Metric pairs and tuples in theory and applications

Abstract: We present theoretical properties of the space of metric pairs equipped with the Gromov--Hausdorff distance. First, we establish the classical metric separability and the geometric geodesicity of this space. Second, we prove an Arzel`a--Ascoli-type theorem for metric pairs. Third, extending a result by Cassorla, we show that the set of pairs consisting of a $2$-dimensional compact Riemannian manifold and a $2$-dimensional submanifold with boundary that can be isometrically embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$ is dense in the space of compact metric pairs. Finally, to broaden the scope of potential applications, we describe scenarios where the Gromov--Hausdorff distance between metric pairs or tuples naturally arises.