-cycles being connected components). Considering a continuum percolation model in the flat $d$-dimensional torus, we show that all the giant $k$-cycles ($1\le k \le d-1$) appear in the regime known as the thermodynamic limit. We also prove that the thresholds for the emergence of the giant $k$-cycles are increasing in $k$ and are tightly related to the critical values in continuum percolation. Finally, we provide bounds for the exponential decay of the probabilities of giant cycles appearing.