A reduction for the distinct distances problem in Rd

We introduce a reduction from the distinct distances problem in R-d to an incidence problem with (d - 1)-flats in R2d-1. Deriving the conjectured bound for this incidence problem (the bound predicted by the polynomial partitioning technique) would lead to a tight bound for the distinct distances problem in R-d. The reduction provides a large amount of information about the (d - 1)-flats, and a framework for deriving more restrictions that these satisfy. Our reduction is based on introducing a Lie group that is a double cover of the special Euclidean group. This group can be seen as a variant of the Spin group, and a large part of our analysis involves studying its properties. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.